A Newbie from the Uk

Hi
I am a newbie from UK.I have a allotment and I am thinking of turning it in to a Square foot Garden.

Hi, Redfig, and welcome to our forum! You'll find lots of helpful folks around.

I'm LaFee, a transplanted American putting down roots in the Paris region. This year was my first-ever foray into SFG, and my first veg garden since I was a little girl -- and I'm well and truly hooked. I had gorgeous veg from early spring until very late summer, and I can't wait to build a second box and start planning for next spring.

Having an SFG in an allotment is a great choice - you don't ever have to till or dig - just make your mix and grow your veg. With the system, you are able to plant much closer together, which means you get more veg from a smaller plot...without all the work.

Weeding goes much faster, and I think you'll be really thrilled with how easy and rewarding this gardening method is.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions...there will be someone here who can help!

to the Forum!

Welcome, Redfig. SFG is a great way to do a lot of gardening in a small amount of space. (It's also a great way to do a lot of gardening in a large amount of space.) It's adaptability is one of the things that makes it so useful.

Welcome!

Hi
Thank you so much for the warm welcome I have found the the bes6t place to be with SFG

Redfig, just landed here! seems like a great place too! I am a true novice but am looking forward to this adventure!

Namaste,

zen

Revzen,

Redifg hasn't been back for about 8 weeks. Perhaps when the growing season is here, Redfig will visit again.

Hopefully someone else in your region will be able to help you out. We do have active forum members from the UK.

Furbalsmom,

OOPS! didn't see the date of the OP!!! Hopefully we will see redifg again!!! I am guilty of being AWOL........but I am back!!!

Namaste,

revzen

Welcome to both redfig and revzen of the UK.
Its great to see you. I'm in Maine in the USA but I'm an Anglophile and love all things British. I wish I could visit your wonderful country.

Having an allotment must be like my growing in our community garden where there are no raised beds. Still, I use the SFG methods because each spring I hill up my rows with a hoe so that they are about 5-6" higher than ground around them and practice spacing and side-dressing and compost tea feedings. My crops do great that way.

Our community garden area is tilled and manured each spring and then we rent our rows. I chose these 3 which I've 'hilled' up to practice SFG. Each fall the rows are all plowed back level til next year.

Do you have rows that are tilled for you or do you have separate areas that are yours to do with as you wish? If you have rows, learn from me. These 3 rows are at the end of the garden and on the left is a big old tree. In the afternoons around two o'clock shade creeps over those rows. Next year I'll choose my rows in the center of the garden area so I get sun all day. It's a lesson learned.

I also have my home garden of 9 raised beds where I putter in my garden every morning, loving every minute of it.

SFG makes things simpler. No tilling, and healthy crops at your fingertips. I love it. This will be my 3rd year. You'll learn new things every year and maybe try new things to see if they are successful.

Whatever you do, enjoy it. It can be fun and its great exercise.

I know you are experiencing the joys of winter just like many of us in the USA, but soon spring will have sprung and you'll be sowing your seeds.

Good Luck to both of you. Don't forget to share photos. We love seeing photos and we're all here to help one another.
hugs from the USA,
quiltbea

Hi everyone, I have started the SFG this year after having an allotment years ago and having to give it up as to much work to maintain. Then I moved house and had a lovely plot at the side of my house of about 20ft by 10ft and south facing. Means it is a perfect microclimate as all protected and nothing seems to die by frost etc. However came down with dreaded rediculous ME/Fibro so thought I would have to give up all thought of growing my own when I came accross the SFG. So little information down here. Took me a year to get the garden ready and now have 3 beds of 4'x4' but because I can't stand long I made them at least 24" high. I has taken some time to fill them as well but now I can sit on the sides and do what I have to. I am going to fill one that is empty by doing the potato method. As it is empty I will put some soil in the bottom and gradually fill it as they grow and hey presto at the end of the season I will have a full bed and potatoes toboot. Great eh!!. Anyhow enough now from me, glad I have somewhere to come to have questions answered just hope there are enough who know about the english climate to help.
Can't find any teachers down here does anyone know what the situation is in England with SFG teachers and is there much call for them as I have a teaching qualification and wonder if it is worth setting up a day course as I see I could use a teaching pack and get certified. Already certified but you know what I mean.
Pleased to be part of the forum. Hi again

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl and welcome to the forum. SFG is perfect for adapting to what is called table top gardening. One of our members, Boffer, is our resident guru on that. Do a search in the topics for table top gardening. You can have raised beds without them being so deep that you have to fill them with soil first. The whole purpose of using Mel's mix in the raised beds is to get away from using the soil so you don't have to worry so much about the weeds etc. Sorry to hear about the fibro. I have an issue with low thyroid that for years caused so much muscle pain. I felt like I had been hit by a bus. Gardening, only on a very small scale was all that was possible so I have a bit of an idea what you are going through. The thyroid meds have helped it a great deal although not completely. Winter is hard.

