Square Foot Gardening: Easiest Way to Grow MORE Food in LESS Space

[@epicgardening]

I owe much of my love of gardening to the late Mel Bartholomew, inventor of Square Foot Gardening. I was fortunate enough to mentor with him for a year. May he rest in peace! - Kevin

[@arcan762]

@@bobalman the video at the end says 8 weeks, so presumably 8 weeks ago (probably another week for editing)

[@squarefootgardeningfoundat5435]

Thank you Kevin for your support of our method. We can all be proud of the work we do to help others grow food. It's important to get the word out so the Square Foot Gardening Foundation can help people to get growing! Proceeds of book sales do just that! Thank you!!

[@Heartofahomesteader]

This makes me so happy! My very first garden was a square foot garden that I planted a year or so after my mom passed away...she had the book and I inherited it. Sadly, I don't know where that book disappeared to, but I think I let someone borrow it years ago. I believe I need a new copy! You are a very lucky man to have been able to work with and learn from him, Kevin. I'm pretty sure he would be so very proud of you! We had to throw our garden together this year, but hoping for better organized chaos next year. Keep being amazing, it's much appreciated! (I just wish I had seen the bagged soil test video before we planted out, my peppers are so sad and piddly and my tomatoes aren't doing so great, either. Did start foliar feeding them with a fish emulsion and they are getting little better)

[@reginaldfortunus1596]

Thank you! Great video @epicgardening. What are you doing to keep up with your ipm?

[@greggdehner3078]

I also started gardening following Mel's methods and using his mix. All my beds started with that mix.

[@PamelaC-g1u]

I took your Square Foot Gardening idea one step further this year to make it a lesson for my grandchildren. Our raised garden is 6 x 4 ft. We labeled each of 24 cards with the plants we chose to grow (we actually have 4 squares of 6 different vegetables). We arranged them on a tabletop while making decisions about which plants would do well next to each other and considering which plants might need shade from the sun. When our final decisions were made, we taped the cards together, which created a map of our new garden. When we took our new map outside to the garden, we could easily see where to plant each type of seed since our garden was divided into squares using string. This was a great opportunity for them to go from abstract thinking to the concrete as well as making good decisions about plant placement. This garden has been growing for a month and we will be harvesting soon! We're so excited!

[@kaychaney6102]

Keep us updated please! So awesome!

[@Snakeskii]

Watching this I was really thinking how great this method would be for planting with children. When we have better beds we will give it a shot!

[@carolinasv525]

This made my heart happy, can’t wait to do this one day with my family! (For now I have a container garden and I’m so excited every time I get to harvest something!)

[@SPORTS-SHORTS-9111]

Kevin if you care to read this I was inspired to start a garden because of you I have watched all your videos and have a massive garden after just 1 year of watching you -Landon Norton

[@ericarose3486]

This is so great to hear!

[@k9spot1]

So about peat moss, the issue is it’s often harvested from *peat bogs* in Canada and the UK (various places in the northern hemisphere) which are a very vulnerable ecosystem that takes many many years to replenish (think like an old growth forest but it’s a bog) what you can make sure to do instead is get sustainably farmed artificially decomposed sphagnum moss instead which is the same plant as peat moss just not decomposed for hundreds of years. Doing that is essentially similar to getting sustainably grown wood. Sphagnum is actually a really fast growing plant. You just need to make sure to do your research. The other alternatives also work pretty well in my experience if you want to avoid it altogether.

[@utguy381]

Correct. Peat moss not environmentally sustainable at all. I use coco coir and I love. I got big blocks of it from Amazon and I had good success with it.

[@Levelc]

@@utguy381Amazon? Booooooo. What are you mixing coco with? How are you feeding?

[@utguy381]

@@Levelc I mix it with potting soil and feed with fertilizer

[@miriamrobarts]

That's good to know that farmed sphagnum moss performs similarly to the unsustainable natural peat moss. I hadn't heard about this. (I thought its properties had to do with the years and years of decomposition in the bogs.)

[@lizherbst7393]

Where do you source this product?

[@sonyahogan5673]

This is my first year with raised beds and I used this square foot model. Needlessly say, it has been an "epic" season!😊

[@greenacreshub]

00:20 - The rooftop garden looks amazing! I never knew you could grow so much in such a small space. 🌿

[@kiajohnson8595]

I started with sq ft gardening in the 90''s. Still works and I use it now since our family is now just two. Thanks for highlighting this tried and true method.

