(gardening) Square Foot Gardening.pdf

‘Square Foot’ Garden

Avoid using creosote as it may possibly dam-

age plants, soil dwelling creatures, and hu-

mans.

As soon as each crop is finished, replace it

with a different one. This will help you to

rotate crops, but you still need to plan a

formal crop rotation.

If you haven’t got much space to grow

vegetables at home or at school why not try

‘square foot’ gardening?

Improve the soil inside the bed with garden

compost mixed with some well-rotted

manure . Make sure that the soil is weed

free and remove as many stones as possible.

Crop Rotation

The ‘square foot’ garden is an American

method of growing as many vegetables as

you can in, as small a space as possible, us-

ing a plot 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft).

As with any organic garden you need to ro-

tate the crops around the space. This is es-

sential to ensure pest and disease control

and prevent the same nutrients been taken

from the soil all the time.

Divide the 120cm x 120cm area into sixteen

30cm (1ft) squares. This can be marked by

nailing long shoe laces or string across the

box. See below.

This space is all you need to grow a wide

variety of crops. If you have more space you

could double the area.

However, the 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft) is

enough to get you started.

See Crop Rotation - HDRA factsheet

Creating a ‘square foot’ garden.

Planting methods and bed management.

Measure out a plot 120cm x 120cm. Edge

the area with wooden boards.

Instead of sowing long rows of seeds and

then thinning out , the square foot garden

uses a different method - ‘ station sowing’.

For more detailed instructions on developing

a square foot garden why not visit the HDRA

Organic Network for Schools website.

www.schoolsorganic.net

Make holes of the right depth for the

seed, at the spacing needed by the

plant (check the packet)

Decide which crops you are going to grow.

Each square is planted with a different crop,

using close spacing. When planning, this

make sure that the tallest plants are at the

back of the bed, with sizes decreasing

towards the front. The bed should face south

for maximum sunlight. Three examples of

layouts are shown on the back of this leaflet.

Drop the seeds into the hole, then fill

with fine soil. For most plants 1-2

seeds are enough, but for carrots and

parsnips use 4-5 seeds to ensure

some seeds germinate.

Wood– brand new wood can be expensive.

Ask wood merchants for off-cuts and other

waste timber, or look for second-hand wood.

If more than one seed germinates,

simply snip off the weaker seedlings

with a pair of scissors. This means you

don’t disturb the roots of the other

plants.

Use untreated wood if you can and replace it

as necessary. Otherwise any preservative

used should be based on natural ingredients

or one that acts as a water repellent .

Square foot gardening—A Student’s Guide

Examples of crops in a ‘square foot’ garden

General

Square foot

gardening

Summer

2 x 3’’

Sugar Peas

rows

- Sugar Rae

Tomato

2 x

Strawberries

2 x

Pot Marigold

2 x Raddichio

1 x Hamburg

Parsley

1 x Little Gem

lettuce

4 x Herbs

sweet majo-

ram, parsley,

winter savory,

celery, leaf

parsley

2 x Lettuce

‘C atalogna’

2 x Lettuce

‘ Lollo Bi-

anco’

16x Leeks

‘ King

Richard’

4x Dwarf

French Beans

‘ Golden

Sands’

4x Leaf Beet

4x Herbs

8 x Buckler—

leaved sorrel

4 x Lettuce

‘C atalogna’

9 x Callaloo

(leaf amaranth)

Florence

fennel

5 x Celeriac

4x Lettuce

16 x Carrots

‘ Amsterdam

Forcing’

4x Lettuce

9x Cabbage

Mini Savoy

4 x Baby

Sweetcorn

‘ Minipop’

4 x Baby

Sweetcorn

‘ Minipop’

4 x French

bean

‘ Golden

sands’

Tomato

‘ Gardener’s

Delight’

4 x Pot

Marigold

16 x Beetroot

‘ Boltardy’

Onion mix

‘ Paris silver-

skin’

‘ Purplette’

‘White Lisbon’

4 x

Nasturtium

‘ Alaska’

Limnanthes

douglasii and

Little Gem

lettuce

6 x

Kohl rabi

4 x Runner

bean

‘ Painted Lady’

4 x

French

beans

‘ Blue Lake’

Spring

2 x

Strawberries

2 x

Pot Marigold

4 x Hamburg

Parsley

12 x Radish

‘ French

Breakfast’

Leaf Lettuce

16 x Garlic

Glossary

Germination —when the plant starts to

grow they develop a stem and roots.

Manure —animal waste

Nutrients —minerals that plants need

to survive that are found in the soil.

Preservative —a chemical used to

protect wood.

Thinning out – taking out some

seedlings to give others more space.

Water repellent —doesn’t let water in

through the surface.

A student’s guide to

growing in a square foot

garden.

