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Re: Advice on setting up first square foot garden

Joanne:

you asked about bed size and shape:

>    All this discussion on garden bed size and shape, gives me the courage to
> ask this question.  I have an area for a garden that is about
> 50' x 9'.  I would like to grow peas,beans,corn,tomatoes,onions/garlic,
> carrots,lettuce.  Also, a little cucumber/melon,celery,brocolli, sweet peppers
> and garlic.  I would very much appreciate any advice on the best way
> to approach this project.
>    What about pathways?  How many, how wide?

Bill probably had it right when he said to start small, but keep the big
picture in mind.

What about an arrangement like this the one below, with 4' wide beds
running across the garden, separated by narrow paths and a wide path
that you can get barrows etc up and down. This design assumes that the
garden is restricted on all sides by walls or fences, so I've made the
paths at the end wider so that you have space to swing a rake or other
longer tool without too much difficulty. If your garden isn't
restricted, I'd make the entire plot just a set of beds running across
the 9' width.

The drawing is approximately to proportions, but NOT to scale, so I
wouldn't get too carried away with it. The beds are 4' wide, the wide
path across the bottom and up the sides are 3' wide, and the paths
between the beds are 2' wide.

+---+---+--+---+--+---+--+---+--+---+--+---+--+---+---+
|   |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |   |
|   | B |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |   |
|   | e |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |   |
|   | d |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |   |
|   |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |   |
|   +---+  +---+  +---+  +---+  +---+  +---+  +---+   |
|                                                     |
|  Wide Path for barrows etc                          |
|                                                     |
+-----------------------------------------------------+

On the subject of improving your soil, you can do it all without having
to bring in too much in the way of soil and other amendments, but you
just have to accept that the first couple of years aren't going to be as
productive as you might like. Compost everything you can get your hands
on: grass clippings, leaves, prunings, vegetable kitchen scraps, coffee
grounds. Adding this compost is what's going to make your garden into
something special. You will need to provide some fertilizer. One source
you might like to consider is stable manure. At least around here, In
acreage areas where some people keep horses, you often see bags of
stable manure by people's front gate for about $2 a bag.

Above all, have fun.




--
Tony Lupton                            *           CiTR Pty Ltd
Email: t.lupton@citr.com.au         *    *         339 Coronation Drive
Phone: +61 7 3259 2382                  *          PO Box 1643
Fax:   +61 7 3259 2259                             Milton Qld 4064
><>                                   *            Australia

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