[@lonnaadkins8282]

Me too. 1994 my first square foot garden with the book in my hand and the cardboard holes I made for various plants

[@mrgoats]

Grid paper makes drawing our designs so much easier.

[@therepairsloth]

I absolutely LOVE SFG!!! My first full-scale home garden, that was not container gardening, was a square foot garden, following Mel's method to a T. I had great success, and this video makes me want to go back to those roots!

[@PepperplacewithShawna]

Thanks, Kevin. Your videos are always packed with great information. ❤

[@valsalas666]

5:11 “then i’m gonna get a little fruity here and ill throw a cantaloupe in” 😂 i love it

[@SomeOneHigh]

😂 CANTALOUPE is " Melon " a Typical Strain/Variety of Melons , for example " Hooney Dew " is another Strain/Variety Of Melons , i dont understand why People Use Fancy-Shmency words 😂😂😂 P.S.: i am growing All types of Strawberries from Seed And they All Strawberries 😂😂😂❤❤❤ doesnt Matter if Thornless Raspberrie Or Ever-Bearing Raspberry , its still Darn Delicious Raspberries 😂😂😂❤❤❤👍

[@ncaporal]

I bought this book years ago and finally this year made my two beds! Then I came across your channel this year and I was so happy to see you mention him and his methods. I like you decided pen and paper were the best methods and definitely studied hard and planted according or to the best of my abilities after ALOT of reading and buying. I am actually growing things! For the first time. But now I am having to learn the lesson of patience and I am also grateful to learn this. I have a profound respect for all gardeners and farmers out there. Thanks for also sharing your knowledge you have helped me tremendously along with all your team.

[@Kala_333]

New gardener here. This was very informative & helpful. Thank you.

[@christajennings3828]

I started with Square Foot Gardening in the 80s. I still use a lot of his spacing.

[@SusanHilesArt]

I so much enjoyed this video. I’m glad that you showed updates every couple weeks. It was fun to see the progress of the seeds without having to wait weeks.

[@BoneFrossil]

Bought this book years ago upon your recommendation, well worth it.

[@t.kodera2521]

This was so helpful content. I live in a typical apartment in Japan which means that balcony is so small and it has to be used as a drying rack for clothes as well. I can use the concept of square foot gardening for my container gardening at my tiny balcony

[@alexien2716]

Excellent presentation!! 💚 One day, I might eventually be able to have some of these. 😢 When asked, my landlord "kindly" would allow me a small raised bed... in an area that would get sun for about three hours but has a tree over it.

[@Mykoledavid]

Just got into gardening and been combing through your videos. Love the way you break it down and glad I found your channel!

[@a.l.a.7847]

OMG, seeing the shot of where the citrus hedge now is in the shot of Kevin mixing the Mel's Mix on the tarp (12:20) really reminds me of how much Kevin and the crew has achieved in the years since starting the homestead.

[@NicolaiAAA]

I too, have a square foot garden! 3, in fact. 😄 And the book. One thing that does get glossed over a lot though, that another KZbinr pointed out, is the fact that once peat moss gets dry it becomes hydrophobic. Whereas coco coir does not. And having seen that for myself, I am _never_ going back to peat moss. Coco coir all the way!

[@talmadgemew5400]

I made a square foot template out of a scrap piece of panelling. cut it 12 inches on each side and drilled pencil sized holes for all the patterns (1,2,4.8.9.16) and marked each. I just drop it in the square to plant and push a pencil through to mark the pattern I need. It saves me time and only cost the time it took to make. Your presentation was very good and even reminded me of a couple things I had forgotten over the years of doing this method.

[@vee5032]

Planning on adding 2 new beds and this is perfect, thank you Kevin you make it look fun and easy ❤

[@lanibearmcevoy6882]

Omg I’ve been fumbling around in my novice garden, this is brilliant

[@michellecolledge2355]

Brilliant. I have just finished filling a new bed and didn't know how to design it. Now, I do.

[@Culinaryreject]

Not only do I have the sq ft garden book, but I found Botanical Gardens seeds at my local nursery and bought several varieties. It’s so cool that I was watching the channel the whole time without even knowing that it was all on and the same 😁

[@657449]

Great way to get the most out of a given space.

[@657449]

Have a notebook with your beds design and write down what you plant in each square in case the tags fade or get moved.

