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kshimpi 8/10/2010, 1:15 pm

Hi, I am Kristan and new to square foot gardening. Over the weekend I kept a "sun journal" to figure out the best spot that would get 6 hrs of sun each day. We live deep in the woods, so I only found one spot. Today was step one: clear out the trees/brush in the area I plan to use and spray the weeds. I took some before and after pics which are linked below -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kshimpi/sets/72157624695599142/with/4879467352/

Looking forward to getting to know folks on the forum :-)

Wyldflower 8/10/2010, 1:47 pm

Hi Kristan, and welcome!

Great job on siting and clearing your garden area! And I see you have a little helper, there, too.... adorable!

There are a lot of wonderful people here who will be happy to help you with any questions you may have. We'd love to follow your progress!

Megan 8/10/2010, 5:43 pm

Hi Kristan, looks like a great start. Welcome to the forum and to SFG! This has been my first year too, and I'm loving it!

junequilt 8/10/2010, 5:51 pm

Welcome, Kristin! I'm sure you and your assistant gardener will have a fine time with square foot gardening. Intro Icon_lol

kshimpi 8/10/2010, 6:16 pm

I actually have 2 little helpers, but the one not pictured is more interested in the actual planting vs getting ready to plant :-) We have tried vegetable gardening in a couple of different locations over the years, with little success.

I hope my area will get enough sun. Like I mentioned earlier, it is the sunniest spot I have.

I picked up a copy of the square foot gardening book this afternoon, so I am officially ready to get started!

Kristan

Megan 8/10/2010, 6:32 pm

As you work on your garden this year, you may want to keep on with your sun journal -- it does move around as the seasons progress. I have a rather weird sun pattern because I'm planting on the north side of the house (really more like north-north-west), so I get shade most of the morning but then intense light in the afternoon. There is a mature maple just west of us, though. In the spring it is not a big deal but as it leafs out in late spring/early summer we do lose some afternoon light from the foliage there, for a few hours, but then as the sun angles still further we get it back... and in fall, it becomes a non-issue again.

Since you're so heavily wooded you may not get this kind of variation, but who knows, you might find a little patch good for a fall crop or spring sprouting! Smile

boffer 8/10/2010, 7:03 pm

You can also put a box on wheels so as to move around to follow the sun.

kshimpi 8/10/2010, 7:50 pm

Megan, I am planting on the northwest side of the house as well. There is a big oak that blocks good light for a little over an hour. I think I will keep my spot and just watch that tree with my sun journal. If my garden is not doing as well as I would like, I might have it taken down later on. I am also considering doing one 4x4 box in the area I have selected and also a border box for next to the fence to see which one does better.
Wherever I decide to put the boxes, I am going to need some deer fencing!

Kristan

Megan 8/10/2010, 8:20 pm

I have never had to cope with deer, but there are posters here who have.... this forum is such a great source of information!

kshimpi 8/13/2010, 8:15 am

I have decided to try two 2x4 border boxes next to my fence to get maximum sunlight (which will still be right around 6 hrs). One section gets a tiny bit more sun, so I am going to do flowering veggies there. I am going to put plywood on the bottom of my boxes for 2 reasons: 1) ground can get soggy in this area after a heavy rain and 2) in case I want to move them later on.
From what I have read, I am in the middle south so I need to get things moving with my fall planting. I ordered some border boxes from the square foot gardening website, so hopefully they will be here shortly.

question: what do most folks put around the boxes (ex: mulch, straw, etc)? I will need to put up some deer fencing as well.

Kristan

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