Hello from Central Virginia

vadirt 5/16/2014, 10:32 pm

My wife and I are long-time back-yard gardeners, but this year I have taken it upon myself to convert the long unused outside areas of my workplace to supplemental garden space using SFG techniques and elevated planting boxes.

I already have a 4X4X2 ft. raised plot just outside our back window, but I made it for a coworker who believes in low-maintenance plug-and-play gardens. So I'm working to get a new box ready for me. I know it's kind of late, but I'm hoping to get some tips and techniques from this brain trust to get the right plants for the shortened time frame. I hope to be ready to plant before the end of the month. Crossing my fingers happy hi

**sfg4uKim** 5/16/2014, 10:46 pm

Welcome!

**walshevak** 5/17/2014, 6:34 am

vadirt wrote:My wife and I are long-time back-yard gardeners, but this year I have taken it upon myself to convert the long unused outside areas of my workplace to supplemental garden space using SFG techniques and elevated planting boxes.

I already have a 4X4X2 ft. raised plot just outside our back window, but I made it for a coworker who believes in low-maintenance plug-and-play gardens. So I'm working to get a new box ready for me. I know it's kind of late, but I'm hoping to get some tips and techniques from this brain trust to get the right plants for the shortened time frame. I hope to be ready to plant before the end of the month. Crossing my fingers

Deep bed filled with sand or soil topped with 6 inches of Mels Mix are an option as well as tabletops. Do a search on tabletops and you will several ways members have created beds high enough to work at without a lot of bending/kneeling. I have grown just about everything in this type of bed. Anything you can grow on the ground you can grow above the ground. The end of May is good timing for all the warm weather veggies.

Kay

**sfg4uKim** 5/17/2014, 6:54 am

Just thinking about it . . . with SFG it's never really "too late". You may have missed the spring but here in Maryland I was harvesting turnips, beet greens and spinach at Thanksgiving.

If you've got a copy of the All New Square Foot Gardening flip to the back where Mel has charts on growing a fall harvest. Using things like the PVC dome in the book you'll be able to create a mini greenhouse so you can start earlier and finish later in the season.

vadirt 5/17/2014, 8:15 am

Thanks for the warm welcome! Already, I'm getting great tips! I can't wait to put them in play.

68carguy 5/17/2014, 1:03 pm

Welcome fellow Virginian! Would like to share something with you. I saw you post from the tabletop post and just wanted you to be as informed as possible about the usage of pallets for projects in the garden. It may or may not be of concern to you but here is just one articles out there. Good luck in you SFG adventure's.

http://www.pallettruth.com/2012/06/why-not-to-do-wood-pallet-projects/

vadirt 5/17/2014, 5:49 pm

Thanks for that tip. I have read something similar to that article before. However, I am willing to give it a shot. I have seen far more positive, time tested, gardening-with-pallet wood articles, than negative ones.
I've been working with pallet wood for several years, including making bluebird nesting boxes, which have been very successful season over season. So far--knock on pallet wood--I haven't noticed any ill effects. But I do tend toward the cleaner looking pallets.

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Hello from Central Virginia

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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.