The Official Site of Square Foot Gardening and Mel Bartholomew, Originator and Author

Have A Question?

Here are the 10 most frequently asked.

First, see if your question is listed here:

1. WHAT CAN I DO TO ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL SFG?

2. WHERE DO I FIND BLENDED COMPOST?

3. IS VERMICULITE SAFE AND WHERE DO I FIND IT?

4. WHAT PROPORTIONS DO I USE FOR MAKING MEL’S MIX?

5.  

a. WHAT WOOD SHOULD I USE TO BUILD MY BOXES?

b. DRAINAGE HOLES FOR RAISED BEDS?

c. BOTTOM FILLER FOR DEEPER BOXES ?  

6. IS 6 INCHES REALLY DEEP ENOUGH FOR A GARDEN BOX?

7. HOW DO I FIGURE PLANT SPACING?

8.HOW CAN I CREATE A SFG GARDEN INEXPENSIVELY?

9.

a. WHEN SHOULD I PLANT IN MY AREA?

b. WHAT VARIETIES SHOULD I PLANT IN MY AREA?

c.  PROBLEMS WITH PLANTS?

10. HOW DO I BECOME A CERTIFIED SFG TEACHER?

 

If that's Not Enough Here is 10 More...

Read the questions and short underlined answers, then click anywhere that is underlined to learn more!

1. Can I grow raspberries, blackberries or blueberries in a SFG? Not really suited for a SFG but… (Click here)

2. How do I plant strawberries? 4 per square per foot – do an entire 3x3, 4x4, or better yet an entire pyramid of strawberries. Here's how… (Click here)

3. What about potatoes? Perfect for SFG – Mel has invented a penthouse square box, read details here… (click here)

4. Help! How do I protect my garden from critters? Simple! Read Mel’s column on critters… (click here)

5. How should I lay out my garden in the space I have? Surf our website. Over 200 hundred garden pictures with lots of ideas there… (click here)

6. Can I grow asparagus in a SFG? You bet! An entire 4x4 like this… (click here)

7. What about corn? A perfect SFG crop, more harvest less space, here's how… (click here)

8. Can I garden in the hot desert? Why not? Just give your garden some shade, extra water, and a heavy mulch as well. More pointers here… (click here)

9. I want to plant something different. How do I do this? What is the yield? Imagination and experimentation! One big advantage for SFG is… (click here)

10. My garden is too shady. What can I do? Plant lots of shade loving crops, here are some… (click here)