"What is a weed? A weed is a plant whose
virtues have not yet been discovered."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
World War II Garden Poster
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Grass Strip |
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Grass Strip - 21" Wide
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Grass Strip |
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NOTE: All four plots above are 8' x 8' with a six foot long plywood walkway in the middle of each plot. This essentially makes two 8' x 4' areas in each plot.
I have recently added 2 raised bed plots to the south of the 4 plots shown above. I will call these plots 5 and 6. Plot 5 is 8' x 4' x 6" and Plot 6 is 4' x 4' x 10". Plot 6 is a little higher for root crops.
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Grass Strip |
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Since square foot gardening is all about getting maximum harvest out of a small area, a good crop rotation plan should be devised and followed. I developed a relatively simple plan for my 4 garden plots. I rotate clockwise through my plots every year so the plants I grew this year in Plot 1 will be grown in Plot 2 next year and the plants in Plot 2 will be grown in Plot 3, etc. Some simple note taking is all that is needed to keep track of this from year to year. Plot 5 and 6 are not currently part of the yearly rotation, but I am rotating plants seasonally in these two plots. Plot 5 will have corn planted in the spring followed by bush green beans in the late summer and early fall. Plot 6 will have potatoes in the spring and summer followed by cabbage and cauliflower in the late summer and fall.
Besides yearly rotation, I also rotate crops in and out of open areas within the same growing season (keep in mind, that I am gardening in Zone 5 and your growing conditions might be different). For example, when my onions are mature in mid to late July, I pull them up and plant bush green beans in their place, with plenty of time left for them to mature before the first fall frost. You can also grow two crops of broccoli and cauliflower in the same plot, with a little planning. It is also possible to grow two crops of fast maturing bush green beans in the same plot. I never like to keep a garden area empty during the growing season. When one crop matures, I always plant another crop in its place! This, in my opinion, is what square foot gardening is all about.
Note: the middle line in each plot represents the plywood walkway
Layout of Garden Plot 1
North
| Brussels Sprouts (along north side of plot,
one crop only)
Broccoli (two crops, one spring, one fall) |
| Broccoli (two crops, one spring, one fall)
Cabbage (spring crop), Cauliflower (fall crop) |
Layout of Garden Plot 2
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Lettuce (multiple crops!)
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Onions (one crop), with One Row of Celery in the Western Part of Plot
Bush Green Beans (following the onions, one crop) |
Layout of Garden Plot 3
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Tomatoes (six determinate Roma tomato plants equally spaced, one crop only)
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Bush Green Beans in Spring Followed by Carrots in the Fall (on western 3/4 of plot)
Green Peppers, Hot Peppers, and Cucumbers in Spring/Summer Followed by Replanted Egyptian Onion Tops in Late Fall to Over Winter (on eastern 1/4 of plot) |
Layout of Garden Plot 4
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Pole Lima Beans Grown Vertically on Northern and Eastern Side of Bed. Bush Green Beans in Late Sprig, Followed by Carrots in the Fall
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Peas and Green Onions in the Spring, Bush Green Beans in Mid Summer
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Layout of Garden Plot 5
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Corn in Spring and Summer, Followed by Bush Green Beans in Late Summer/Early Fall
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Layout of Garden Plot 6
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Potatoes in Spring/Summer, Followed by Cabbage and Cauliflower in Late Summer/Fall
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