Ideal Bite

Homegrown...in Your Backyard

Heather takes on droopy zucchini and lettuce starter plants.

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Amy Love on August 04, 2009 at 07:01 AM 1

Hello! I am so surprised to see that Heather was planting her veggies in the ground! I am not sure if you know about the amazing benefits of Square Foot Gardening (www.squarefootgardening.com). To break it all down for you quickly- SFG is growing veggies in a 4'x4' box/container (other sizes will work too, this is just a basic starter size for easy explanation). Since you are building UP and not DOWN (on top on the ground instead of in it)-you start with perfect organic soil- meaning you don't have to dig down into your existing soil and worry about it's pH, chemicals, lack of nutrients and the fact that its usually filled with weed seeds and isn't very easy to work in (or roots to push through). Also, fertilizer is NEVER needed- you save time, money and hassle. There are innumerable benefits to SFG- it's so extremely easy- even for a beginner (which I definitely am!)- and it is incredible how eco-friendly it is- you save chemicals for sure, but also water is conserved (it's an 80% SMALLER area than traditional row gardening, but with 100% of the harvest!) space is conserved, allowing you to grow more, and most of all there is less time spent pulling weeds in the garden and more time available for enjoying the bounty of your organic harvest. (Pests, etc are less bc you aren't in the ground and the plants are healthier and thus more resistant to disease). I haven't been able to even barely touch on all the benefits in this short (ok long) comment, but please check it out! I'm a total convert- I can grow 4 heads of lettuce in one square foot, 16 radishes in the same amount of space, not to mention tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, spinach, herbs, and on and on- ALL without taking up my ENTIRE yard to do so- and having to weed the garden about oh, once a month, pulling out one weed in 30 seconds. Last point- when you replant a square, all you have to do is add one trowel full of compost and replant. You do not have to remake the original soil mix- EVER. Forget heavy equipment- all you need is a trowel to tend your garden!

Linda Braley on August 04, 2009 at 12:04 PM 2

Thank you Heather, for the great advice on planting lettuce from starters from the farmer market, or store. You made it look so simply to dig a little space of dirt up, and fill it with one's favorite veggie plants. I appreciated the advice on the organic fertilizer and waiting until the veggies, have a good start before applying the fertilizer, which makes complete sense. I am anxious to hear how well your veggies grow, and now I am off to find a sunny spot near my home, to prepare a small area to plant cucumbers. Yum. Keep the Golden Hoe advice (on gardening) coming to us amature garders. I like gardening that requires little weeding, and saves on comsumption of too much water use. Aunt Linda B.

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Replica Watches on September 05, 2009 at 06:26 PM 4