8 x Buck-

ler—leaved

sorrel

4 x Little

Gem Lettuce

9 x Spring

Cabbage

16 x Carrots

‘N ante’

Potato

‘ Swift’

16 x Carrots

‘N antes’

Radish and

Cress

Potato

‘ Swift’

16 x

Turnip

‘ Snowball’

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA

Organic Gardens for Schools

2 x

‘D ouce

rows Pea

Provence’

Spring onion

mixture

9 x Summer

cabbage

Dig out and remove any weeds and stones

from the area. Improve the soil inside the

bed with garden compost or some well-

rotted manure.

Crop Rotation

‘Square Foot’ Gardening

As with any organic garden, crop rotation is

crucial in a ‘ square foot’ garden. It helps

with pest and disease control, and prevents

nutrient depletion. It may appear that having

distinct areas for each crop would make ro-

tation easier, because simply replacing

crops with another after they have finished is

a natural crop rotation. However, it is not

always that simple. Square foot gardeners

need to plan a crop rotation carefully. This

is further complicated by the fact that tall

plants need to be near the rear of the bed.

Finding the space in school grounds to grow

vegetables is not always easy. This, together

with the inexperience of some teachers and

many

students, can make growing vegetables seem

like a daunting task. However, it is these

factors that make ‘ square foot’ gardening

ideal.

Sub-divide the 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft)

area into sixteen 30cm (1ft) squares. This

can be marked by nailing long shoe laces or

string across the box. See below.

The ‘ square foot’ garden is an American

method of growing as many vegetables as

you can in as small a space as possible. The

area is 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft).

See Crop Rotation - HDRA factsheet

This space is all you need to grow a range of

crops. If you have more space you could

double the area. However, the 120cm x

120cm (4ft x 4ft) is ample to get you started.

Planting methods and bed management.

Rather than planting long rows of seeds and

then thinning out, square foot gardens re-

quire a different technique. The suggested

method is ‘ station sowing’.

Creating a ‘square foot’ garden.

Decide which crops are going to be grown in

your ‘ square foot’ garden. Each square is

planted with a different crop, using close

spacing. When planning this ensure that

the tallest plants are at the rear of the bed,

with sizes decreasing progressively to the

front of the bed, which should face south for

maximum sunlight. Three examples of

layouts are shown on the back of this leaflet.

Measure out a plot 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft).

Edge it with wooden boards.

Make holes of the required depth for

the seed at the spacing needed by the

mature plant.

Brand new wood can be expensive. A

cheaper option is to ask wood merchants for

off-cuts and other waste timber, or use sec-

ond-hand wood.

Drop the seeds into the holes then fill

with fine soil.

For most plants 1-2 seeds are enough,

but for carrots and parsnips use 4-5

seeds to ensure uniform germination.

Try to obtain untreated wood and replace

when it rots. Otherwise, any preservative

used should be based on natural ingredients,

or one that is just a water repellent. Try to

avoid creosote. It can be harmful to people,

soil-dwelling creatures and plants. It can

leach into the soil after the wood has been

treated.

As soon as each crop is finished, replace it

with a different one. This helps with the crop

rotation, but planning for rotation is still

essential.

If too many seeds germinate, simply

snip off those not required, with a pair

of scissors, to avoid disturbing the

roots of the remaining plants.

Square foot gardening—A Teacher’s Guide

Examples of crops in a ‘square foot’ garden

General

Square foot

gardening

Summer

2 x 3’’

Sugar Peas

rows

- Sugar Rae

Tomato

2 x

Strawberries

2 x

Pot Marigold

2 x Raddichio

1 x Hamburg

Parsley

1 x Little Gem

lettuce

4 x Herbs

sweet majo-

ram, parsley,

winter savory,

celery, leaf

parsley

2 x Lettuce

‘C atalogna’

2 x Lettuce

‘ Lollo Bi-

anco’

16x Leeks

‘ King

Richard’

4x Dwarf

French Beans

‘ Golden

Sands’

4x Leaf Beet

4x Herbs

8 x Buckler—

leaved sorrel

4 x Lettuce

‘C atalogna’

9 x Callaloo

(leaf amaranth)

Florence

fennel

5 x Celeriac

4x Lettuce

16 x Carrots

‘ Amsterdam

Forcing’

4x Lettuce

9x Cabbage

Mini Savoy

4 x Baby

Sweetcorn

‘ Minipop’

4 x Baby

Sweetcorn

‘ Minipop’

4 x French

bean

‘ Golden

sands’

Tomato

‘ Gardener’s

Delight’

4 x Pot

Marigold

16 x Beetroot

‘ Boltardy’

Onion mix

‘ Paris silver-

skin’

‘ Purplette’

‘White Lisbon’

4 x

Nasturtium

‘ Alaska’

Limnanthes

douglasii and

Little Gem

lettuce

6 x

Kohl rabi

4 x Runner

bean

‘ Painted Lady’

4 x

French

beans

‘ Blue Lake’

Spring

2 x

Strawberries

2 x

Pot Marigold

4 x Hamburg

Parsley

12 x Radish

‘ French

Breakfast’

Leaf Lettuce

16 x Garlic

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: