Monday Morning Quarterbacking

I am still at the beginning of learning the SFG method. But I can see results on the way. I can already see some things that if I would have thought of ahead of time or read a lot more on this forum before starting I would have done different.

What would you do different if you were starting a new SFG today?

The number 1 change I would make is that I would have incorporated my grid that is made out of PVC and made watering system. I can still do it but if I do I will wait until prior to the fall garden to make the change.

You really don't need the PVC grid to do the watering ... especially if "asthetics" arent that important in your SFG. The DIG drip irrigation systems do just fine.


If I had it to "do over" ..... I would do an angle-iron tabletop configuration like Boffers & make it mobile (like a hand cart).

The first 3 weeks of a season absolutely kill me will all the kneeling/bending.

I'm new to the SFG method myself, though I've known about it for a long time since it was the basis for a college course I took. There's nothing like getting your hands into the SFG dirt, to teach you what you want to try differently next time.

First of all, I would have planted all my herbs in pots right away, so I could have more space for veggies. Most herbs only need a 6" to 8" pot and really can't take a full day of C&T Southern sun, and so using a full square for herbs in a SFG doesn't make sense (now that I've already done it for part of my spring/summer season). Oh well, there's plenty to do with the space now that I've moved the surviving plants. I'm going to plant a few things that should finish their growth before I need the space for my corn in August.

Another thing I would've done is put my 4'x4' boxes on tables and had more 1'x4' boxes for the vining plants. It wasn't realistic at the time we were installing the garden, so I'll have to wait until my husband has time/energy to build TT boxes. I'll keep one 4'x4' box on the ground to grow corn and other tall plants in, but my shorter plants I want where I can reach them standing up or perched on a stool. All future additions to the garden, except for trellised boxes and the boxes for tomatoes, will be TT boxes!

The third thing we should have done was fence the yard in...now my husband is slowly building us a much-needed fence to keep out the dogs, cats, deer and foxes out, and hopefully it will also keep the armadillos & turtles out. (We had a turtle get up on the porch and knock our grill over the other day, breaking the handle that lifts the lid. Boy, did that make a racket! We think it was trying to reach a flat of flowers I haven't gotten around to planting yet.) Nothing will keep the squirrels out except the hot pepper powder, but that works wonderfully, so I'm not complaining a bit!

I'm also considering spray painting my electrical conduit trellis frames after this harvest period so they don't look so utilitarian. With an empty lot behind us, a lot of people can see our garden from the road, and I would like things to look a bit nicer. Besides, we can see the garden from our screened porch as well as our kitchen nook window, so I would appreciate something prettier, too!

Jeepers where do I begin! I would have read the book before I got two huge truckloads of city compost #1. I filled a few beds with it and later added to it but still wish I could undo it. I now have a huge pile of city compost sitting in my driveway that I need to find a use for (fill, lol). I also got all the same kind of peat moss to begin with, yesterday I went and bought more and it was a different brand that was more expensive and when I got it home and sunk my hands into it OMG, is was so soft and fine, then I watered it and it sucked the water right up (unlike the peat I used previously) night and day difference Sunshine peat moss is what I will buy from now on!

I also wouldn't have put lettuce, carrots, spinach, beets, and kohlrabi in the Plant Inn right away, not sure what will be able to finish in there, lol. There is more I'm sure of it but that's what I thought of for now!

I also like the sunken soaker hoses, maybe next year!

I would have added more compost to my first year Mels Mix before going full steam ahead early this spring with cold weather veggies...and done a soil test...and threw in a bunch of earthworms.

Another interesting thing is that volunteer tomatoes are just as far along as transplants...wonder why people don't direct seed tomatoes more often in Zone 5A if that's the case...risk of frost?

I also went overboard on tomatoes...now really won't have very many squares next to trellises to rotate crops next year.

You will find that every year you'll wish you did something different. This year i wish I had NOT put my potato bins so close together Nice and side by side..now I got to attach the one side of boards from the inside

Haha, zone 5A here and yes risk of frost would be it!

landarch wrote:
Another interesting thing is that volunteer tomatoes are just as far along as transplants...wonder why people don't direct seed tomatoes more often in Zone 5A if that's the case...risk of frost?

I am in 4A, and my volunteers tomatoes are just as far along as my transplants as well! Go figure!

GG