Square Foot Gardening is a simpler way to grow organic vegetables and other produce—you’ll get a high yield from a small area. The method was popularized by retired engineer-efficiency expert Mel Bartholomew.

Why You Should Try Square Foot Gardening

He designed Square Foot Gardening to be more accessible and less daunting for gardeners of all ages and skill levels. What makes it simpler? You spend significantly less time weeding and digging and rely on easy-to-use tools. Impressively, it’s around 2 percent of the labor required for traditional vegetable gardening. On top of that, you can expect to save approximately 50 percent in costs.

We’ll teach you how to get started. Essentially, you build a box, fill it with the right mix, add a grid (you can use something as simple as old wooden yardsticks tied together), and start planting.

1. Pick the Correct Location for Square Foot Gardening

Like other vegetable gardens, a Square Foot Garden needs to be placed on flat ground and receive six to eight hours of full sun daily. Avoid setting it up in low-lying areas that collect water and become puddles after heavy rain. Choosing a spot close to your home can make tasks like watering, weeding, and harvesting more convenient and less likely to be forgotten.

2. Build a Raised Garden Bed

The typical setup for a Square Foot Garden raised bed is 4×4 feet. This size is convenient because it allows most gardeners to reach the center from any side and can be divided into a grid of sixteen 1×1-foot squares

When constructing the sides, aim for a minimum height of 6 inches. However, if you’re planning to grow root vegetables like carrots, make the sides 12 inches deep.

Here’s how to build a 6-inch-tall raised bed for your Square Foot Garden:

• Purchase four planter wall blocks with 2-inch slots on all sides and four 4-foot-long 2×6 boards.
• Arrange the blocks on level ground so they’re about 4 feet apart to form a square.
• Connect the blocks by sliding a 2×6 board into the slots on the blocks. Repeat with the remaining boards to quickly assemble a 4×4-foot frame, which should take about 15 minutes.

For a longer-lasting garden frame, consider using more durable materials like pressure-treated lumber or cedar.

3. Fill the Raised Garden Bed

Now that you’ve built the frame for your raised garden bed, it’s time to fill it with soil. You might wonder if there’s a specific soil requirement for Square Foot Gardening. You can start with your existing soil, as long as you enhance it with amendments, a practice beneficial for any garden. Begin by loosening and aerating the ground soil. Then, blend in enough compost and additional topsoil, if necessary, to fill the frame.

To be more precise in your gardening, consider testing your soil to understand its composition. This information will help you add the right amendments in the correct proportions to create an optimal growing medium for your vegetable garden.

Alternatively, you can prepare a soilless mix originally popularized by Square Foot Gardening creator Mel Bartholomew. This mixture consists of one-third compost, one-third peat moss, and one-third vermiculite. For a 6-inch-deep bed, you’ll need 8 cubic feet of this mix; for a 12-inch-deep bed, 16 cubic feet. While this option can be more expensive, it results in a weed-free bed abundant in nutrients and effective in retaining moisture

Mix your ingredients thoroughly, whether you’re improving your existing soil or making a new soilless blend. Some gardeners opt for a portable concrete mixer to achieve a consistent texture and even particle distribution. No mixer? Don’t worry. You can mix everything atop a tarp and then shovel it into the frame. For a quicker planting start, skip the mix and use high-quality bagged garden soil from a local nursery or gardening center.

After filling the bed and smoothing out the soil or soilless mix, outline a square-foot grid using lattice strips, PVC pipes, or string. Secure this grid to the frame with nails or screws. Clearly demarcated sections simplify the planting process. To conserve soil moisture and inhibit weed growth, consider covering your prepared garden with a thin layer of fine mulch.

4. Plant Your Favorite Veggies

If you’re building more than one raised Square Foot Gardening bed, leave enough space between them to roll a wheelbarrow.

The formula for planting is simple: one extra-large plant per 1×1-foot square, four large plants per square, nine medium plants per square, and 16 small plants per square.

Here are some ideas for filling the squares:

• One vine tomato, pepper plant, or eggplant
• Four bush tomatoes, heads of cabbage, or heads of lettuce
• Nine onions or beets
• 16 radishes
• One specimen of zucchini requires nine of the 16 squares, but other vegetables can be planted in the remaining seven squares.

Vegetables or fruits that spread (such as watermelons) require a separate bed. It’s fun to experiment; just keep in mind that larger plants—such as corn, squash, potatoes, globe artichokes, pumpkin, and rhubarb—need more space.

Planting Seeds

Here’s what to do if you’re planting seeds:

• Plant one seed per hole, spaced appropriately for the mature plant. (For instructions, see the back of the packet.)
• Poke a finger through the mulch into the soil, drop in a small amount of vermiculite, then the seed, and cover it with more vermiculite (This will help keep the seeds moist while they sprout).
• Mist the newly planted seeds daily, so the soil doesn’t dry out.
• Once plants are established, water them approximately once a week.

Transplanting Vegetables

If you’re transplanting vegetables from a nursery or gardening center, use the same spacing method mentioned earlier. Place plants in the dirt, leaving a shallow depression around each one to help hold water. You may want to shade newly planted vegetables to protect them from wilting. Water daily for a few days and then remove the shade and water weekly.

5. Maintain Your Garden

Yes, Square Foot Gardening may take a little less work than traditional gardening, but you still have to pay attention to your produce.

Watering Schedule

You need to water when the soil feels dry, but you won’t waste water on any exposed soil between traditional rows. Don’t water from overhead. Instead, use a small container to water each plant individually—pouring the water into the depressions you made when you planted them. Don’t panic; it will still take less than 10 minutes to water a 4×4-foot garden this way. If your schedule permits, water in the morning.

Weeding Your Garden

Plan on weeding every week, but either pull weeds when they’re small or use scissors to cut weeds off at the base instead of pulling them up by the roots or using a hoe. (You don’t want to disturb the roots of vegetables growing nearby.) Make it easy on yourself by weeding every time you walk by the bed or only one square at a time. Because weeds won’t compete with your vegetables for nutrients, you probably won’t need to fertilize.

Pest Control

Inspect your garden daily to spot insect trouble early. Either hand-pick and destroy insects or spray the soft-bodied ones with insecticidal soap. Knock aphids off of plants by spraying them with a hose.