Lately, when I go to the store to buy groceries, I have been coming out shell-shocked at my grocery receipt, sure that the clerk must have overcharged me and forgot to discount my sale items. However, to my chagrin I find that it is indeed the correct total. As the economy began to sour, and my checking account becoming anorexic, I started to find ways to cut unnecessary expenses and supplement where I could. A couple of years ago, my husband and I decided that we wanted to grow a garden. We hauled wheelbarrows of rocks out of the side yard, and rented a tiller to prepare the ground. After a long hot day, and sore muscles we finished the yard. We planted some tomatoes, and corn in hopes of enjoying a good bounty. However, after a couple of weeks, the weeds came, and our little fantasy became a harsh reality, when those wicked weeds began to take over our little garden. With four kids, jobs, and other activities it seemed there was no time to weed and take care of the garden. When we did have the time, the kids whined (we did as well) about having to spend our Saturday morning weeding. Needless to say the garden was a bust, and I decided that I would stick to picking veggies in the grocery aisle. However, one day, I stumbled upon a book by Mel Bartholomew entitled Square Foot Gardening. I was immediately intrigued by the front cover. It features the author standing in front of a 4X4 wooden box full of lush veggies and flowers and best of all. Inside the front, he talks about how using his system, he could guarantee a healthy, easy garden. I was sold on the word easy. I decided to buy the book. It ended up being the best $15.00 I have ever spent. I went home and read the book. I decided to try it. After my last escapade, my husband wasn’t convinced that it was going to work, so I bribed my 12 year old son to help me build the boxes. It was surprisingly easier than I imagined. I would need to build the outside frames from wood. This was a fear for me, because I have no wood working skills whatsoever. I barely knew what a skill saw was, much less use one. I had brief videos running through my mind, of my family wheeling me into the emergency room after slicing my hand off with the skill saw. I was happy to find out that my local home store would cut the 2X4 frames there at the store. Mel suggests using 4’X4’ frames, but we built ours to be 4’X6’ to fit our yard. My son and I built two boxes in one Saturday morning. Anyone with any carpenter knowledge could probably finish them in an hour. After finishing the frames, we laid down landscaping fabric. Mel explains that if you do this, it will prevent the vicious weed attack that we had experienced earlier. We then combined equal 1/3’s of compost, vermiculite, and peat moss. We filled the beds, and then added a grid made of fur strips, that were 12”X12” squares over the top of the beds. Once the beds were finished we were ready to plant. We have had our beds now for three years, and because we live in Tempe, AZ, have been able to plant all year long. I have been so happy with the two, I eventually added two more. We have grown peppers, tomatoes, beans, squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, flowers, and many other yummy vegetables. The only complaint I had was the initial cost of building these is rather expensive, but coming from an original tight wad I can honestly say it has well been worth the money and it has recouped ten fold.I went back to the store and bought over 10 books as gifts for family and friends, because I knew it would help them too. After seeing my success, several of them have taken advantage of this method of gardening. In fact, because of this, gardening and horticulture has become a passion for me. I not only love the results of a bounteous harvest and beautiful flower, I have found that it has been therapeutic for me. It also has given me the opportunity to teach my children, and neighborhood children about various subjects. For instance, my boys have been coming in with different varieties of bugs they have discovered, and they have had so much fun finding out what kind of bug it is and whether it is good for our garden or bad. Besides, I know that what my children are eating from my garden is healthy, and is completely organic and safe. As a matter of fact I laughed a little when I have been picking lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes from my garden and still enjoying them last June, when they were pulled by the FDA for salmonella contamination. Square foot gardens are also great, because they can be built anywhere, and maintained by just about by anyone. My friend, Robyn built 2’X8’ beds along the narrow side of her house, and has grown an amazing amount of things. Now she is an avid gardener, and has expressed her appreciation for the fresh strawberries and lettuce she has pulled from her garden. Interestingly enough, the side of her house, used to be a place to store extra junk, and now it has become a peaceful, relaxing space. Another friend, Eileen built hers right on her back patio! She has very little space, and even less ground, but was able to incorporate this idea to work for her. I could go on and on about many others that have been successful with this. One last thing I want to mention is that while Mel Bartholomew while does sale the books and other things, he primarily does it for educational reasons. If you would like more detailed steps on building a square foot garden, an instructional page is included on his website are free, as well as some other beneficial gardening tips. His website is http://www.squarefootgardening.com. With the economy getting tougher and tougher, as well as questionable horticultural practices, it is hard for me to understand why anyone would not want to do this. It is easy and fun.
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