Square Foot Garden Planning

Hi everyone, 

I am new here and to this form of gardening. I recently bought the Square foot gardening book, and I am so intrigued by it. I already have raised beds, so I added the squares to it. I have included a picture showing the layout of everything in relation to my house and the sun. On the image, I also show the plants that I want to have in each square. I marked the position of the trellis where I currently think is best with dark yellow lines. I forgot to draw trees, but there are only some small bush plants to the right of the raised beds. The main question I have is what would be the best positioning for a trellis to maximize growth and not limit sunlight to the other plants? Would it be ok to make the trellis of the middle box shorter so that the plants on the back can get more light? Also, where should I place the okra plants not to limit the sunlight to the others?

Best wishes,

Gustavo

Hi, Gustavo, Welcome to the forum from California!

Could you mark North, south, etc., on your map, and then re-post it? That will help with the sun direction. I have a couple of comments but I want to make sure that I understand the layout. The house is on the north side of the garden? Tall plants on the north and west. Trellises on the north and west.

Yellow summer squash on the edges so they can flop over outside the box. They take up to 9 squares of space if planted in the interior of the box. Six (6) squash plants have the potential to produce so much that your neighbors will run inside and close the curtains when they see you coming with a big bag.

Cabbage family planted in adjacent squares so that you can provide coverage against the white butterfly/green caterpillar with a frame and bridal tulle/insect netting.

Add a second trellis on the left and right ends of the bottom box and sandwich the 3 squares of beans(?) between the trellises.

Allow at least 2 squares per tomato unless you are experienced in training to a single or double stem. There's room for at least 5 plants along the L-shape trellis in the middle bed.

Put the eggplants in the front row on the southern edge. Eggplants, tomatoes, squash and okra like sunny locations.

Looking forward to learning more about your plot plan and photos of the garden! We do love photos!

Hi Sanderson, thank you so much for the comments.

I have added most of the things you said to the layout and redesigned it, this time with the North and South directions. I bought the smallest type of cherry tomato plant that I could, so it should be fine to plant one per square. How tall should I make the tomato trellis for it not to limit sunlight to the summer squash? I have Black Beauty Eggplants from Burpee and the Baby Bubba Hybrid Okra. Do they need support at all? Also, I have the Waltham 29 Brocolli from them. Would they grow too wide to be in only one box? I still have time to change the seed types, so it is better to do that now than later. Any comments are helpful

Regards,

Gustavo

Hi Gustavo.  Welcome from Atlanta, GA!

Okra will not need staking.  Eggplant should not.  Broccoli should be fine in one square.

Can't wait to see your photos!

Welcome Gustavo!  I will be interested in how your cauli and broc do.  I have tried for 2 years to grow Romanesco with zero results!  Have you had luck in the past?  Love your design!

I think this will work fine.  As Marie stated, okra do not need support.  I do support my eggplants, maybe the smallest tomato cages?  Cherry tomatoes tend to bush out so I would still recommend every other square.  Likewise, the squash limited to 3, 4 at the max.  While they are still small you can plant some small lettuces, radishes or small carrots in their empty spaces until they get so big and cover the little plants up.

Photos!

PS:  My beds are mature and I have added all kinds of things to the beds.  This is how I stake the peppers and eggplants.  The stakes are held in position overhead.

Hi Gustavo,

I am going to agree with Sanderson on the staking advice. Do peppers, eggplant, okra need staking, most times not but when fruit laden and a windy day occurs, staking is well placed insurance. Years ago when I grew my first chilies, peppers and eggplant, I asked my brother who had grown them before with some success if I needed to stake them and he said no. Well when they were laden with fruit, had a windy day and almost all the plants got blown over and many of the plants were damaged beyond recovery. Was my brother wrong in his advice, no. His yard had high fence on all sides, acted as a wind break. My plants were in a wide open area and needed to be staked. I have found most times there are no wrong answers but some answers are conditional and if the conditions are the same as yours they work but if not the same conditions, the answer may not work for you.

Dan in Ct wrote: I have found most times there are no wrong answers but some answers are conditional and if the conditions are the same as yours they work but if not the same conditions, the answer may not work for you.

True. Advice works if the conditions are the same.