Square Foot Gardening Layout
Grow your best vegetable garden ever with this beginner gardening guide.

Square foot gardening is becoming increasingly popular, whether you have lots of area to garden outdoors or not. This smart approach to gardening has so many advantages, plus we love the way that it looks in your back yard. There's something about the neat and organized raised beds, filled with nutritious herbs and vegetables, that just makes us smile!
Square foot gardening layouts are great space savers, which is good for both you and the environment. They are a great option for those who have limited outdoor space, or would just like to use their outdoor space for something else (did someone hear a kid begging for a swing set?). Eco-friendly square foot gardening containers also require fewer resources to grow, as you don't waste water or fertilizer between rows.
Planting your vegetables closer together means that there is less space for weeds to grow, which is good news for everyone!
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To start your garden, you will need to build yourself a box to garden in and fill it with dirt. You can use this handy guide to getting started with your square foot garden. It even helps you calculate how much soil you will need for the size of your garden.
Another thing that we love about this gardening method is that you can adjust the size of your garden to meet the needs of your space. Do you only have room for a 3 foot by 3 foot garden? No problem! Make your custom garden design and fill it with all of your favorite veggies.
Square Foot Gardening Layout
Once you have constructed your square foot garden, you get to decide what to plant in it! You might be surprised by the large amount of plants you can fit into your garden. Each foot can grow 4 of most herb plants, such as basil, parsley, and thyme. Each foot can also grow up to 9 garlic plants, 9 bean plants, and much more! Check out our infographic below for the complete list of how many plants will fit in each foot of a square foot garden.

A healthy garden starts with healthy, rich soil! Learn how to turn your organic waste into soil with this article. How to Compost at Home
Square Foot Garden Planting Guide
Here are a few of our other favorite tips for getting the most out of your raised bed garden. Location is one of the most important things to think about! These ideas will help you pick the best place for your garden and choose the best plants to grow in it.
- Most plants need at least 6 hours of full sunlight each day, and some will thrive with up to ten. So be sure to plant your garden in an area that gets plenty of sunshine every day.
- Check your HOA or city guidelines prior to setting up your raised bed garden. Make sure that you follow any applicable rules or ordinances.
- Plant your garden next to a convenient water source. This might seem like a no brainer, but you'll thank yourself when you're not carrying heavy watering cans across your yard all summer long.
- Consider companion planting when making your square foot gardening layout. Because your herbs and vegetables will be planted close together, knowing how different plants interact with each other is even more important. Did you know that some herbs, like sage, can inhibit the growth of cucumber plants? You definitely don't want to plant them next to each other in your garden! Learn more guidelines for companion planting at the Farmer's Almanac here.
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JDCJeff
Apr 22, 2020
I'm getting ready to try my hand at this. Seem like I remember a show on TV a few years back called the Square Foot Gardener. I'm am also in the process of building a couple of raised beds just for the fun of it. Not sure what I will do with them as this time.

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