Square Foot Garden Update: June 23, 2010

Sometimes, it pays to follow instructions as put forth. Well, not just sometimes, it would behoove you to go ahead and do the way you're instructed pretty much all the time...especially where the Square Foot Gardening method is concerned.


I had this 'super-bright' idea on building trellis system for less money than the one detailed in Mel Bartholomew's book. My idea involved using 2x2s and when I built my test of concept structure...it proved to be none to sturdy. Without at least three foot long 2x4 studs to support it, I'm afraid it would come down in the first big wind while loaded down with produce. So, I'm gonna go with the more expensive pipes and rebar plan he details in his book.


The top-most photo in this post is of what I ended up doing instead of trellis building today, I transplanted my Watermelon and Cantaloupe that were in danger of becoming root-bound in their peat pellets.


The first 4x4 garden is coming along nicely, though it still looks a little bare since none of my other seedlings (the ones that I haven't managed to kill) are big enough to be transplanted yet. Six of the sixteen squares remain empty.





I may breakdown and get some plants from a local greenhouse or at the tailgate market in town. All but one of my heirloom peppers have died, and the one that is left is on life support after a severe mauling by slugs while it was on my porch, as can be seen in this photo:





On the good side, I did build something useful yesterday. A squirrel feeder. I used an eight foot long 2x2 and attached a foot-long piece of 2x4 to the top with a deck screw and put an upward facing deck screw in the 2x4 to put corn on. The materials cost less than $5 and took less than 15 minutes to build and install. I put it right outside my office window so I could enjoy the squirrels while I worked...and to entice them away from the bird feeder. So far, they have treated the corn as an addition to their diet and have continued visiting the bird feeder. LOL.