Growing Vegetables in Small Spaces

Square foot gardening is a method of vegetable gardening developed by Mel Bartholomew, author of Square Foot Gardening: A New Way to Garden in Less Space with Less Work. This method is based on a set of square foot plots planted optimally for each specific crop. It’s an ideal system for those with limited space and time.

Using the Square Foot Method for Vegetable Garden Design

Maintaining a traditional vegetable garden takes a lot of time and energy. Sometimes no matter how vigilant a gardener is the garden can get out of control. There is also an issue at harvest. Often times gardeners end up with more vegetables than they or friends and family can possibly use. Using square foot gardening can alleviate these issues.

While the square foot garden concept can be adapted to fit the space a gardener has, the basic premise is to plot out a 4 foot by 4 foot square which is then further divided into 16 square foot spaces. Each square foot is designated a single crop depending on the gardener’s needs and desires.

Crops are planted with an appropriate number of seeds which is determined by spacing needed for optimal growth of each plant. There is no over planting, therefore no thinning out of seedlings. Because the garden is laid out as a 4 foot square with walking paths on all 4 sides every inch of the garden is easily reached for maintenance and harvest. Also, since the space is maximized with vegetables there is less room for weeds.

Optimizing Space in Vegetable Gardens

Square foot gardening helps to balance out harvest times by using succession planting. For example, rather than planting the entire broccoli crop at once, each square designated for that crop is planted a week apart. Broccoli is then harvested over a period of time rather than all at once. Wasting vegetables is eliminated. Gardeners plant only what they like and what they can use.

Plants such as cucumbers, zucchinis and cantaloupes traditionally take up a lot of space. Rather than growing each plant in a 3 foot by 3 foot area on the ground, grow them vertically. The plant will get better light and air circulation and be less prone to pest damage. Growing these vines on a vertical frame uses only 1 foot by 4 foot of space in the garden. The space saved can be used to grow other smaller crops.

Square foot gardening is appropriate for both novice and experienced gardeners alike. By doing a little extra planning in the beginning, using a much smaller area and planting seeds according to their growing space, gardeners can spend less time and yield bigger rewards in their vegetable gardens. For more information on this space saving method see Gardening Tips for Small Urban Gardens & Patios.