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hello world and questions...

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

Hello Lee et al:

Nice intro letter with a lot of questions that I feel many people may want
to ask but for some reason or the other, they don't. I will hopefully
answer some of your questions. I am not an expert. All I know is what works
for me and what I have read. 

 >We live in Round Rock, Texas (north of Austin), in your basic
circa-late-1970's vintage subdivision.  "Warm and dry" describes the major
part of our growing season, with "hot and dry" describing the rest.
(Anyone else in this area?  Is there a local club/group/whatever?)

I would think that the growing season there is more like 'hot and dry' for
part of the season and 'hot and wet' for the rest!<G>
  
I am sure that the Austin area has plenty of gardening clubs. I know that
Zilker Park has an orchid club that meets there. I would think that they
have other garden clubs there, too.  You might want to check your library
for local club listings. 
  
  >  We are thinking about several inches of gravel on the bottom, then
layers of dirt, composted leaves, manure, dirt, leaves, manure, dirt.
How's that sound to y'all?  Are we on the right track?

If you don't know the ph of the soil, you may not have very good results
with sq foot gardening, either. You have a very good sense about layering
the soil mix, but if the ph is not correct, the plants won't like it any
better than row gardening. The agricultural extension office there can get
your soil tested for minimal cost. It  would sure cut down on the failure
rate. Your local library may have the info you need to send to the
extension office, at least here in Houston they do.

>3)  When manure is used, you normally hear things like horse or cow,
perhaps even rabbit.  We have access to rabbit pooplets, so that's not a
problem.  However, I have two dogs who have the ability to produce a
prodigious quantity of, well, dog poop.  Is this okay to use on a garden?

Dog manure and cat manure is not recommended. It can carry parasites that
can infect humans. Most manure is best utilized when broken down during the
composting process. For your first year, you might want to get some
prepackaged, ready to use manures to help build the soil up a little.
  
>4)  Mel talks about compressing lots of stuff into a single square,
including planting X in-between Y because you know X will harvest before Y
gets to big, etc.  Does anyone out there really get this intense with their
gardening?  If so, how do you keep track of this?  Do you start the year
with a calendar and decide which plants to plant up front on a week-by-week
basis?  Or do you just let it happen as it goes along?

Yes, a lot of us do get that intense. Then again, most of us don't probably
get that thorough. It is not too complicated to do, once one gets started.
For instance, you might plant radishes and say, carrots together in the
same square. The radishes are long gone before the carrots even make much
of an appearance. Of course it best to plant plants that like each other. I
plant short and long season crops in the same square. Like I said a few
sentences back, the short season crops are gone a long time before the late
season ones, so they really don't compete that much for the nutrients and
space.
  
Thanks for your indulgence.  We will try not to be too much of a bother on
the group.
  
Lee and Patricia Crites
  
Lee, I for one, couldn't imagine how you could be a bother to the group. We
all have questions. We all learn something every day. I am sure that with
all the conglomerate knowledge on this list, you will receive many answers
to any questions that you may have. Just ask.

Good luck and stay cool!

Dan Harriman
Houston, Tx


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