4 x 4 Square-Foot Garden
Once upon a time, I planted a garden...
A while back, while "surfing the net" (yeah, I'm old), I came across a website called Square-Foot Gardening Foundation. I later learned the foundation was based out of Columbia, SC, where my daughter and her family live. I was intrigued by their motto, "Feeding the World, One Square-Foot at a Time," and decided to put it to the test by planting my own garden.
I'm not a novice at gardening. I helped my mom pick green beans, corn and berries growing up. I helped her can and preserve the harvest. I planted corn with my Uncle, along with my cousins. As a newlywed, I planted backyard gardens, flower beds and salad gardens. I PLANTED. I hated tilling, weeding and watering. I left that to my "other" while I tended babies, canned, preserved and dreamed up other things for him to plant! (I'm single again, happily, but rest assured, I am not a marriage-bashing, man-hating divorced woman, so relax, this will be all I say about that. He was the love of my life. Life changed. Enough said.)
First...
I built a box. I bought four 1x6 fence boards that were cut into four-foot pieces. I placed them carefully onto my porch stoop, that is waist high, and nailed them together. And nailed. And nailed. (I'm sure my neighbors enjoyed that project.) I used nail brads because I forgot to buy nails at the handy box store so I naturally went for the picture-hanging nails! I figured if I nailed the daylights out of it, it would stay together. As luck would have it, it did/is still together. Haha
Then...
I found a sunny place in my yard and placed it on a level spot. I lined it with landscape fabric. There's a method to this...I'm not sure I did the best job on lining it, but plan to take more care on this step next year. I'll get out the staple gun next time--more NOISE! ;)
Finally...
I filled it with Mel's Mix, outlined on Square Foot Gardener Foundation's website. The recipe: 1/3 Peat Moss, 1/3 Course Vermiculite, 1/3 Blended Compost (4-5 types). It's light, it's fluffy, it retains moisture...and there's NO tilling, NO weeding, and very little concern over watering. That's this single girl's kind of garden!!
Gardening the raised-bed, square-foot gardening way is simple, easy and totally organic! I am almost embarassed at how easy it was and I simply got out of my car each evening after work, sometimes in my high-heels...checked the garden, gathered the harvest and enjoyed eating the absolute freshest food ever!
The End. Not really...there's much more fun to come! :)
