The topic for the January 2022 Garden Club meeting was Square Foot Gardening, presented by member, Laurie Williams. The HIGC is partnering with Pioneer School District in creating a sustainable garden program. Laurie shared a system that will be implemented in the garden’s raised beds.
Square Foot Gardening is a gardening method developed by Mel Bartholomew to grow a lot of plants in small spaces. In fact, square foot gardening utilizes only 10% of the water of a traditional row garden, making this method extremely efficient. No machinery, fertilizers, or heavy tools are ever needed, and no skills or horticulture experience is necessary.
Some benefits:
- Vegetables can be tightly spaced
- Weeding is greatly reduced or eliminated
- Use less seeds
- Grow up to three crops annually in each square (cool weather crop, warm weather crop, and a second cool weather crop)
- Conserve water
- Easy companion planting to reduce pests and disease
- Grow quality produce organically (using Mel’s recommended mix: 1/3 compost, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 peat or coir)
Resources to start:
Purchase Mel Bartholomew’s Books about “Square Foot Gardening”
