Despite the current recession during the Obama administration, there are still a handful of industries and products that are still doing well. Home gardening tops the list of industries thriving during hard economic times.
Just $50 of seeds and fertilizer can yield about $1500 worth of produce, which is a huge return on investment. Yes, of course it takes a little bit of time and effort, but if done wisely, it is not difficult, especially if utilizing the square foot gardening method. Besides, if you were recently laid off from work, it is a way to stay productive and still cut expenses.
Here is a big box style square foot garden that I recently completed in Arizona. Because of the dry, hot climate in area, this design allows the potential for a year-round garden. These boxes are 6 feet high (with 2 feet depth of planting), about 4 1/2 feet wide, 24 feet long. The approximate cost per box (excluding soil) is about $150.
The lumber per box is 2″x12″x8′ (12), 2″x12″x4′ (4), 4″x4″x6′ (8), 2″x4″x8′ (6), 2″x4″x4′ (4). To save on expenses, I bought the longer lumber (12 feet long) cut to needed lengths.
The native soil is horrible; it is sand (after all, Arizona is a desert). So with two feet depth, I used a combination of mulch, manure, vermiculite, spanghum peat moss, compost, and a bit of Miracle Gro.
With the box design, the top can be covered by a sun shade during the severe heat months of June, July, and August (when temperatures are above 110 degrees), and then can be covered top and sides with a thick clear plastic during the slightly cold months of December, January, and February in order to facilitate a greenhouse effect. In addition, planting tomatoes, cucumbers and other vining plants can be achieved by placing them on the side and droping a verticle rope from the top beam down to the bottom for the vines to climb.
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6 Responses to Big Box Square Foot Garden
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how is the garden going? i am gathering the ingredients and materials to setup my garden. out of curiosity, why did you go with 2 feet of soil? is it for heat retention/dissipation or simply because you wanted to go 2 feet?
1 foot of soil is sufficient, but having it 2 feet off the ground makes it easier to work with. You also have the plants closer to you so that you can check for bugs, disease, and other problems.
I really like this idea. Some folks here in Utah are using sq ft gardening, but this goes further. We have had a large garden for 19 yrs and it is a maintenance nightmare. I am building these this fall.
I like the concept and plan on doing the same this next year, what type of lumber did you use? It appears to pine, but could be cedar as well. Thank you
I used pine. Based on normal use for a garden, it should hold up for 3-5 years before having to be replaced.
After reading your article I thought about the lumber that you used and how fast it will deteriorate if it is pine …very fast. Most 2x lumber that you buy at a typical lumber store or one of the big box stores is either Douglas fir or larch, and lasts a little longer. I thought about pressure treated lumber and its chemicals. I did a search and found an interesting article you may want to post here. I personally would chose redwood or plastic PVC posts and maybe even plastic fencing rails for the dirt retention. I like all of your ideas and read here often. I also live in AZ San Tan Valley and recently move from St George UT. The soil and weather are about the same there. Keep up the good work.