[@suek6859]

I like planting Egyptian Spinach during the 'hot' season. Tastes like Spinach, but doesn't bolt during the summer!

[@Sproutupgardening]

Love this video. I've been gardening for a few years and I always learn something new from your channel whether it's a beginner video or advanced. Love your channel.

[@princesasdensueno9247]

Love this video! Moving into a new home in a few months and these are incredibly helpful ❤ thank you!

[@samanthamorgan8351]

I loved this video. Great information, beautiful presentation, so much knowledge. I think Mel would be honored.

[@joellynshort3949]

Great episode! I didn’t realize Mel Bartholomew was a fellow San Diegan. 😊

[@sheliaheverin8822]

I started using this method 3 years ago. I grow a ton of food.

[@jbc103085]

Excellent video. This was the exact video I needed this past winter when I was planning for square foot gardening this year. I did buy his book and used it, but videos are my preferred learning with books as a resource. Could you cover pruning for square foot gardening? That’s been a bit of a learning curve for me this year. All my vines keep finding each other 😂

[@adamclukabarry5105]

Seeing the brs support arm bend from the heat of the stove after only a few uses. Possibly due to lower quality titanium alloy that I read about and also exploding stoves people talk about in the forums. I switched to the snow peak stove that is a similar design to the brs. It has stainless arms rather than titanium. I feel much more confident in this design.

[@SuperJusten12]

This video has got me so excited to do my own garden. I have a question. How do i do some companion plants in this style of bed? Ive sent your video link to all my friends and 8 of us are going to do this. Its very exciting to me. I just love being in the garden. Very happy space. Thanks kevin ❤

[@nancyn6215]

I bought his book 15-20 years ago. Loaned it to a “friend” and never got it back. 😢 It was an excellent book!

[@leannecarroll9347]

I love that book so much!!!

[@GrowsGoneWild]

Great way to maximize yield and stay organized!

[@adamthethird4753]

I have this book and have tried its principles. It’s very productive, but drains the soil quickly. So you need to feed it more than a regular garden.

[@brianriley9055]

How bout that! Just a few months ago, I got my hands on a secondhand copy of Square Foot Gardening! Synchronicity is a funny thing

[@Sandraparson1]

Square foot gardening is the best way!

[@bestcity0979]

Oh no 😂I needed this earlier this year!!!

[@jaredmccutcheon5496]

I remember when I was a teenager, it must have been in the 80’s I’d guess, my mom bought the square foot gardening book. It was pretty cool because we didn’t have a lot of space at that time to grow in and it really opened my eyes to a different way to lay out a garden. While I’ve never strictly adhered to the square foot gardening “rules” per say, since I read the book I’ve never payed much attention to seed packets, knowing that if I have well amended fertile soil I can get away with much closer spacing. I have to say that cedar raised bed is quite beautiful, I may need to add a couple to my raised bed section of my garden.

[@mattfox5190]

Can you guys do a tier list video of what fruits and veggies are best for containers? Blueberries are probably S tier for example and you guys have mentioned that potatoes do ok so probably B tier for example. I got about a 50/50 split between ground and containers and it would be nice to know what to plant where.

[@Gardeningchristine]

I wish I could plant peas in June, but I’ve got 2 months of 100+ temps so I might try waiting to plant them in late July or August.

[@YaelKaner]

Me too..

[@squarefootgardeningfoundat5435]

Look for our new book coming out in Decmeber!

[@tanyacairncross2636]

Great for first time gardeners with limited space who want to grow their own produce. Kevin and Eric's garden😂.

[@adraudeairheadavo2030]

This is awesome love it!

[@shawnfitzpatrick2954]

Cement mixers work great for mixing soil, so much easier to use X number of shovels of each item and have it mix and hydrate the soil

[@IbrahimMomoh1]

Great gardening tips

[@ro2974]

gonna implement this for my first growing season! eventually would like to get some raised beds here in canada bc my fam has like 9 ppl 😆 need extra growing space!

[@zepapage6022]

Thank you. I tried companion planting and ended up.supee overwhelmed trying to figure out where to plant what, how.much spacing to give everything etc. Will be trying this this weekend!

[@gcook9221]

Thank you for the video showing how to do square foot gardening! Very good explanations. My confusion at this point: aren't we supposed to plant things at different times of the year? I'm just outside of Houston in zone 9A and for me to start lettuce at the same time that I start broccoli doesn't seem right?? Yes, I'm fairly new to gardening.

