new SFgardener from Italy

alanlu 3/19/2014, 7:18 am

hello everybody!!
I'm Monica from Italy!! I'm starting my first square foot garden... I have a "traditional raw garden" and this year I decided to turn it into SFG! as soon as I can I'll post some pics.
hope in your help!!
bye bye!

Vash_the_Stampede 3/19/2014, 9:04 am

Hello Alanlu,

$glad you\'re here$

Good luck with your garden. We're looking forward to pictures. rock on

quiltbea 3/19/2014, 11:00 am

Welcome to the forum. Ask questions. You're sure to get someone that has the answers. Good luck.

**sanderson** 3/19/2014, 3:18 pm

Monica, Welcome to the Forum from California, US! $glad you\'re here$

Where I live it is considered Mediterranean climate, which means you can grow almost anything. I think you will love SFG. Do you have the book All New Square Foot Gardening? No dirt is used in SFG, just composts, vermiculite/perlite, and peat moss. If you have been row gardening it make take a little getting used to this new way for you. Do you have a compost pile? If not, it will be invaluable for making your own mufti-source compost.

alanlu 3/20/2014, 3:42 am

I live in Northen Italy, winter is quite "cold", most of my vegs grow well during summer.
in my area it's quite impossible to find vermiculite, peat moss and compost. I searched and asked every garden shop, at the end I found vermiculite (2/5 mm) and sphagnum peat moss.
the problem is compost...impossible to find!!!
I'll start my compost pile this summer, it should work for the future but the problem is now ... I dont know how to start my SFG!
next weekend I'll try another garden center, hope I'll find compost there.
I read Square Meter Gardening and I took it as a "Bible"!!!
I have a question: sphagnum peat moss seams to be acid (2.5/3.5 pH), is that normal?

thank you for helping me!

**sanderson** 3/20/2014, 1:16 pm

Monica, Don't worry about the peat moss being acidic. It works. Trust us! Very Happy

Your problem seems to be locating varied sources of compost. Anything sitting around that has rotted (broken down) while sitting outside over the winter. Old pile of horse manure, pile of leaves, branch trimmings, winery waste, other food processing waste piles. The stuff at the bottom of piles may be nicely composted. I'm thinking, I'm thinking.

**Kelejan** 3/21/2014, 2:28 am

$glad you\'re here$ alanlu.
Some other things that can be added to your compost pile:Vegetable peelings of all kinds, eggshells, coffee grounds, tea leaves or teabags, shredded newspaper, cardboard.
We'll think of a few more and let you know. Search on this list (white box top left-hand corner) and insert COMPOST. That should bring you some results.
Get your friends and family to bring you their food waste on a regular basis, it adds up, as I know because I have my friends bring me small bags of stuff on a regular basis. I have them well trained.
Do you have space to put a compost pile?
I visited Italy once in 1975. The usual places, Venice, Rome, Naples, Pompei etc. Also Bari and Monopili on the west coast, but not Modena.
Best wishes from
Kelejan in Canada

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new SFgardener from Italy

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	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.