Monday 10 June 2013

The Benefits of Square Foot Gardening

If you haven't noticed, there is method behind our madness when it comes to the design of our boxes we used for our gardens. Our planters are created to maximize the method of square foot gardening. What is that you might ask? Well, read on and you shall be enlightened!

Square foot gardening is a concept that was popularized by a man named Mel Bartholomew, who understood the benefits of having a garden that was easily accessible from all angles, while ensure that the soil was safe from individuals walking through it. As well, he understood that a garden could maximize its growth potential if the total area was used efficiently. By allowing the maximum amount of alike plants to grow in one square foot, you are able to maximize the gardens output. For example, you can plant 16 radish plants per square foot, but only 4 strawberry plants per square foot.



What is great about these planters is that it does not take a lot to be successful in your growing. Because you do not have to grow straight from the ground, and instead are able to control the variable in your garden (such as soil mixture and invasive plants), you are able to produce much more than with traditional methods.

Another issue that the square foot planters alleviate is the lack of access to the elderly and handicap. Originally, vegetable gardens would be in rows, and in order to tend to each plant individually, you would need to walk through your garden, get down on your hands and knees, and work. With raised square foot gardens, this is not an issue. The gardens can be as high as the individual needs them, making bending over or crawling around a thing of the past. As well, there is no trudging through the dirt anymore in order to reach your plants; they are a mere arms length away.

Mel is a great inspiration to the work we do at Green Gourmet Gardens, and through his teachings, we have been able to modify our gardens to ensure the most durable and healthy product. For example, the corners of our gardens are built with an overlapping design to ensure that there is minimal flex when the the garden is filled with soil. As well, we use western red cedar to build our planters. You can read all about the benefits of this wood here.

So what are you waiting for? Let us build you the raised planter of your dreams and take advantage of this amazing way to grow fresh veggies for you and your family!

No comments:

Post a Comment