New to SFG - would love feedback on my plan

goldenretriever51 3/19/2012, 1:58 pm

I'm starting my first raised bed square
foot garden this year with a single 4x4 raised bed. Here is my plan for
what to grow where - does this look like a reasonable plan or do you see any problems?
For the tomatoes I have some tomato cages to support them so they don't
need to be near each other.Row 1 (from N to S)- 1 cherry tomato, 4 lettuce, 4 swiss chard, 16 beets
Row 2 - 8 peas, 9 bush beans, 4 swiss chard, 16 beets

Row 3 -16 beets, 16 radishes, 9 spinach, 16 beets
Row 4 - 1 cherry tomato, 4 lettuce, 9 spinach, 9 bush beans
Thank you for any suggestions!

AvaDGardner 3/20/2012, 1:31 pm

Congrats on your first box!

Have you consider the height of each plant and the shadow it may cast on it's neighbors?

It's surprising how big some these things can be. Swiss Chard, for example, can grow to 3' tall...and it would take 2 SF (we have a lot of these huge ones around the community garden). But if you keep it trimed, it would be smaller. And you have it near short things, like lettuce and beats.

Some of the things you have are cool (peas) with beans (warm). Will you be able to grow cool crops in the DC area during the summer? Are the climbing peas or bush peas?

If you want to keep the rows as they are, I'd put the tall things on the east side, and the short things (like radishes & lettuce) on the west side, unless you want to give them some shade from heat.

goldenretriever51 3/21/2012, 2:51 pm

Thank you. I did not realize Swiss Chard got so tall! I'll look into whether the cool stuff will work here.

**bakermtb** 3/21/2012, 9:53 pm

Welcome to SFG. Very Happy

I assume you have read the ANSFG book? For the tomatoes, I would use the electrical conduit and 4"-5" netting on the conduit like in the book(trellis). If you are using Mel's Mix, then your cherry tomatoes will get about 6' tall. The tomato cages may not work so well.
The peas will get pretty high as well so maybe use the trellis for the peas (cool weather and then the tomatoes (warm weather)
Move the peas and tomatoes to row 4. They will grow vertical.
Use your tomato cages for the swiss chard.

Maybe you could use this set up?
Row 1 - 4 lettuce, 4 lettuce, 16 beets, 16 beets
Row 2 - 9 bush beans, 9 bush beans, 4 swiss chard, 4 swiss chard

Row 3 -16 beets, 16 radishes, 9 spinach, 16 beets
Row 4 - 1 cherry tomato, 1 cherry tomato, 9 spinach, 8 peas

Mike

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New to SFG - would love feedback on my plan

New to SFG - would love feedback on my plan

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Re: New to SFG - would love feedback on my plan

Re: New to SFG - would love feedback on my plan

Re: New to SFG - would love feedback on my plan


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