Why Choose Square Foot Gardening
• Uses less space than traditional row gardening
• Fewer weeds due to growing plants close together
• Less water waste
• Raised beds for ease of use
• Better soil control
How to Create a Square Foot Garden
• Choose a sunny location (6-8 hours sunlight daily), good drainage, and easy access to water
• Choose the size of your square foot garden. You want to be able to reach the center from all sides without stepping into the bed. For example, 4 feet x 4 feet, 6-12 inches deep.
• Materials: cedar boards, untreated pine, concreate block, metal raised be kits.
• Simple soil mix: 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss (or coconut coir), 1/3 vermiculite
• Create the grid: For a 4’ x 4’ bed, divide the surface of the bed into sixteen 1-foot squares using string, thin strips of wood, twine, or pvc.
• Mulch well after planting
Plant According to Spacing and Season
• Sow seeds or plant transplants
Plants Per Square Examples
1 plant: Tomato (vine), pepper, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, kale, okra, strawberries, potatoes, oregano
2 plants: Cucumbers, winter squash
4 plants: Lettuce, basil, corn, fennel, garlic, shallots, Swiss chard, parsley, cilantro
9 plants: Beans (bush or pole), spinach, beets, celery, bok choy, mustard, onion bulbs, peas, turnips
16 plants: Radishes, carrots, green onion, leeks, parsnip
1 plant per 4 square feet: Bush tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and melons
Trellis recommended for cucumbers, pole beans, peas, small melons
Easy Beginner Layout for a 4’x4′ Bed
• 1 tomato
• 4 basil
• 4 lettuce
• 16 radishes
• 1 pepper
• 9 bush beans
• 16 carrots
• 16 green onions
• 2 cucumbers
• 9 spinach
• 4 Swiss chard
• 4 marigolds
• 8 pole beans
• 9 beets
• 4 cilantro
• 4 parsley
Tallest plants (tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans) should go on the north side of the bed so they do not shade shorter crops.
Easy Seasonal Swaps for North Texas
Spring
Lettuce
Spinach
Radishes
Carrots
Peas
Summer
Peppers
Tomatoes
Basil
Okra
Bush beans
Fall
Broccoli
Kale
Lettuce
Carrots
Beets
Crop Rotations and Cover Crops
Crop rotation helps keep your soil healthy, reduces pests and diseases, and improves plant growth. Do not grow the same plant family in the same square year after year.
Simple Crop Rotation Groups
Nightshade Family
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Potatoes
Legumes (improve nitrogen)
Beans
Peas
Root Crops
Carrots
Radishes
Beets
Turnips
Leafy Greens
Lettuce
Spinach
Kale
Swiss chard
Rotation Example
Year 1 Square 1 = Tomatoes
Year 2 Square 1 = Bush Beans
Year 3 Square 1 = Carrots
Year 4 Square 1 = Lettuce
Cover Crops
When the growing season is over and you do not want to leave the soil fallow (left unplanted) try planting cover crops to improve soil heath, reduce erosion, add organic matter, and improve soil fertility.
- Clover, Winter Rye, Cowpeas
