Square Foot Gardening and Crop Rotation

When developing your square foot gardening plan (this applies to crop rotation too), do it by sections. If you are growing in the ground simply mark off a 4' x 4' section for the first section and leave a walkway around it.

You will then have good access to all areas of that section. By creating other 4' x 4' plots you will be able to implement crop rotation.

Keep a chart of what is planted where; do a layout on paper. If you have four sections or plots, when you get ready to plant the next year move the vegetables that were in the first plot to the fourth and the rest up one from where they were.

Do this every year until at the end of the fourth year; the original vegetable ends up back where it started. This refreshes the soil and keeps you from wearing it out too soon. This way you are keeping to the rule of waiting at least three years to plant the same thing in its original plot.

Square Foot Gardening

Square foot gardening is a popular method of crop control. This method keeps soil sustainable and produces a higher yield of healthy vegetables.

Of course if you are growing in a raised bed garden you will have no problem using the square foot gardening system. Take a ball of twine and some tacks and fix lengths of twine at 1' intervals across the width of your raised bed garden frame. Then do the same lengthways.

If you have a raised bed garden of 8' x 4' as per my example, you will have 7 pieces of twine going across and 3 lengths of twine going along. The intersections of twine will mark off 32 individual one square foot plots.

My personal rule of thumb for planting within these squares is as follows :

• One plant per square for large vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower
• Four plants per square for medium vegetables such as lettuce and celery
• Eight plants for medium to small vegetables such as leeks and spinach
• Twelve plants for small vegetables such as radishes, beetroot, onions and carrots

Smaller beetroots are sweeter for example. Some people prefer smaller, greener onions for salads, etc.

You will find many benefits from this gardening method. Using this system you will have a higher yield than you would using the conventional 'row by row' system.

Square foot gardening in raised beds also enables easier protection from pests and the weather, and, when good organic gardening methods are adhered to, does away with weeding, tilling and digging.

I hope this guide on growing your own organic vegetables has been helpful to you. I wish you many successful harvests.

If you have any comments or questions about organic gardening (or any other organic related comments), please Contact Us.

Read More:

Return from Square Foot Gardening to Organic Vegetable Gardening.

Or visit Organic Soil to find out more about the importance of soil in your organic garden.

Return to Organic Food For Everyone.