Square foot garden
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A square foot garden is a method for creating high yield gardens invented by Mel Bartholomew with techniques shared in his 1981 book Square Foot Gardening. While some of his methods are counter to permaculture principles,[1] some of his techniques can be adopted.
An alternative to square foot gardening is biointensive agriculture.
Soil mixture
Square foot gardening is based on growing in a special mixture called Mel's Mix. The mixture is made from three parts of equal volume:[2]
- 1 part vermiculite, coarse grade, to retain water[3]
- 1 part peat moss or coconut coir to retain water and keep the soil loose, allow to fully decompress before measuring part
- 1 part compost, from five different sources, to provide nutrients to the plants
Only compost will need to be added to maintain the mix.