Getting Started - Late March

My daughter Katie and I, with lots of help from my grandson, Jake (9 yrs. old), started a square foot garden last year.  After setting up six 4 ft. x 4 ft. beds, we planted tons of food.  By the middle of the summer, the tomatos and tomatillos weight pulled down the stakes and fencing we used.

This year, we're going vertical!  We still have the six 4 x 4 beds, but we've put together 13 strong vertical frames, made from 1/2 inch electrical conduit, held in place with 1/2 inch rebar. We're using nylon netting and plan on taking everything vertical that will grow up!  That includes tomatoes, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, pole beans,  zucchini, small mellons and cantalopes.

Here's the garden with all of the frames up.  We're still working on getting the netting tied in place.  We're hoping that we can cram a lot of vegetables into the garden if we prune, and grow many of the veggies up instead of out.

I started planting seeds that are recommended for starting inside very early - March 18.  I know that it's way too early, but I'm anxious and am hopeful that I can give these plants a head start.  Between a few florescent lights inside and a small greenhouse out back, I'll try to keep the veggies growing until I decide to plant outside in the Square Foot Garden (SFG).  The normal date for these parts is May 20, but I'll probably plant earlier than that.  Another perk of these small raised beds is that I can easily cover the whole garden with 3 tarps, so we should be able to plant early and cover the veggies if there are any late frosts.

In addition to the SFG, Katie, Jacob and I have a few hanging baskets and 5 or 6 pots each that we're going to use for herbs.  Hopefully, that will give us enough garden space to feed both families with fresh veggies over the summer, can, dry and freeze some of this wonderful food, and have enough to give away to family and friends.

Here's my side of the back of the house...

And here's Katie and Jake's side...

I hope to blog weekly, with lots of pics of how we're progressing.  This should help us keep track of what works and what doesn't.  I'm excited about gardening.  The SFG idea lets us use only about 20% of the space a regular garden would.  And after the initial set up, there is virtually NO weeding.  Just pruning and watering.  I may add a rain barrel to help make this a more environmentally friendly garden.