If you are interested in being certified as an SFG teacher, look on the main page of the website. There is a space on there about getting certified. Click on that for more info. They have a home study course you can do to get certifed. That would be awesome.

All the best to you and welcome to the forum.

Gwynn

Thankyou Gwynn. Yes I should have looked at that rather than already built ones I have. At the time I had soil that had to be moved so it seemed to kill two birds with one stone. The more I am learning the more I realised I do have to look at my compost. I have a friend who has horses to have easy access to manure, I also have two beautiful chickens who supply me with some EVERYDAY and a neighbour who has access via his job to topsoil BUT this thing about Mels compost is what I have to look into. I am wondering if I can get it down here. You wouldn't believe it but it is a bit of being back and beyond. We don't get lectures or classes like other parts of england.
Re: the fibro/ME they tried for years to see if it was thyroid but unlike America who test at a higher level they say mine is ok. Asked my doctor to test me the American way but he wouldn't. Anyway very lucky to have a housemate who will see to things I can't when unwell so have managed to keep stuff I really love like a garden. To sit out and look at it on a sunny day is best medicine every.
Hope you are better now and thankyou again.

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,

I'm in the back of beyond too. Also limited as to what I can do so I'm arranging my plot to be easy to manage including sq ft beds I can perch on to see to.

When you get round to buying ingredients for Mel's Mix, 1/3 moss peat, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 blend of at least 5 composts, if like me you can't get premixed bags, you can get Vermiculite cheap from a builders merchants. A small merchant near me sells 100 litres bag for £12.50-ish.

Cheryl

Very glad to have you with us. Sounds like you do have access to multiple types of manures to compost. Are you able to have your own compost heap for maturing it? Fresh manures are too harsh for our plants.

Have you had a chance to read the ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING book that came out in 2006? It has all the datails regarding Mel's Mix and why we use the ingredients listed. Makes life much easier. For me, one of the best benefits is NO MORE WEEDS.

I too have limitations which is why I went for the Table Top Gardens. It is much easier for me to stand and garden.

Again, Welcome and thanks for joining us.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Welcome and +1 on the tabletops. I have six 4x4s. My knees can't take the stress. Do a search on tabletops or tt's and learn about a way to extend your gardening years.



Kay


PS I lived in Northants for slightly over 2 years and loved British gardening craze.

Thanks barkie
can get it cheapish at Wilkinson but didn't think about builders merchants have a few very close so will look at their prices.

cheryl

Hi to all responses, to answer
yes have space to let the manure mature as I know it can ruin and burn. Will definately look at table top and see whats happening and how I can adapt it now. I haven't read the book as yet to find it at a bargain price and my library does not have it. Its still full price on Ebay so hope to get it at a car boot or such like.
Didn't realise about the weeds so will definately sort that out as it will be very important.

Thaknyou all for your advice and help.


Cheryl

I am glad I found you guys. Im in sunny London, with no one around me to help. Ive already found Plantoid who has been a great help.
I am just building my one box now. I tried raised beds but find I can't bend like I used to, and having anaemia doesn't help either. So hears hoping we all learns loads together

Frenchbean! Even though you are thousands of miles away there are some things we all share. I am a newbie too! We can learn a lot together and it's great seeing everyone's creative ideas that are not territorial.

Frenchbean wrote:I am glad I found you guys. Im in sunny London, with no one around me to help. Ive already found Plantoid who has been a great help.
I am just building my one box now. I tried raised beds but find I can't bend like I used to, and having anaemia doesn't help either. So hears hoping we all learns loads together

Sounds like you are a candidate for tabletops. I love mine -saves my back and knees. Do a search for tabletop or TT and you will get some construction tips. I am construction challenged, so mine are just sitting on cinderblocks, but others have nice wooden legs.

Kay

Thanks kay. Ive just seen a chipboard - think it was someones old table out side their gate I might ask f I can have it, it has no legs though.