Tips for a square foot vegetable garden
Vegetable patches are square vegetable gardens, often raised 1.20 m on each side, divided into 30 cm squares (although nothing prevents you from dividing the surface area by two). This gives you 9 to 16 spaces per square, on a surface area of approximately 1.5 m². Suitable for small gardens, but not only, we also like the decorative side of this type of vegetable garden, highlighting the crops.
There are many advantages to growing a square foot vegetable garden: growing on a small area, regardless of the nature of the garden soil, reduced water requirements, no need for thinning.
How to create a square vegetable garden?
There are several techniques for creating the structure of a square vegetable garden, you can opt for the most well-known which consists of assembling untreated wooden formwork boards 15 to 20 cm wide to form a square, remembering to place a drainage layer at the bottom if it is high up.
Another more ornamental option: branch wattle or also called gaulettes. Gaulettes are young shoots from the coppicing of chestnut trees. They measure 3 to 5m with a cross-section varying from 1.5 to 4cm. Those from osier or hazel are generally called "poles". Expose your vegetable patch to light with a sunny exposure for the proper development of your crops. According to the calculations of Mel Bartholomew, inventor of the vegetable patch, it would seem that 3 to 6 squares are enough to feed a family of 2 to 4 people.
1. Trace the shape on the ground.
2. Plant the stakes vertically every 40cm and sink them at least 30cm deep. Their cross-section will affect the final appearance.
The larger the diameter of these stakes, the more rounded the weaving will be and the more it will give the impression of a succession of gentle curves. If, on the other hand, they are thin, the impression will be much more linear.
3. Begin the actual braiding by moving from one interval to the other, once inside, once outside, always respecting the same direction and the same alternation for each row started. A gaulette has two ends: a strong one which corresponds to its branching point and a thinner one, at its end. To avoid holes in the braid, be sure to alternate and start a series on the strong side, then a series on the thin side.
Keep this basic rule in mind: a braiding line that you start must be completed on all four sides before starting another one.
Pay attention to the corners: these are the most delicate parts. At each corner, you should find as many braided sticks on the inside as on the outside.
4. At the end of the braiding, cut the ends extending beyond the corners neatly and align the upper edges of the vertical stakes.
After determining the location and size of your vegetable patch, fill it with a mixture of potting soil and compost or dehydrated manure. Be careful to fill your patch with soil right up to the edge of the borders, as the shade from the beds will cause the seedlings to wilt.
Fertilization:
You can apply organic fertilizer to your crops, respecting the dosages indicated. An organic fertilizer (tomato fertilizer, vegetable fertilizer, etc.) will improve soil structure while taking into account microorganisms.
Spread 2 months before planting the crops or just before planting the crops but without burying them too much (10-15 cm maximum) water thoroughly.
During the season you can also water your squares twice a month with nettle manure, a natural fertilizer and repellent.
Learn more about plant purines
Compost:
A mixture of compost and topsoil will naturally enrich the soil in your vegetable patch. It is strongly recommended to add compost between each crop rotation to enrich your soil.
If you have a garden, we recommend making a compost heap at the bottom of it and stirring it with a pitchfork as often as possible. The more you stir it, the faster and more even the decomposition will be, and the less odor there will be.
You can also opt for a wooden composter with a side door, making it easy to mix the compost.
Add to your compost bin or garden bed: wet waste (peelings, manure) alternating with dry or hard waste (pruning residue, dry stems).
The compost is ready within 6 to 8 months.
Learn more about composting
Crop rotation
When growing vegetable patches, it is essential to have a crop rotation plan in place to avoid depleting the soil and limiting the spread of disease. For example, you can replace vegetables with strong roots, such as parsnips or tomatoes, with others with more shallow roots, such as lettuce, cucumbers, peas, or beans. In short, you should not replant the same family of vegetables for several years in a row.
Example for 3 vegetable patches: a 3-year rotation.
1st year: gourmet crops, leaves and fruits;
2nd year: root crops;
3rd year: seed crops.
Learn more about crop rotation
Associations in the vegetable patch
Vegetable garden associations help to avoid pests but also to stimulate the development of certain plants.
On the pest side, many associations are known in the vegetable garden: the association of leeks and carrots, for example, will limit the damage from both the carrot fly and the leek fly; that of tomato or celery with cabbage will help to protect against attacks from the white butterfly and the fly.
Marigolds and marigolds are effective destroyers of nematodes and whiteflies.
In terms of growth, spring lettuces will grow vigorously near kohlrabi or radishes. Radishes and carrots, or tomatoes and basil, will get along wonderfully.
Learn more about plant associations
