My Square Foot Garden - Cottage and Vine

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” Audrey Hepburn

This little garden is my happy place! I walk outside multiple times a day just to look at it and I check it one last time before dark. My family laughs at me but they know how much I enjoy working out here and I know they enjoy the fruits of my labor. Even though the garden is in the early stages of growth, I wanted to share what I have so far in case any of you are also wanting to plant a garden.

The square foot garden works well for me because as you can see, space is limited. Each square foot is designated to a specific plant. Some plants require the entire square foot and others can be planted in groups depending on the final size of the plant. I always mix this organic fertilizer into the soil whenever I plant something new.

Our garden isn’t square because it runs along the edge of the walkway. It’s roughly 12′ X 4′. It’s really best to keep it no wider than three feet so that you can reach everything without stepping in the garden, but I’m using all the space! I measured out every 12″ and tapped a small nail into the wood border around all four sides. Then, I tied twine to a nail and stretched it to the nail on the opposite side and tied it. I did this all the way around until I had a grid. You don’t have to do this but it helps me to see the space once things begin to grow. Some plants will be harvested before others and this frees up a square where something new can be planted. Nasturtium seed is planted in that triangle in the very front of the garden. I’m looking forward to seeing a splash of edible color there!

You can plant six dill plants and four mixed lettuce plants per square foot. These are my favorite plant markers. They come with a pencil that doesn’t fade and they last season after season.

Is there anything better than fresh lettuce?

I planted a variety of peppers – green, yellow, and red bell, and also jalapeño. They are one per square.

Zucchini & arugula – the zucchini require about 16″ so I left space around them and the arugula will most likely be finished in a few weeks before the zucchini is huge. Twelve arugula plants per square – I started these from seed and they need to be thinned. Also, you can see the irrigation system in the image above. It’s a soaker hose that runs the length of each row with connectors on each end. It was really easy to assemble. You can either bury it or leave it above ground.

I planted tomatoes along the back wall along with cucumbers. They will be supported by the trellis on the fence. One tomato and one cucumber per square.