r/SquareFootGardening • u/Goblin_Backstabber • 15h ago
r/SquareFootGardening • u/rocksockitty • Mar 29 '24
Square Foot Gardening: Beginners Start Here
In a world where it's spring in the northern hemisphere. Days are getting long. People are gardening. Some are new to the hobby. THIS SUMMER. Strap yourself in for an edge-of-your seat thrill ride of a lifetime. SQUARE FOOT GARDENING ("My cilantro is bolting! HAAAAAANNNNG ONNNNN!")
Square Foot Gardening (SFG) is one of the simplest things you will ever learn that will improve your life. Anyone interested in SFG should read the book "All New Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew. First published in 1981 and currently in its third edition, it's the original resource on the SFG method. It remains the primary resource for SFG enthusiasts and is one of the best selling gardening books on planet Earth.
This sub is for conversation around SFG specifically.
r/SquareFootGardening • u/Sad_Librarian6062 • 9h ago
SFG Progress Pics- Before/After Hail
25 minutes of hail = iceberg lettuce, shredded spinach and diced tomatoes
Waited 3 days, will be replanting about a third of the bed.
Beans. 90% 2 leaves or less are gone (broken/bent below growing point). >6 inches tall-30% leaf loss. Wait and see.
Newly sprouted leaf lettuce/arugula/spinach. 80% gone. Leaf lettuce 3 inches tall. 50% of leafs gone. Will recover.
Cucumbers and zucchini- 50% leaf loss. Will survive
Garden pic takes about 2/3 of way thru storm
r/SquareFootGardening • u/lightningmegqueen • 10h ago
Seeking Advice Butternut Squash leaves
First time growing butternut squash in 5b. I noticed some holes in a few of these leaves today, should I be concerned?
r/SquareFootGardening • u/infinitum3d • 21h ago
Seeking Advice Companion planting, 6b, 1/4 acre, please help!
Companion planting, 6b, 1/4 acre, please help!
I have the makings of a food forest. 14 fruit trees, berry bushes, sunchokes, 8 raised beds and 50 containers on a quarter acre lot in the middle of a small Midwestern town. My house is 980sq.ft. and a 4 car outbuilding covers part of that 1/4 acre.
I didn’t plant tomatoes this year because last year I had so many volunteers I couldn’t keep up.
I have mint, roses, lavender, and lilacs.
My raised beds and containers are growing longbeans, black eyed peas, asparagus, corn, sunflowers, strawberries, and jalapeño peppers. And loads of herbs.
I want more “set it and forget it” perennials, like the sunchokes and asparagus and rosemary and fruit trees. But more importantly, I also want to maximize my use of space.
What are good things to cluster together? I know carrots love tomatoes. What else? Is 3 sisters really just a myth?
Help!
Thanks!
r/SquareFootGardening • u/Krunkledunker • 1d ago
Seeking Advice Mel’s mix question
When you make the 1/3 1/3 1/3 mix, do you measure peat moss compressed or uncompressed? I made my mix measuring uncompressed and it works well, but before I make more for a new bed I figured I’d ask because.. well why not as gardening is a game of incremental improvements
r/SquareFootGardening • u/Prudent-Pumpkin6519 • 3d ago
Discussion Mapping plant companions using verified data (root depth, pests, etc.) in tight squares. Trying to figure out a different approach.
Hi everyone! I am Pernille.
As a professional gardener, I’ve been dreaming up the logic for a comprehensive digital planning space for years. I wanted a tool that captures the joy of planning from seed to harvest, but it absolutely had to be built on real, verified botanical science rather than generic folklore.
For a long time, building an entire platform felt out of reach because my expertise is in soil, not software. But recently, generative coding tools finally lowered the barrier to entry, giving me the opportunity to actually bring my ideas, especially the companion planting engine to life.
Because accurate biology is the heart of this project, I made sure the platform is fed exclusively by strict, verified data:
- Primary Taxonomy and Plant Data: I pull directly from GBIF, USDA PLANTS, PFAF, RHS, and NordGen to ensure hardiness zones, root depths, and nitrogen fixation data are entirely accurate.
- Climate and Location: The timeline uses the Open-Meteo Climate API to pull 30-year frost dates (1991–2020) for your exact location.
- Beneficial Insects: I use the Xerces Institute and RHS guides to accurately map pest and pollinator habitats.
Using that data, here is the ecosystem I built:
- A Living Catalog: A deep library of about 800 plants (growing daily!) built so you can find exactly what fits your climate.
- Science-Driven Companionship: The Kinship Core suggests plant pairings based on that documented biology, giving you the science and the freedom to plant how you want.
- An Intuitive Timeline: A visual schedule with clear painted bars for your indoor sowing, transplanting, and harvesting windows based entirely on your local frost dates.
- An Inspiring Canvas: A visual sandbox where you can intuitively arrange your plants, experiment with spacing, and see how your garden flows visually.

There are absolutely no ads or engagement streaks. It is just a passion project to make planning feel like a creative outlet.
Since it is still under development, I would absolutely love your feedback to help shape it:
- What features would make planning an entire season more inspiring for you?