[@aiai-j7i]

You are right.

[@WindyGardener]

i am cuurently getting certified!

[@blakebro1]

Why does Kevin sketch so good??

[@OrrBiologicals]

Awesome video thanks!

[@dianewhitworth4953]

Great video, I'm in my first year of square foot gardening , I'm really enjoying it and have been getting a good radish and mixed salad harvest. But things are bolting very quickly. I placed it in the position recommended. However, I live in a bungalow and it's in sun from 9am to sunset. Is it the heat or the watering? I've used course vermiculite, compost,coir, and topsoil. I'm in the UK and we've had a very wet and cold start to the summer

[@JoshuaBeneda]

Nice video. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the Earthbox or other water reservoir self-pruning boxes. I find the Earthbox is great for Square Foot Gardening methods.

[@trae74]

Idk why but I have the hardest time trying to grow bunching onions. Its really frustrating. I'll usually end up just using the tops from regular onion.

[@Gardener95]

thanks u so much ! nice infomation !

[@DmSujaEntrepren]

I had seen an ad for a course on square feet gardening .I am glad I didn't buy it. This is what I wanted. Thanks

[@roserizzo3094]

Love this❤

[@GillianHannaOP]

Awesome ❣️

[@danicabays8274]

This was a great overview!

[@fearthehoneybadger]

Read Mel Bartholomew's book: Square Foot Gardening.

[@4zooflorida]

I tried square foot gardening about 8-10 years ago, and didn’t have much success. But, as I live in Florida, I had trouble with plant selection and timing. I am encouraged to try again. Would you mulch, and if so, what would you use?

[@ebrunnett1990]

Thanks Kevin! I think you're a pretty cool guy too 😂

[@willwebber6496]

It seems like you would want to line a nice cedar bed like that with some kind of sheet plastic or landscaping fabric to reduce the soil contact with the bed walls. Is that not a thing? It's a really nice looking bed and I would want to do all I could to preserve it.

[@BPetrovitch]

I'm starting a patio garden after watching your video. So thank you 🙏 HOWEVER, I'm worried because the substrate is smelling pretty bad 24 hours after I poured it into the planter box. I used lombricompost and bagged dehydrated chicken poop as compost: I guess this is where this comes from. Do you have any clue as how to solve this issue? The planter box is right in front of my living door and I share the (very large) patio with my neighbors... 😬👃

[@coldhandjacinth9069]

Aren't there any rabbit problems in Eric's video area? Is the entire yard fenced in? Because the rabbits keep eating my green beans, I've now resorted to eating leafy carrot top salad...which happens to be delicious. 1. Chop off carrot tops*, leaving about 3 or 4 inches of leaf growth at the bottom. 2. Pull the tender leaves away from the 'tough' stalks and toss the tough stalks into mulch pile.. 3. Add a nice flavored balsamic vinaigrette and some cream or half&half. 4. Eat the carrot tops that the rabbits left behind for you.. *Make sure you are eating carrot tops that you planted seeds for; there is a false carrot top that is toxic. I couldn't figure out how the rabbits were eating the tops of my green beans off since I used plastic fencing with 2 " holes. The small bunnies easily hop in and out of the 2 " hole, but a larger rabbit would have to chew. bigger hole through the plastic...which it does.

[@FurNaxxYT]

Can we get a side by side on the alternate mix with the coco coir and perlite

[@zuzanafriday2642]

hi, a garden newbie here. i read some articles about which plants like and don't like each other; is this relevant for one square foot gardening?

[@NovelSupreme]

Question.. When doing these Types of methods in a box, can i incorporate them on ground level Soil ?

[@-crazypants-3199]

I don’t know if it’s a blessing, but I’m fixing to have about 20+ cherry and beefsteak tomatoes plants.

[@reagan9213]

Kevin what is the difference between compost and fertilizer? I’m trying to figure that out haha

[@cyndisgreenoasis6571]

Man it looks like you have a ton of cabbage moths!!!!

[@angelikazimmer3932]

i dont know if its legal in the USA, but can you make a video about growing Marihuana outside?

[@livnlovnlife01]

As always, great show today! In the beginning of this video (3:40), you have an A-frame trellis behind you, where did you get that?

