Square Foot Gardens were pioneered by retired civil engineer Mel Bartholomew - who first coined the term in his 1981 book of the same name. Square Foot Gardening is a turbo-charged and super-efficient re-imagining of traditional garden practice. Using (approximately) a mere 20% of the space required by the classic row method of vegetable gardening, the same number of plants - and a relatively greater yield - can be cultivated using the Square Foot Garden technique.The classic Square Foot Garden uses a slightly raised square bed of 4 feet by 4 feet, with good, loose, fertile soil comprising the growing medium. Using wooden batons, the garden is then divided into 16 1x1 foot squares - hence the name.Here are just a few of the things that set Square Foot Gardening apart from methods more commonly used across the globe:
Tall or climbing plants such as corn or beans can be planted in a Northern square so as not to cast shade over other squares, and supported with netting rather than canes.Square Foot Gardens can be twinned with companion planting techniques to provide natural pesticides within your garden, boosting plant health and success rates!