Row Gardener Told Me...

My best friend is an avid "row gardener" and he has been checking out my SFG stuff and told me that everything I harvest out of my SFG beds will be small in comparison to his row garden because everything is too cramped. He said I basically planted everything in pots. Now it's my first year doing this so I have no evidence to dispute this claim, but I am assuming I will harvest normal sized tomatoes and stuff.

Is he just crazy?

Robbie, Robbie.....you are a worry wort!

(I can say that because you've said the same thing in clinical terms!)

Gardening is pretty laid back at my house:

1. I follow Mel's advice
2. I water and wait
3. The weather determines how much produce hits my dinner table.

Every year, for the last five years, I abandon more of my traditional beds and move my veggie gardening into SFG boxes. The reason for that is: IT WORKS!

LOL! I know I know...I am going to leave my biggest tomatoes on his porch with a note "Enjoy this from your local Square Foot Garden "

there you go or you could always throw down the gauntlet and challenge him if he wins you go back to row gardening if you win he converts to SFG just a friendly little competition

You have nothing to worry about. Your garden will be much better producing than your friends! My tomato plants get over 6 feet tall and get tons of tomatoes. Make sure you use a trellis for things that need it.

To be blunt your friend is full of crap. Sorry. That was probably excessive.
I just drives me nuts when people who have NEVER tried something nor even taken the time to educate themselves have the gaul to tell others it won't work or can't be done. I've got a bumper sticker on my car that reads, "Those who say it can't be done, shouldn't interrupt the people doing it!" How true! It's amazing how many people would rather bust their butts year after year with a traditional row garden than even consider that there might be a better alternative. But then there are those that hear about SFG and dismiss it - as if Mel didn't put up with enough nay sayers when he was going through all the trial and error to perfect the system - and sold over a million books - and helped create successful SFGs all over the world. <sigh> For some people only seeing is believing. Here's hoping your veggies put his to shame. Follow the book, reap the rewards, and gloat enough for all of us please.

I'm hearing a lot of 'nay-saying' too. I'm just going to keep doing what Mel recommends, and hope that my neighbor will be 'green' with envy later in the season!

(Off-Topic: Tim... I LOVE that bumper sticker.... I think I may just use that for my Facebook status for a while!)

timwardell wrote:snip....your friend is full of crap. snip... Here's hoping your veggies put his to shame. Follow the book, reap the rewards, and gloat enough for all of us please.

There is the possibility that all that compost could give him an edge. But I'm pullen for you rob.

Just do your thing and prove him wrong. My Mom grows normal sized tomatoes in pots anyway.

The amount of patience I have with the naysayers varies from one extreme to another. But my sister, who knows everything about gardening (no, really! Just ask her, she'll tell you! ) did the original SFG, but was still skeptical and critical when I discovered the New SFG! Like, how much of a stretch is that????

Anyway, I digress. Just hang in there. If your neighbor's comments get to you once in awhile, while awaiting the proof, we're here to listen!

Just do your thing and enjoy it.
You'll have normal-sized crops and little weeding.

Here are some cherry, plum and regular tomatoes. Normal sizes, each one.

here are some more convincing pictures:


spaghetti squash

Here's mine from last year, nothing small about these!

One Sunday's dinner

Here's a video I found on YouTube. Do these plants look small or their growth stunted to you? Has your friend ever had a squash climb a tree?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KKIz8Gfb5o

I have Tim! I've had a squash climb a tree!!! I think I harvested 4 from the tree?










A potato from one of my SFG boxes.

That's cool, CP, I don't think I've seen those pics before.

Change is hard for most people. Rob's neighbor and my hubby and Mom included! But I was a newbie last year and this year my hubby is planning on adding more boxes and my Mom has asked me to make some for her. Skeptics can be skeptical...until they see the results. Good luck to you Rob!

You and me both, Rob.......
My neighbor is filling up an old sandbox to use as his family's garden this yr. Well, he's using regular native soil; so I mentioned what I've read about SFG soil, and he thinks I am being "persnickety" by mixing all that "stuff" together. (good luck with your clay, buddy!)
I really hope my garden out-produces his........I've got my fingers crossed.

I'm also chiming in with a defence of the SFG produce size. We had whoppers this year! Colossal cucumbers and capsicums, splendid spuds, striking strawberries, tremendous tomatoes, and stupendous sweetcorn

We also had some tiny tomatoes, petite potatoes, stunted strawberries, and puny peppers, depending on what we planted and where it was growing (indoors, outdoors, shady, sunny). We treated everything the same way, so the weather and situation obviously made quite a difference. Still, overall we had much bigger and better produce than in last year's row garden, for considerably less effort. I'm still in awe of how much easier and less frequent this year's weeding was!

Josh looks like Harry Potter! (I mean that in the best possible way -- I love all the books, and see every movie) (rolls eyes -- I'm such a geek.)

Boffer -- LOVE that photo. So pretty, and I'll bet dinner was tasty, too!