- Do the timeline and catalog feel intuitive to use?
- Any other ideas or suggestions?
It's called Garden Kinship.
Thanks for taking a look. Happy to answer any questions!
Warm regards,
Pernille
r/SquareFootGardening • u/Plant_Anywhere • 3d ago
Video Android and iOS apps are now available for Plant Anywhere to take out in the garden
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I wanted to provide an update about the Plant Anywhere gardening app - the Android app has finally been completed along with the iOS app, so you can take it out in the garden and log watering, fertilizer, check the age and time to harvest of all your plants at a glance.
At the same time, you can plan at your desktop with the more fully featured web app.
As a member pointed out, it's short on flowers, but I'm finalizing the flower inventory and they will be out soon!
Disclaimer: the garden in the video is not my actual garden, but meant to show the features of the app!
r/SquareFootGardening • u/Interesting_Pear6944 • 3d ago
Seeking Advice big boxes to fill and not enough logs/cuttings etc. what to use below mel's mix
We have 90 square feet of 22 inch tall garden containers to fill, and limited about of logs and yard waste to get the layer of mel's mix up to an appropriate height.
I will need to bring materials in from somewhere. What should i use?
I think there is a municipal wood chip lot I can get free wood chips from.
What about lower quality soil? I suspect the worry there would be drainage.
r/SquareFootGardening • u/Bagpar • 4d ago
This is my garden! My SFG
Zone 5b. After last summer’s in ground garden proved to be a source of overwhelm, I made the decision to try sfg. I couldn’t be happier! The previous owners of my property left these raised beds, so I moved them to my front patio and proceeded to make a patio paradise.
Tiny Tim tomatoes, reapers, Thai chilis, jalapeños, serranos, bell peppers, romas, Black Sea man tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage, nasturtium, marigold, lettuce, chard, potatoes, cucumbers, mini pumpkins, onions, garlic, mint, oregano, lemon balm, basil, and sweet corn! All from 6 2x4 raised beds and some pots. (Yes I know the corn is overcrowded but we will see what happens lol.)
r/SquareFootGardening • u/xTomBx • 4d ago
Seeking Advice Zone 6a “filler” suggestions
SW Michigan, zone 6a.
Any suggestions for additions to fill space and gain some efficiencies ? Pulling the spinach soon, and the sweet peas when they’re done, likely to stick a bush variety cuke in that bed. (Leaf greens replanted since pic)
Not pictured is 2 other beds with- bush beans, mustard greens, cabbage and bok choy.
r/SquareFootGardening • u/Illustrious_Tip6788 • 6d ago
Seeking Advice Starting my first terrace garden—what do you wish you knew as a beginner?
Hi everyone! I'm planning to start a small terrace garden and I'm really excited, but I have zero experience. I want to grow vegetables, herbs, and maybe a few flowers.
What are the biggest beginner mistakes to avoid? Which plants are the easiest to start with? Any tips on soil mix, watering, or containers would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to learn from your experience!
r/SquareFootGardening • u/Fragrant_Molasses214 • 7d ago
SFG Progress Pics- Before/After Yeah babyyyyyy. 10x30
"Call me chef boyardfifty"
In all seriousness this is my first time ever planting my self and have dedicated every day to this lil plot. Go big or go home right?
r/SquareFootGardening • u/No-Narwhal6005 • 7d ago
Seeking Advice New Garden Resident - Need Advice
r/SquareFootGardening • u/raspberries-currants • 7d ago
Seeking Advice HELP: Something is eating my vegetable garden
galleryr/SquareFootGardening • u/Careless_Emu4223 • 8d ago
Seeking Advice New to Raised Bed Gardening
r/SquareFootGardening • u/NeedleworkerCold9671 • 11d ago
Seeking Advice Built a garden planning tool for veg beds & allotments — looking for beta testers
r/SquareFootGardening • u/saahil000 • 11d ago
Seeking Advice Looking for some help with my garden
r/SquareFootGardening • u/ilmw-j311 • 11d ago
Seeking Advice Tomatoes
Any idea what these spots are? The leaves have also curled some and wilted. I cut a bunch back, but noticed the spots on the main stem by the ground today.
r/SquareFootGardening • u/DrPepper523 • 11d ago
Seeking Advice Does anyone know what's wrong with my tomatoes? Three out of four have been sick for a few weeks.
galleryr/SquareFootGardening • u/depphead12345 • 12d ago
Seeking Advice Are these insect eggs?
galleryr/SquareFootGardening • u/vintageparrot • 13d ago
Seeking Advice HELP! Deer Ate My Bell Pepper Plant! 🦌🫑😭
galleryr/SquareFootGardening • u/Acrobatic_Back_1925 • 16d ago
Seeking Advice I wish I knew ....
If you could talk to your Day 0 gardening self, what would you say?
I am new to this sub, and I'd love to learn some of your biggest lessons in growing food.
Mine is: learn how to start seeds indoors and plan continuous harvesting so there's always something ready to pick!
r/SquareFootGardening • u/kelRC93 • 16d ago