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Seeds, Area, Deer, Clay-12 Steps

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

GEARED TO BEGINNER, LONGish
____________________________
SEEDS:
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>I'm new to the list and to gardening all together.  I was wondering if it
matters what seeds you get......what I mean is are the 10 for $1 junk or can
you use them with success most of the time?  I can't believe the cost of some
of these seeds nowadays.

seeds@bigfoot.com (The Seed Exchange Mailing List)
To subscribe send a blank email with the word SUBSCRIBE on the 
subject line.

I find it pretty boring.  It was given to me by someone apologizing, as a
gesture.  (I'm OK once you get to know me.)  We started over and all is grand.
 But it is a pretty good seed list.  Cost is a trade, or even stamps to mail.
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AREA TO PLANT
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>Also I am planning on doing 3 squares for my family of 6...3 adults and 3
small children, does that sound like enough?

No way... except that you gotta start somewhere.
Making beds, raised or not, takes some time.
If the salad reply was right.. you need 6 beds there.
Now, for every kid use a 1/2 bed for salad.
And, for every boy, well, forget it.
(You know what we eat, and it is meat or sweet.  One leaf to "just try it" is
fine.  Once they want to attract gals, they learn to kill the taste of salads
fine.)
Now you have maybe 3 beds of tomatoes, lettuce broccoli, all salad stuff.

Now add a fun bed for wierd stuff for the kids (4)... they each get a few
squares... then one for maybe squash and misc (5), then a last one for a
pumpkin or watermelon or muskmelon.  Make it fun!

Ok, that's 6, 6x4x4 = 6x16 = 96 sq ft. 10x10-ish, intensive style.  Now you're
in the ball park.  This include a tomato plant in each salad 4x4, using 4 to 9
squares, (2x2 or 3x3) if you don't prune and use a large cage as I do... A
zuchinni or two is good, 2x2 or 3x3 also, and I use a tomato cage there too. 
Fill in w / lettuce and misc.
__________________________
DEER
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>Thirdly, any suggestions on keeping the deer out minus the 8 foot fence????

Hmmm... Smelly flannel scarecrow that wind move the arms?  Move it to a dif
location sevral feet each couple garden visits?
_____________________________
CLAY
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>And lastly any suggestions on beds, I have clay like soil but am wondering if
I should do raised beds or not and if so, any suggestions on what to make them
out of would be great.
Thanks
Rachel

I have begun to think clay should almost get it's own 12 Step List.
Standard soil amendment for fairly ok soil is 1-3 inches, say, the first year.
 This assumes UP TO a 25% amendment.  After that, you might get =away with
less, like an inch a year.  Remember, sq ft is a little intensive.

But for clay folks... soil is 25% air, 25% water asnd 50% other, ideally.  And
rocks and sand are not so ideal, except for minor trace elements they exude
over decades.  And clay is defined as fine particles.  Not ideal at all.

I reccommend that you dig a full 12", a FULL shovel depth, as a minimum. 
Fluff the soil up.For clay, add 25 To 50% amendment.  That means organic here.
 Add until when you clench it firmly and let loose, it comes apart when
moderately poked with a finger.  The 25% (probably minimum) is 3" on top of 12
" of soil.  Don't add 3" then dig only 9" more.

Fluffing up the soil, Mel says do not step on it there after.  Listen to this,
esp w/clay.  This will yields a raised bed, like it or not.  About 6".  Each
4x4 then needs 16x 0.25 cu ft or 4, 1cu ft bags of like well composted manure.
 Home depot has the weak cheap stuff for $1 a bag.  MAYBE two will do you
4x4.

Depends on your clay.  Do two bags per 4x4, squeeze test it.  6 plots, 4x4
peach x 4 bags per plot (25%) is $24 in manure for abut 100 sq ft total.  I
squeaked by with a two bag amount, and planted less densely, due to humidity
and air circulation concerns.  (For we 5, I did 10x15 + Untilled area for a
Big Max Pumpkin, which at 45 lbs, got 3x3 itself.)  Wish I had done the full
amount of composted manure though.  But by using stepping boards, staying OFF
the soil, I got good results.

And remember, you can save wood by going to 4x8 or 4x12 or 4x16 plots, IF you
do raised beds.  I merely laid 2x4s for stepping, and did one mass plot. 
Raised has advantages, if you can plan, dig, and spring for the "wood," with
out impacting you manure/compost/ seed budget.

Bill / SF / UDSA 9.4973, ok, 9 or 10 / 69% Sun, but rarely warm.
At 19.5 inches of rain now.  15-25 range and 22 inch average.
Gettin' close :>)

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