Crop rotation and square foot gardening

Square foot gardening and a word about crop rotation

When planning your crop rotation (these principles apply to square foot gardening also), do it by sections. If you are growing in the ground simply mark off a 4’x 4’ section for the first section and leave a walkway around it. You will then have good access to all areas of that section. By creating other 4’x 4’ plots you will be able to implement crop rotation.

Keep a chart of what is planted where. If you have four sections/plots, when you get ready to plant the next year move the vegetables that were in the first plot to the fourth and the rest up one from where they were.

Do this every year until at the end of the fourth year the original vegetable ends up back where it started. This will refresh the soil and keep you from wearing it out too soon. This way you are keeping to the rule of waiting at least three years to plant the same thing in its original plot.

Square foot gardening

Square foot gardening is a popular method of crop control. This method keeps soil sustainable and produces a higher yield of healthy vegetables.

Of course if you are growing in a raised bed garden you will have no problem using the square foot gardening system. Take a ball of twine and some tacks and fix lengths of twine at 1’ intervals across the width of your raised bed garden frame. Then do the same lengthways.

If you have a raised bed garden of 8’ x 4’ as per my example, you will have 7 pieces of twine going across and 3 lengths of twine going along. The intersections of twine will mark off 32 individual one square foot plots.

My personal rule of thumb for planting within these squares is as follows :

One plant per square for large vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower
Four plants per square for medium vegetables such as lettuce and celery
Eight plants for medium to small vegetables such as leeks and spinach
Twelve plants for small vegetables such as radishes, beetroot, onions and carrots

If you prefer a vegetable such as beetroot to be on the larger side, then adapt your numbers accordingly. Do likewise with other vegetables depending on how big you want them. Obviously taste is affected by size. Smaller beetroots are sweeter for example. Some people prefer smaller, greener onions for salads etc.

You will find many benefits from square foot gardening. Using this system you will have a higher yield than you would using the conventional ‘row by row’ system.

Square foot gardening in raised beds also enables easier protection from pests and the weather, and, when good organic gardening methods are adhered to, does away with weeding, tilling and digging.

I hope this guide on growing your own organic vegetables has been helpful to you. I wish you many successful harvests.

If you have any comments or questions about organic gardening or anything else please use the contact form.

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