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Square foot gardening

kassie greenkassie green Posts: 55
in Fruit & veg

Hi all,

think i posted in the wrong forum earlier!

so! this is my second year of vegetable gardening. I had a fairly successful first year - so wish to get a 4ft by 4ft or similar small sized raised bed. I will divide it up into equal cells. I was hoping to plant a butternut squash and courgette at the back of it growing up trellis, and then have space for other plants such as carrots, lettuce, plum tomatoes etc. 

The raised bed is not that high around 13cm, is the height important?

Any information or guidance would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Kassie

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Posts

  • primrosecottageprimrosecottage Posts: 817

    Hi. Cassieimage. The April edition of GW has a really good blueprint for metre square veg bedimage worth a try and I think you could adapt it to suit. I'm not especially strapped for space but thinking of trying the idea of mixed veg bed to make the most of what I have.image Good luck image

     

  • OldtykeOldtyke Posts: 155

    I'm sure Alys Fowlers veg book had a plan.

     

  • iceice Posts: 332

    Hi Kassie

     

    i'm trying this too! i double dug my patch of ground then mixed in a bag of bought compost - my bed is similar height to yours. hoping to grow carrots parsnips peas and lettuce in mine. Ive done a fair bit of reasearch online regarding spacings etc. they think squash etc takes up quite e few squares butIm a newbie so would know.

     

    Will watch this with interest, mine currently has onion sets in it and dome raddish seeds - we will see what works

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    I find that two courgette plants more than fill a 4' x 4' raised bed.image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • kassie greenkassie green Posts: 55

    Ok thanks guys, maybe I will keep the squash and courgette seperate then? and go for a slightly smaller sized planter. The issue I have is only getting to it from 2 sides so being 4ft square i think is too deep? I was thinking 4ft x 2ft.

  • iceice Posts: 332
    You need to be able to reach across, mines 6 x 5 but I'm tall and can reach fine into the middle and can access all sides so a smaller one might be better or I've seen ones that are u shaped
  • primrosecottageprimrosecottage Posts: 817

    Sorry (C)Kassieimage  I'm sure it would work in two narrow beds . I grow my courgettes in a bottomless bucket which takes up about a foot square but on the edge of the bed so it spills out and not all over the bed because they are a bit of a thug image

  • kassie greenkassie green Posts: 55

    Ok, i have just bought one which is 4ft long and 2ft wide, so i can easily get to each square without difficulty. I might consider that primrosecottage. Thanks! 

    It will give me 8 squares which im pretty happy with to start out and try. Now to plan what i'm going to grow in each! 

  • kassie greenkassie green Posts: 55

    One last question, do i need to line the bed? Or can i leave it as it is just filled up with compost?

  • primrosecottageprimrosecottage Posts: 817

    I would be a little cautious of fully lining it because of drainage. As to the depth globe carrots should do fine (give spuds a missimage) 

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