[@davidtromblay9503]

Turns out I pulled all of my watermelon because the sprouts look like buffalo bur. I might get some markers for fall.

[@kelrune]

sounds like you do what i do. peas are a garden snack. they never make it inside

[@roberthart897]

Where do you find the beautiful wooden beds in this video?

[@c00l_n00dles]

does metal get too hot to be used as a trellis? I have heard it gets so hot it can burn the plant.

[@victorybeginsinthegarden]

You can use leaves instead of peat moss

[@Miranda2113_]

The raccoon just heard you say you wanted “less radishes” 😭🤣

[@lexruptor]

Garden by the Foot? Is this where Fruit by the Foot comes from, cuz Fruit Roll-Ups already killed it yo.

[@Epic_Gamer101]

when I grow up I wanna be a farmer

[@Gundumb_guy]

My only gripe about gardening like this (but also in gardening in general) is that there is no way this is *that* much cheaper than buying a weekly supply of produce for you or your family. I just made a 2’ wide and 3’ long box out of some scrap 2x12 lumber my neighbor had and it cost like 36 bucks in dirt! And it was all ACE brand cheapest dirt. That’s not even going to include the fertilizers or anything.

[@Spnart]

I've filled my beds with a landscaping supply sourced garden soil blend they sell by the scoop(backhoe scoop), and was pretty satisfied with the cost effectiveness. Filled my entire truck bed for like 60 bucks and that was enough to do a 4 x 10 bed. That's going to vary wildly by where folks live but its something to check out. In terms of upkeep I've just been amending it with compost I make from yard waste and food scraps. every few years I'll put some azomite on top and work it in for micro nutrients, but you need so little one 40lb bag of that stuff will last a decade. I keep away from peat moss and coco coir in raised beds because I don't want to deal with the volume loss from decomposition, and these landscaping sourced bed mixtures tend to be a loose sandy top soil with heavy humic content. Stuff like what this video shows is more like a potting mixture.

[@cliffdavis1344]

Hello! Great video!! What would you recommend putting down on floor of bed if square garden is going to be on concrete? My backyard is all concrete. Please help! Thank you!!

[@talieclandestine9155]

Actually, with the way they harvest peat moss, it is regenerative. The Canadian peatmoss company harvests in sections, and then they leave it alone for 5 years. It grows back in those 5 years. So, make sure you get it from the right source.

[@utguy381]

Yes, it pays to do your research

[@ThatsTheCombinationOnMyLudgage]

I have a peach tree that is in real trouble. I grew it from a pit from my friends tree. I’d love to save it. Can you help me?

[@Thecornerstonehomestead1]

For my spouse my husband my wife 👍🏽

[@Big_Head_Asmr]

What do I do I accidentally bought a 3-4 foot cage for my sweet cherry 100! And it’s growing way over

[@lorismills8869]

I'm a little confused. So the only actual 'soil' used is the compost?

[@Josef_R]

It's crazy that Eric knew Mel when he probably wasn't even born yet when I was watching the TV show.

[@stevie1748]

Peat Moss is Hydro Phobic. If it gets too dry it REPELS WATER and hard to RE-Hydrate. Then you need to mist over time or even submerge it to hydrate again. Peat is good cause it is cheap and more acidic. But if you add in CoCo (the good stuff) it will suck up the water. I would like to mix it and have more COCO in the top two inches, so when you do water it will retain more moisture and drizzle down to the area with the HYDRO PHOBIC PEAT MOSS. 😀😀😀

[@markney7895]

Haven't had any success with growing green onions 😢

[@kitlamoureux]

I am in ottawa Ontario Canada - is it too late this season to get started with a garden like this?

[@thishtns]

Some of the plants, like lettuce and beans, can be started from seed right now in your climate! Those two are fast growers. But if you want tomatoes or peppers you should buy nice big ones from your local nursery - they are slow growers and it's too late to start those from seed. If you're not sure if it's too late for a specific crop, look up your average first frost date and then look at the seed packet to see days to maturity. Very few vegetables will survive a frost, so you should start something only if you have more days before your first frost than the days to maturity OR if it's frost-hardy. Kale can keep growing through a gentle frost, a lot of underground crops like carrots and beets can survive a bit of a frost too. But most of your leafy and/or fruiting plants like lettuce and basil and tomatoes will die in a frost.

[@TheNEPTY]

I love your instant transmission. DBZ fan confirmed 🩵