The Square-Foot Method: How to Fit A Smorgasbord of Herbs and Veggies in Your Backyard
By Tripp and Carmen Eldridge
Home gardening has bloomed around the world since the start of the pandemic. Fruit and vegetable seed sales have skyrocketed over the past year as throngs of people took to backyard gardening as a way to relieve stress during lockdowns and grow their own groceries. Indeed, you can grow almost any vegetable or herb you want in your backyard, but ultimately it comes down to real estate. One of the most common pitfalls new gardeners make is trying to squeeze too many plants into a single garden bed. Plants can easily be overcrowded if not given enough room, which can lead to signs of stress and difficulties harvesting. Additionally, lack of good air flow creates conditions for disease to spread between plants.
The square-foot method is a great way to produce a variety of herbs and veggies while giving them plenty of room to grow and breathe. Popularized back in 1981 by civil engineer Mel Bartholomew, it involves dividing a 4-square foot raised bed into 16 plots, where you can plant different seeds in each space. Not only is this an extremely efficient way of gardening, but it’s also manageable and cost effective – a perfect combination for beginners and experienced gardeners alike!
With the square-foot method, you’ll be amazed at what you can grow in such a small area. Here’s how it works:
- Figure Out the Set Up
There are three basic elements to your set up with traditional squarefoot method gardening. First, you’ll need to determine where you’d place your raised bed. Pick a spot where your plants can get at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. Most areas in your backyard should suffice.
Second, you’ll need to either buy or build your own 4’x4’ raised bed box. Those lined with fabric create a weed barrier, which can be beneficial to fostering a healthy environment for your plants to flourish.
Finally, once you add the soil in, top your bed with a grid of 16-squares for plant spacing. This can be made from metal, bamboo, wood, or string — really anything that can act as a visual tool. This grid’s purpose is simply to help you plant your seeds the right distance apart.
That’s basically everything you need! But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s talk about the soil.
2. Choose the Right Soil
Soil is the key to success in your garden: if you don’t have a living soil to support your plants, you’re just wasting your time and money. Good quality, weed-free compost is an absolute must. Look for the OMRI label if you want to stay organic.
For us in South Florida, the majority of our existing soil is a type of fine sand called Myakka. It’s actually our state soil. But because this sand doesn’t carry a lot of nutrition for plants, we need to provide it with extra minerals and fertilizers for our plants to perform well.
To learn more about what kinds of additives you may need for your soil, a great resource is the University of Florida Cooperative Extension. This department can work with your County Extension Agent to perform a soil testing analysis for your garden. From there, you can better determine what minerals and fertilizers you might need to add to your garden.
3. Start Planting
It’s time to exercise that green thumb! Start planting different seeds in each square, in varying numbers, depending on the space required for each plant. For certain vegetables, you can also plant transplants. This blog has a great spacing chart to determine how many seeds or plants you should put in each plot for the kinds of herbs and veggies you may want to grow. Timing and variety selection are key in our tropical climate. Be sure to follow correct planting dates for South Florida. Check out this planting calendar from the University of Florida for details on when to plant and what vegetable varieties do best. After you plant your seeds, cover with about half-an-inch-thin layer of soil, then water.
Now, all you have to do is water regularly, monitor for weeds and any other signs of stress, and watch your plants grow. As a starting gardener, nothing is more satisfying than seeing your creations become fully grown, and with this method, you’re setting yourself up for success. It’s easy to transform a patch of earth into a bountiful garden — and now, you know where to start.
About the authors
Carmen and Tripp Eldridge are small-scale farming experts and the current Farm Directors at Arden, an award-winning residential agrihood in Palm Beach County, FL. Managing the community’s five-acre farm, Tripp and Carmen are pioneering innovative farm-to-table living in South Florida.