Basic #1: Layout For Your Square Foot Garden

Layout is the beginning basic of Square Foot Gardening. It includes several aspects. First, decide how much food you want to grow. This is one of the many water,work, seed and space saving characteristics of Square Foot Gardening. We don't want to waste food so we don't plant more than we will eat. Choose a 4'x4' size 6" tall box to feed an adult a salad each day of the growing season. For more varieties of food, choose two of this size per adult or combine them to make a 4'x8' box. Choose an area in your yard that will fit the box sizes you select. Make sure to allow room for 3-4' aisles in between the boxes. This is very important for comfortable access. You may want to sketch your plan on paper like this:

 

A Square Foot Garden is easy to plan because all of the boxes are square or rectangle. Plan your boxes no wider than 4' in width because this is ideal to reach in and tend your plants without stepping into the box and compacting the soil. Be sure to place it near a water source and  6-8 hours of sunlight per day. Boxes can be placed along a fence or wall as long as there are three accessible sides. Two foot wide boxes are also convenient to border a  fence or wall   The entire garden area including the aisles should be covered with a weed cloth to keep out weed and grass invasion. Place the box frames without soil on the covered area to see the layout you planned. Once it looks the way you would like, fill the boxes with Mel's Mix.