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RE: starting out in the garden

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Hi there.  I agree with Patricia in that you shouldn't try to plan
everything your first year.  This year was my first year at truly attempting
a planned garden.  We just moved into a new place, so the first thing I did
was choose the garden site and fence it in.  The area is about 12 by 24
feet.  I decided to do 3 foot wide beds, 3 foot wide around the inside
perimeter of the fencing, and another 3 foot wide bed in the middle of the
area.  Frankly, because of a lack of money at that point (the fence cost
more than I thought, not to mention the cost of soil amendments and
mulch...), we only marked off the areas of the beds with string.  That
turned out to be a really good thing.  I learned quickly that reaching in 3
feet for the outside beds was a little too far for me, so this fall, we're
going to make the outside beds 2 foot wide, and the inside bed 4 foot wide.

As far as what to plant, I started with the basics, mainly what I like to
eat a lot.  So I decided on how many plants I needed, and the spacing of
those plants.  I got some graph paper and marked off the areas where I was
going to plant.  What I found was that I had a lot of squares left in the
garden!  Similar to what Patricia did with her extra space, I grew some
sprawling plants, watermelons and canteloupes, mainly to give the garden a
"full" look.

I did not worry about succession planting initially.  Rather, I decided to
only focus on the original crops.  Then, once a crop was close to being
"done", I thought about what to plant there next.  This kept me from being
overwhelmed in the beginning.  It also helped me to "see" how succession
planting works.  For example, when the first crop of beans were done, I
looked around to see what made sense to plant next.  In that case, I noticed
that my last batch of lettuce was starting to get to a good size, so I
planted some more lettuce in the squares where the beans had been.  It
really helps the learning process to "see" things, versus trying to plan
everything on paper.

I think gardening as a whole is trial and error.  I learned a lot this year
just by watching what was happening with the plants.  For next year, I can
plan more than I did this year since I know what works and what doesn't work
to some extent, but I still plan on experimenting with just about
everything.  For me, that's the fun part of gardening, and what makes it
truly enjoyable.

Jeannette
SW PA Zone 6




-----Original Message-----
From: Patricia J. Santhuff
To: Square Foot Gardening List
Sent: 8/26/99 10:26 PM
Subject: Re: starting out in the garden

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

>On 26 Aug 99, Kevin Henson wrote:
>
>> I am reading the original book, and am feeling somewhat overwhelmed. 
>> Any suggestions on how to plan a garden and keep the rotation up?  I
>> am guessing it must be trial and error, and it would be a good idea
to
>> keep a journal.

Aw, Kevin, just wade right in. ;-)

Personally, I find I can make myself just CRAZY (and get nothing DONE in
the
process) by thinking too hard about what to do and how to do it. You
know:
follow the rules, don't make mistakes, plan for this that and the other.


LOL. Just do it. I literally wasted opportunities to be
learning-by-doing
this year (my first at gardening at all, let alone square foot) by doing
just that -- trying to figure out WHAT to do and how.

As for crop rotation, I thought Mel had some info in there about that?
(Might be wrong about that -- I've read so MANY gardening books this
year
trying to become an experienced gardener overnight.) If not, perhaps
some
good folks will share their plans and experiences on the subject?

I was a little surprised that you're feeling overwhelmed. I found Mel's
book
exactly the opposite. I had been feeling totally overwhelmed by
*learning
gardening* this year UNTIL I found Mel's book. He made it seem
manageable to
me. Maybe when you get a little further along . . . ? But then, he had
MY
attention (and excitement) from the get go when he explained why
gardening
has always been done in rows before, and why that's not necessarily the
best
way. Hey, I'm for *easier*as it applies to almost anything.

How 'bout starting a Fall Garden (or are you already planning to do
that)? 

And I'd vote for raised beds, myself, which I love. For one thing, we
grew
some corn and melons in an area that we hadn't prepared the square foot
way
(just needed to get something PLANTED and quick! before time completely
ran
out on us this spring), and I could see how easy it is to walk all over
it
all unless the areas are thoroughly marked off. 

Plus all the other advantages I read about -- including not disturbing
the
soil (except the first time if you do it Mel's way, which I'm rethinking
slightly these days). On the Organic Gardening List there's been a HUGE
discussion about not disturbing the soil (and the mycorrhizae fungi
which
are incredibly important) by tilling and so forth.

And yes, I think a journal is a good idea (if you're the type --
otherwise
maybe just a calendar with annotations, like my dad used to do). I'm
keeping
a journal -- and I've learned recently it's not *extensive* enough. For
instance, I prepared two beds one way (soil amendments), and two beds
another way and I don't think I kept track of the details. Phooey. Oh
well,
live and learn -- and for me, that's never been truer than with
gardening. :-(

This is a great list, though, and some very nice and knowledgeable folk
will
hold your hand (if you want that), answer your questions, provide a
little
morale support. Can't beat that. (Now if they'd just come do a little
weeding -- scratch that. What I really need is some shovel work. <g>)

Patricia
Zone 7b, West Georgia


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