From Rourke: This post was originally posted over at SeasonedCitizenPrepper.com. It can be seen HERE.
By Beverly Sandlin
For all of the hype about square foot gardening and raised beds, when two of my sisters, both avid and experienced gardeners (better than I am) stopped by last week, we had a little discussion and all decided that raised beds and square foot gardening is less productive and harder than the time tested standard row garden.
I can hear it already, “Heresy!”
So, here is why three sisters in Minnesota are going back to row gardening:
a. The raised beds dry out faster and hence need more water.
b. The raised beds aren’t high enough to stop the back breaking work of weeding.
c. The raised beds get just as weedy, if not more so after a few years of use, than regular in-ground beds.
d. With the intensive planting of a square foot garden, if you go on vacation for a few days at just the time the weeds are coming in, you can lose a whole crop of root vegetables (carrots, onions, radishes, etc.) because as you pull out the weeds the intensively planted fledgling veggies also come out.
e. Raised beds need tending at least 3 times a week. A standard row garden and you can get by with once a week weeding.
f. It is a lot easier to work a hoe between rows of plants while standing up than to sit and constantly be bent over weeding in a raised bed.
g. It seems to be actually easier to manage the fertility of the soil in a standard garden than in a raised bed – we don’t know why, we only know what is…
h. It is easier to water the whole garden than individual plants.
i. Intensive planting in small beds leads to more conflicts with companion planting.
j. Lots of paperwork recording when you planted what, where, how to plan rotations, companions, etc.
k. Expensive and time consuming to put in and get the right mix of soil in them.
All that said, what do we see is good about raised beds and square foot gardening?
a. Great for small areas where you don’t have room for a row garden.
b. Fewer tools and no rototiller or cultivator needed.
c. Good for wet areas.
d. They can be very attractive.
e. Great for someone who has the time and is obsessed with their garden – picking at it every day and never leaving home.
f. It is easier to build little mini-greenhouses over the beds thus extending the growing season.
So, what do we three sisters see that could work?
a. The original square foot gardens were in-ground – retains moisture and uses the soil that
is there.
b. Intensive planting and vertical growing can save a lot of space in a small garden plot.
c. It is easier to fertilize and water a small garden.
d. It is easier to fence a small garden and protect it from wildlife.
e. You only need a shovel to dig it and because you don’t step in it the soil doesn’t compact.
We three sisters from Minnesota,
think Mel got obsessed and made a good thing too hard and complex.
😀
I’m amending this article… First, an apology for perhaps being too blunt, geez a characteristic of an old woman perhaps? 🙂
But, I also got this private email that Phil said I could share...
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I’m so glad you wrote that article. I thought I was losing my mind when I decided SFG was more intensive than the time and energy I could give it. Of course, I have plenty of space, and hence tended to have too many SFG going which is a definite no-no if you’re not in the garden everyday, all day. Row gardening is much more laid back and easier for me to manage. That being said, I have a difficult time even keeping the rows tended now-a-days, and I do love the look of the square foots. They are pretty expensive to set up as well. I think they are a good solution for someone with limited space who just wants a couple of squares in the back yard.
Thanks Cindi! Me too! I’ve been messing with SFG for 20 years and just figured I MUST be doing something wrong… My two sisters coming over and all of us finally sharing our personal experiences and it just jelled – all the hype was just that HYPE.
I use shingles between my rows on the row gardening to keep down the weeds and not compact the soil so much. Then all I have to do is weed between the plants themselves. 🙂
Good idea. I’ve used cardboard, but that’s not too great. I’ll try shingles.
Cindi, thanks, I have been thinking about SFG, but it seems old ways work better. Bev, thanks for the idea bout shingles.
I miss my row garden, I grew up gardening that way and loved it – living in the south though raised beds really have worked well in my garden space. If I was in a mild climate though I’d probably go back to rows. I’m blessed with two growing seasons and using raised beds helps me organize my planting better. Great Post!
Carole at GardenUp green
Oh CM, don’t feel bad!
I’ve been trying SFG since Mel’s first book came out, what 20 years ago!
The first 2-3 years are WONDERFUL, and then reality sets in… WEEDS! I too thought it was all my fault! Give me credit for being tenacious; or STUPID!
Gardening is a new experience every year. I get it…
I too am keeping my SFG, but NOT depending on them. 🙂
I’m so glad it’s just not me! I thought I was going out of my mind, thinking I must be doing something wrong. The weeds are doing me in! I even took the soil out of the boxes this past spring and refilled them with the soil combo. I had newspaper and mulch put down between the rows and I still have a garden full of weeds! However, since my son and I made the boxes, I’m sure not going to get rid of them. I’m going to try a fall/winter garden using re-bar, PVC, zip ties and plastic. I’m going to put down the landscape fabric in the boxes and plant in the fabric. I hope it works!