Warm Greetings From Columbus, Indiana

Hello all. So glad that I found this forum. It looks like there is lots of wonderful support and camaraderie here. A little about me... I have failed at gardening the regular old way for the past 3 years. I found the Square Foot Gardening book and have decided to give gardening one more try. With lots of support from my husband, I have gotten two boxes constructed and filled with Mel's Mix. One box is 4' x 12' and the other is 4' x 8'. I have planted radishes, lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and onions so far. Can't wait for the last Spring frost date to get all my other plants in the ground.
I hope to be an active participant here and join in all the fun with you all!

So glad to have ya!

The beauty of the All New SFG is the sheer ease. You'll find yourself doing much better with it. This is not to say that other issues won't come up (like bugs or weather), but you are off to a great start.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask away. We are always glad to help. If you have any tips or tricks to add please feel free to do so. Pictures are always welcome and always encouraged.

I hope you do decide to stick around and get active in the forums. The more people posting and interacting with each other the better.

Take care and happy gardening!

Hey there, ferhoodled. Welcome aboard!! Sounds like you found the forum at about the right time for your area. That's great.

You will find tons of help here. Your first impression is right. We are a very friendly bunch that loves to help others along. We all have questions ourselves, so don't hesitate to ask questions. I would encourage you to first search for your questions by using the search bars. If you don't find an answer to your liking, fire away! Pictures really help describe things. Of course, pictures are also great weapons with which to brag about your accomplishments in our Showcase section.

Hopefully, this season will be better than the other three. I would offer a guarantee, but I don't know what the issues were with your other attempts. Bugs? Time? Location?

If you don't mind filling me/us in on where you think you may have gone wrong, maybe we can double check your conversion to SFG and help instill confidence in you that you are set up for success this year. I would hate to see you invest the resources into two large SFG beds and get less than you desire for results.

Also, stop by the regional forum (N&C Midwest) and poke around in there. I hope you are active and stick around here, too, for many gardening seasons to come. Welcome again; it's great to have you here!

I think that part of my trouble with my last attempts was that I didn't really care about the soil at all. I was in such a hurry to get my plants in, and planted some things way before they were supposed to be planted. I always thought that if they are selling tomato plants at Lowes or wherever that that must mean that it is planting time for them. I just learned that planting tomatoes before their correct time can stunt their growth. I think I read that on this forum. Can't remember for sure.

Also, my soil is sooo weedy. Once the weeds started sprouting there was no stopping them. I am both arthritic and lazy which is a bad combination so the weeds would take over. I'm hoping beyond hope that Mel's Mix will do the trick. I was so worried about weeds this time that I placed a layer of cardboard under my weed cloth. I hope that was ok!

Just a side note about my little gardens... I know that this can be a pricier method to use than other methods, but I had just received a small amount of money from the sell of my parents' house and I decided to go for it. Dad died in 2007 and my mom died in 2001. Mom and Dad had a huge garden and could make anything grow (oh the zucchini!). Of course I never paid attention to how they did it. Now, I feel that using some of the money from their house is kind of a tribute to them. I know that they would be so pleased that I have taken up gardening. I have felt so close to my Dad in the past few days as we have constructed this garden. We have used his old pickup truck to get the Mel's mix ingredients, his tarps to mix the ingredients, his old gardening tools, and even his gardening gloves. So far this is such a great hobby! Good for the body, mind and spirit!

ferhoodled wrote:Also, my soil is sooo weedy. Once the weeds started sprouting there was no stopping them. I am both arthritic and lazy which is a bad combination so the weeds would take over. I'm hoping beyond hope that Mel's Mix will do the trick. I was so worried about weeds this time that I placed a layer of cardboard under my weed cloth. I hope that was ok!

Remember, though, that Mel's Mix isn't a cure all for weeds. They will still blow in. And, they will still take over if unattended. However, the raised bed with good, new soil should cut back on them severely. And, the spacing will really help, too. We pack our plants in so tightly, that not much has a chance to grow......once the garden fills in. However, early on, you need to watch for weeds to sprout because they will. I make a habit out of going to the garden every few days to look for weeds while admiring my desirables. They do pull easily, but the weeds to get in there. I'm sure I beat the horse dead, but wanted to make sure you didn't assume that SFG was weed free with no effort at all.

Frost dates and a little knowledge is paramount to gardening success, too. You've found that out, so you already have the largest part of being a gardener......some experience. That will serve you so well going forward.

ferhoodled wrote:Just a side note about my little gardens... I know that this can be a pricier method to use than other methods, but I had just received a small amount of money from the sell of my parents' house and I decided to go for it. Dad died in 2007 and my mom died in 2001. Mom and Dad had a huge garden and could make anything grow (oh the zucchini!). Of course I never paid attention to how they did it. Now, I feel that using some of the money from their house is kind of a tribute to them. I know that they would be so pleased that I have taken up gardening. I have felt so close to my Dad in the past few days as we have constructed this garden. We have used his old pickup truck to get the Mel's mix ingredients, his tarps to mix the ingredients, his old gardening tools, and even his gardening gloves. So far this is such a great hobby! Good for the body, mind and spirit!

This is great. I feel that way about my grandparents all the time. My grandparents, and a little cheaper grocery bill, are the only reasons I like gardening to be honest. But, whatever the purpose, life is just better when you have one.

You'll be fine. You are in the right place. Whenever you have a question, fire away. Happy SFG'ing!

My plan is to walk by my gardens first thing in the morning every morning and pull any weeds. Going to definitely stay on top of that task this year! Thank you both for your kind words, advice and encouragement.

C-bus is where I was born and grew up! Welcome! What part of Columbus are you in? My parents still live there-- on SR 58, kind of on the outskirts.

Hi tkdtara84! We live right behind Richards Elementary School near the Par 3 golf course. Glad to meet a fellow Columbus-ian!

Welcome to the neighborhood! Remember, the most important part of a forum is participation... oh yeah, and pictures...

ferhoodled

Really glad you joined us. What a great tribute to your Dad to start a SFG and carry on the gardening he loved. You will find SFG is so much easier than traditional row gardening. No digging, no tilling, no weeds(almost, a few will blow in but nothing like using your native soil even if amended to enhance growth). Even if you have a weed or two, this "soil" is so loose and friable, you can easily pluck them out with two fingers.

Again, Welcome and please keep us updated on your progress. Pictures are enjoyed by all.