Square Foot Gardening - Spacing List

This information comes from THE ESSENE SITE.  

In the following list, all spacings are according to Mel in SFG (chapter 18) unless otherwise indicated (Mel left a few out)!

 Basil: 1/sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)
Beans: bush-type 9/sqft; pole-type 8/sqft (see special grid)
Beets: 16/sqft
Broccoli: 1/sqft
Cabbage: 1/sqft
Carrots: 16/sqft
Cauliflower: 1/sqft
Celery: 4/sqft (6") (according to sqft reader Doreen Howard)
Chard(Swiss): 4/sqft
Corn: 1/sqft (revised in 2/96 OG to 4/sqft)
Cucumbers: 2/sqft in a row of 4 sqft (6" apart along middle of sqft row)
Daffodils: 36/sqft
Eggplant: 1/sqft
Garlic: 4/sqft (6") (according to several sqft readers. Some say 9/sqft (4"))
Leeks: 9/sqft (see special technique in 2/96 OG)
Lettuce: 4/sqft
Marjoram: 4/sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)
Muskmelons: 1/sqft (grow in row of 4 squares, on trellis)
Okra: 1-2/sqft (according to reader Sandra Walters)
Onions: 16/sqft
Oregano: 1/4sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)
Parsley: 4/sqft
Peas: 8/sqft (grow in row of 4 squares on trellis, see special grid)
Peppers: 1/sqft
Potatoes: 1/sqft (see special technique in 2/96 OG)
Radishes: 16/sqft
Savory: 1/sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)
Scallions: 36/sqft (2") (see special technique in 2/96 OG)
Spinach: 9/sqft
Squash, Summer: vine-type 3/4sqft (see special grid); bush-type 1/3sqft (see special grid) (see also Zucchini's revised spacing)
Squash, Winter: 1/2sqft (see special grid)
Sweet Potatoes: 2/sqft (according to sqft reader John Webster)
Thyme: 4/sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)
Tomatoes: bush-type: 4/4sqft (see special grid); vine-type 1/sqft (in row of 4 on trellis)
Watermelon: bush-type 1/sqft; vine-type 1/2sqft - both kinds along trellis
Zucchini: 1/sqft (Mel from 2/96 OG)

---

Here are some visual layout grids. The "*"s are where to put the plant or seed. Each table represents a single square foot unless otherwise indicated.12"x12" space (1 per square foot):

*

6"x6" space (4 per square foot):

*	*
*	*

4"x4" space (9 per square foot):

*	*	*
*	*	*
*	*	*

3"x3" space (16 per square foot):

*	*	*	*
*	*	*	*
*	*	*	*
*	*	*	*

pea/bean row space (1' x 4') (the *'s are the plants, the / are left empty):

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

Summer Squash (old method, vine-type): 1'x4' space (note each block below is 12" high by 16" wide):

*

*

*

Summer squash - bush-type: (3'x3') (the * is the squash, the x's are any other plants you desire in their appropriate spacing):

x	*
x
x
x	x	x	x

Winter Squash: 1'x4' space (note each block below is 1' high by 2' wide):

*

*

Tomatoes (vine-type): 1'x4' space :

*

*

*

*

GARLIC!

To be honest, I had given up the the store bought garlic I planted on 11/20/11.  But today when I went out to water the garden I saw that 5 of my garlic cloves have sprouted!  I am SO excited.  It took 14 days for it to sprout, and from what I've read it takes months for it to be ready to harvest, but I am stoked that it seems to be doing well so far.  I may wait one more week and then stick in some more random cloves here and there to make sure we have enough garlic to last us.

What I'm Planting - December 2011

Here's a rough layout of what I will be planting tomorrow.  I know space looks tight in my chart, but it is not to scale.  The green markings are existing plantings (planted in November).  The red markings are additions I am going to be making, based on the Vegetable Companion Chart.

