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To: Petruchio

I’ve got a big garden, but loved the square foot method so I modified it. Basically went to 24 ft plots separated by 6 ft of grass.

Each plot has a different category. I have five: greens/roots, corn/beans, tomatoes/peppers/eggplant, peas/cabbage/onion family and melons/gourds/cukes/squash which is on a 6 year rotation with one fallow plot for cover crops, and also one permanent plot for herbs and seed saving. I wish I could go the biblical 7 year rotation but don’t have the room right now.

I make 1 or 2 ft wide beds by going over it with a tiller set 3 in deep and then with a broad fork to loosen it to about a foot, and a second pass with three tine fork if necessary. Then hill it up like I’m doing potatoes and flatten off the top to a 3 to 4 in. deep bed. Between that and broadforking it makes for a 1 ft deep bed without the needs for sideboards and gives access to the subsoil.

Then make my rows in the beds or a trench in the case of peas. The deep soil really boosts the crop yield and with creativity have double crops on a number of the beds. Because 24 foot is dividable by 2,3,4,6,8,12, & 24 you can fit several different things in a bed down to a 1X1 ft square. It’s efficient and has worked well for me.


356 posted on 03/24/2008 2:12:14 PM PDT by Free Vulcan (No prisoners. No mercy.)
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To: Free Vulcan

Your beds sound good to me.

the ones in my greenhouse, were too wide and I could not reach the other side. So had to step into the bed.

In the greenhouse they were raised, and I could sit on the edge.

I love greenhouses and hate not having one now.

Or a way to garden, but thinking about it is fun.


383 posted on 03/24/2008 4:41:55 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig. ... . Mark Twain)
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