It’s been 2 months now since we decided to try our hands at building a raised bed vegetable garden. Now that we’ve had a chance to give the plants a little time to grow, I thought it about time to post an update on our progress.
How To Square Foot Garden – Updated
I’ve tried my hand at small scale gardening in the past, but never very seriously. In the past, I’ve chucked in some mulch and tilled that into a small plot of soil. Then we would add some plants and let them go. Inevitably, after the first 4 – 6 weeks, we would get busy with other work around the house, and the garden, such as it was, was left to fend for itself.
The advantages of square foot gardening, particularly with a raised bed, have started to become apparent. With this garden, we’ve given more attention to the project, and at this point, the garden has remained essentially weed-free. I can honestly say that the Mel’s mix recipe that we used has probably helped with that. Aside from pulling up a few weeds by hand, we’ve spent virtually no time weeding, and haven’t used a hoe at all. I also bought a longer garden hose, and during weeks that rain has been sparse, I’ve pulled the hose out and soaked the garden well, watering at the root level of the plants. So, the advantages in terms of care have been apparent.
In terms of plant growth and yield, our original raised bed garden plan started plants from seeds in a tabletop greenhouse. The plants were transplanted to the garden after 3 weeks. That didn’t work out so well for us. Essentially, everything died after 3 weeks. So much for my green thumb.
After another week, we bought some starter plants. These came in the form of a variety of peppers. We also tried putting out cucumber seeds, corn, lettuce, and canteloupe. A large number of these seeds have sprouted and started coming up nicely. Yesterday, I picked the first Anaheim pepper and used it in a salad. So, we’re starting to see some small fruits of our labor.
Just this week, my wife made the kind observation that although the plants are living, they’re not really thriving. Unfortunately, I have to agree. Although I have applied fertilizer, it was 10-10-10, with about two weeks between applications. Although this spurred some growth, the plants just put on some quick growth and then it ended.
So yesterday, I purchased a box of Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food. I mixed it with water, adding 5 tablespoons of mix to a 5-gallon bucket, and applied the fertilizer at the base of the plants in our little garden. We’ll see how this affects their growth. Hopefully, the next time I report in, things are looking a little better.
One little addition you may have noticed in the upper right quadrant is a pair of strawberry plants. Hopefully, next year our gardening project may expand a bit and we’ll end up turning this garden into a strawberry patch. That would be pretty neat, as my youngest goes through strawberries like I drink water!