Vegetable Companion Chart

Vegetable Companion Chart

Plant	Good Companions	Bad Companions
Basil	Pepper, Tomato, Marigold
Bush Beans	Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Lettuce, Pea, Radish, Strawberry, Savory, Tansy, Marigold	Onion
Pole Beans	Carrots, Corn Cucumber, Eggplant, Lettuce, Pea, Radish, Savory, Tansy	Beets, Onion
Beets	Bush Beans, Cabbage, Onion, Sage
Cabbage Family	Bush Beans, Beets, Celery, Onions, Tomato, All Strong Herbs, Marigold, Nasturtium	Strawberry
Carrots	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Lettuce, Onion, Peas, Radish, Tomato, Sage	Dill
Celery	Bush Beans, Cabbage, Onion, Spinach, Tomato
Corn	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Cucumber, Melons, Peas, Squash	Tomato
Cucumbers	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Corn, Lettuce, Onions, Peas, Radish, Marigold, Nasturtium, Savory	No Strong Herbs
Eggplant	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Spinach
Lettuce	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Cucumbers, Onion, Radish, Strawberries
Melons	Corn, Nasturtium, Radish
Onion	Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Cucumber, Lettuce, Pepper, Squash, Strawberries, Tomato, Savory	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Peas
Parsley	Tomato
Peas	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Corn Cucumber, Radish, Turnips	Onion
Pepper	Onion
Radish	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Cucumber, Lettuce, Melons, Peas, Squash	Hyssop
Spinach	Celery, Eggplant, Cauliflower
Squash	Corn, Onion, Radish
Strawberry	Bush Beans, Lettuce, Onion, Spinach	Cabbage
Tomato	Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Onion, Mint	Corn, Fennel

Chart Credit

New Plantings Today

Today we decided to re-pot the ghost pepper plant because it was root bound.  We bought a huge plastic bucket from Big Lots, drilled holes 3" from the bottom all around the pot, added soil and planted the ghost.  Hopefully this will provide adequate room for the roots to spread!

With a second bucket we bought we drilled the holes, added soil, and I planted 6 Swiss Chard seeds, which I will later thin to 3 plants.

I had 4 8" pots laying around, so I filled them with potting soil and planted Kohl Rabi in each one.  I've never had Kohl Rabi before, but have heard good things about it, and have wanted to try it.  I figured this was the easiest way to do so.

I felt like a murderer as I thinned my seedlings in the main bed.  It saddened my heart to pluck out the tiny babies I've nurtured these last weeks.  However, everything I've read online says you really do need to thin seedlings so they don't have to compete for water and nutrients, so I did it.  The only plants I didn't thin were the Mesclun.  I'm waiting until the greens get a bit bigger before I thin them so I can make a baby greens salad.  It made me feel a bit better for composting the tiny seedlings.  At least I know their nutrients will help provide a good future in the compost.

I've also decided to use the extra blue barrel as a potato grow bin.  We have an ABUNDANCE of pine needles here, so I'll try using them instead of purchasing straw.  They are more acidic, which the potatoes like anyway.  :)

UPDATE 12/2/11:  The transplanted ghost pepper plant seems to be loving it's new environment.  After a couple months of being seemingly dormant, we finally have more buds.  Since we purchased The Ghost last summer we've only gotten 2 peppers from the whole plant.  Hopefully we will get a big yield now.  

ONIONS!

When I went out to put my kitchen scraps in my compost bin this morning I noticed some tiny little onion sprouts peeking through the soil!  I've NEVER been able to get an onion seed to grow, so I'm VERY excited!  (Doing a happy dance while typing.)

I've got BEETS! Plus a garden update.

My family loves beets!  I've tried to grow them a couple times with NO success which is why I was quite surprised when I checked the garden this morning and saw my beets have sprouted!  Here's a photo journey of what's happening in my garden today.

The beets have sprouted in just 1 week!

Bibb Lettuce

Broccoli

Carrots in rows

Carrots

Cauliflower

Grand Rapids lettuce

Mesclun

Radishes all in a row

salad greens

spinach

test lettuce

more test lettuce

and more test lettuce

turnips