Hello from Ontario!

I have been reading bits and pieces about square foot gardening since a friend introduced me to the idea. My father was a great gardener and I hope by using the square foot approach I can also have some success.

We have a backyard with limited sun so placing my garden where I get sun is my best option. I also want a raised bed because our ground is clay. No matter how much I work the ground it still is solid.

I am not sure where to begin so I am going to read a bit here (I love learning from those who are doing) and then the rest of the site. I know I should be doing something soon as spring is just arriving.

Helen aka the 15 minute mom.

helen -

so glad you found sfg forums! this is the easiest way ever to garden and will fit easily into your '15minutes'. *grin*

i am a mom of three young kids 6,4,1 and we started sfg last year as an experiment.

it ended up being the best experience ever!

so much so, we're doubling our garden this year.

the 'secret' is following the instructions for the mel's mix - which is 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 of at least 5 different composts.

if you spend the time, money and energy and do this, you will have dream gardens for as long as you wish to grow things!

very few weeds and when you see a weed, it's easy to pull. and you only focus on 12" square at a time which makes it very manageable. in less than 15 minutes i can tend to my entire current garden (40 squares at moment - i am only doing spring planting right now) - and i have swiss chard, kale, spinach (omg so good - we're harvesting 2-3 times/week right now on that!), carrots, arugula, carrots, garlic, brussel sprouts and peas.

it's truly a dream concept!

it's well worth it to buy the book actually - very few times am i led to buy books - i usually just borrow them from my library, bu this is a great purchase!

welcome again and feel free to share your questions, dreams, and desires for your garden in the main forum!

Howdy Helen:

Welcome to the family. You stated you have limited sun. As the season progress the shade cast by trees or other objects will move about your yard. You might consider building at least part of your SFG at Table Top height on a purpose built frame that has wheels mounted to it. With wheels mounted to the frame you can move the garden to the sunniest part of your yard all year long.

God Bless, Ward.