Create a square foot garden

DIY tip: make your own square foot garden. Square foot gardening becomes more and more popular. In case you are not aware what square foot gardening is and what the benefits are, please check out this Wikipedia page.

I have seen stores which sell complete square garden packages, but wouldn't it be more fun to build your own? There's an easy step by step guide on how to make yours after the jump.

Step 1: build the frame

Take four wooden boards of the same size and put them together with screws.

Step 2: create the base layer

Use old newspapers to make a bottom layer.

Step 3: fill the box with material
Fill the box with vermiculite, peat moss, and mushroom compost.

Step 4: mix the vermiculite, peat moss, and mushroom compost

Mixing the three different materials gives you the best basis to grow herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Step 5: make a wooden grid

Use six wooden slats to make a grid. You can use nails to fasten then to the box.

Your square foot garden is ready now and you can grow your first plants. You can grow any kind of herbs (basil, mint, oregane), fruits (strawberries, cherries) or vegetables (spinach, lettuce, eggplant).

Mel Bartholomew wrote some very good books about square foot gardening, that I can recommend:

• All New Square Foot Gardening
• A New Way To Garden In Less Space With Less Work
• All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook

Have fun!