Square Foot Gardening 101 - Urban Garden Project

Square Foot Gardening is a method of creating a small, orderly, and highly productive kitchen garden. It involves dividing a raised bed into one-foot square sections, which allows gardeners to efficiently manage planting, growing, and harvesting a variety of crops.

The standard size for a Square Foot Garden bed is 4 feet by 4 feet because it is easy to reach into the center from any side without stepping on the soil. The bed is usually 6 inches deep, but you can make it deeper if needed.

Benefits of Square Foot Gardening include better control over the growing area, higher yields, less watering since you only water the specific squares that need it, less weeding due to the use of landscape fabric or other barriers beneath the soil, and efficient use of seeds, as you only plant what you need where you need it.

Yes, you can use pressure-treated wood for Square Foot Gardens because the harmful chemical, arsenic, is no longer used in the treating process. However, some gardeners might still prefer untreated wood to ensure an organic garden.

You should place landscape fabric, newspaper, or cardboard at the bottom of your Square Foot Garden bed to help with weed control and to keep the soil in place.

A 4x4 bed with a depth of 6 inches will require about 8 cubic feet of soil. There are specific soil mix recommendations on the Square Foot Gardening website that you can follow to ensure proper nutrients and drainage.

Yes, the grid is a fundamental part of the Square Foot Gardening method. It helps you maintain the organization of the bed and aids in planting, growing, and harvesting. You can construct the grid with materials like bamboo or slats, and it should be fixed down to the frame of the bed. It's recommended not to use string, as it can break or interfere with the plants.