DEEP-BED GARDENING:
The Square Plot method is ideal for deep-bed gardening which is having a resurgence and dates back to Chinese techniques of the distant past. French growers also practiced this method of double digging and not treading on the soil again. After a crop comes out of each plot dig the existing compost deep into the soil before spreading the new compost on top.
RAISING SEEDLINGS:
These days it’s certainly pays to raise your own seedlings to plant out rather than buying them. It’s quite a simple matter to purchase a seed-raising mix, fill plastic pottles, tamp down and sprinkle or preferably position the seed on the mix. Then cover with sieved mix so that the seeds are at a depth equal to their length.
Seeds need good aeration, water and the right temperature. Once they germinate they need plenty of light for sturdy growth. The earlier the seedling is planted in its permanent place the sooner it grows well and becomes established. When transplanting don’t hold by the stem but by the seed leaf.
Being an experimenter, I made a seed box under cover but at the height I could stand up and work easily without bending. I filled the box with sand which is kept slightly damp and I put the boxes and pottles of seedlings on top of the stand. It works well but is not a necessity.
CONCLUSION:
If I have wetted your interest, I hope that you will start with say three plots and I guarantee that you will eventually get hooked on Square Plot Gardening. Don’t stop there but continue to experiment with different types of vegetables, different types of manure and compost, and different planting times .
Monday, September 15, 2008
PLANTING
SUCCESSIONAL PLANTING:
Too often with the normal gardening method it’s either a feast or a famine. I found that planting once a month gives a good succession of available vegetables right throughout the year. Depending on your requirements you can sow and plant up to three plots a month.
SOWING ROOT CROPS:
As the compost is of open texture it pays to press it down firmly with the board before sowing small seeds like carrots. They take a little longer to germinate with the open texture but the process can be speeded up by covering with a layer of seed mix.
PLANNED CROPPING:
I like planning down to the last detail but when I asked my wife to predict how many cabbages, cauliflowers and lettuces etc. she required each month, I didn’t strike oil. So I had to experiment and after a while was able to judge approximately what our capacities were.
PLANTING & SOWING BY THE MOON:
Years ago I acquired a moon calendar produced by a nurseryman, Mr. Frank Crafts of Tauranga. He had kept records for over 30 years and discovered that plants grew better when planted during certain phases of the moon. I must admit I was skeptical but tried it out. Everything above the ground did very well but the root crops fared badly. I was ready to consign the chart to the rubbish bin when I discovered that I had miss-read the sowing of the root crops. They were not to be sown at the same time as the leafy crops and when I adhered strictly to the schedule, carrots and beetroot flourished. Since then I have read that there is a range of scientific literature dealing with the influence of solar and lunar cycles on the planting, growing and harvesting of crops. There are many different moon planting guides but the one I use is simple and seems to work for New Zealand conditions. All you need is a calendar showing the monthly phases of the moon. Go through each month and mark the periods for sowing and planting.
All Crops Above the Ground:
Locate the first quarter of the moon, colour it in plus the four days other side of that day. You then have nine days in which to sow and plant all crops which grow above the ground.
All Root Crops:
Locate the last quarter day. Ignore it but mark in the third and fourth day before and the third and fourth day after that date. You then have two periods of two days to sow, transplant or plant out root crops.
Too often with the normal gardening method it’s either a feast or a famine. I found that planting once a month gives a good succession of available vegetables right throughout the year. Depending on your requirements you can sow and plant up to three plots a month.
SOWING ROOT CROPS:
As the compost is of open texture it pays to press it down firmly with the board before sowing small seeds like carrots. They take a little longer to germinate with the open texture but the process can be speeded up by covering with a layer of seed mix.
PLANNED CROPPING:
I like planning down to the last detail but when I asked my wife to predict how many cabbages, cauliflowers and lettuces etc. she required each month, I didn’t strike oil. So I had to experiment and after a while was able to judge approximately what our capacities were.
PLANTING & SOWING BY THE MOON:
Years ago I acquired a moon calendar produced by a nurseryman, Mr. Frank Crafts of Tauranga. He had kept records for over 30 years and discovered that plants grew better when planted during certain phases of the moon. I must admit I was skeptical but tried it out. Everything above the ground did very well but the root crops fared badly. I was ready to consign the chart to the rubbish bin when I discovered that I had miss-read the sowing of the root crops. They were not to be sown at the same time as the leafy crops and when I adhered strictly to the schedule, carrots and beetroot flourished. Since then I have read that there is a range of scientific literature dealing with the influence of solar and lunar cycles on the planting, growing and harvesting of crops. There are many different moon planting guides but the one I use is simple and seems to work for New Zealand conditions. All you need is a calendar showing the monthly phases of the moon. Go through each month and mark the periods for sowing and planting.
All Crops Above the Ground:
Locate the first quarter of the moon, colour it in plus the four days other side of that day. You then have nine days in which to sow and plant all crops which grow above the ground.
All Root Crops:
Locate the last quarter day. Ignore it but mark in the third and fourth day before and the third and fourth day after that date. You then have two periods of two days to sow, transplant or plant out root crops.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
PLOT CONSTRUCTION
I purchased tanalized pine fence palings 150 mm. by 25 (or 30 mm.) and cut them into one and a half (1500 mm.) metre lengths. I butted them around to form a square, nailing with galvanised nails
It was a bit tricky to set the frames in place, to dig them in slightly until the soil came nearly half-way up the inside, to tamp the edges down to keep them firm, to line them up and level each frame. But in the end it worked out well.
The walkways around each plot are well below the soil in the plots and provide good drainage. I placed bark on the walkways. It's good to walk on.
Even if you only get this far you have a neat looking garden, requiring no digging, with ease of operation and the ability to rotate crops.
FRAMEWORK:
How to solve the problem of no spraying took me eighteen months of trials. I erected a framework of PVC piping over each plot and finally tried plastic sheeting which wasn't any good. Then I tried shadecloth but it was the wrong dimensions and too difficult to sew.
Later I found a green windbreak that was three metres wide and when cut square fitted over the framework ideally. A nylon cord threaded around the bottom with the corners tucked in front and back and tied tightly around the centre of the timber kept the slugs and snails out as well as the butterflies.
The frame to hold the netting consists of white PVC pressure pipe 15 mm. in diameter and comes in six metre lengths.
It's best to make three plots at a time as for each plot you require two cross-pieces of two metres each and four uprights of one metre each. For three plots you need four 6-metre lengths of 15 mm. piping from your nearest plumbing supplies. From these you can cut six lengths of two metres and 12 at one metre with nothing left over. Cut the flanges off the end of the piping and reduce the two metre lengths slightly to compensate.
You also require 12-15mm. elbows to join the cross bits on the uprights.
Finally purchase about two metres of 20 mm. pressure piping and cut into twelve 150 mm. lengths (enough for three plots.)
These need to be drilled through halfway down and nailed into each corner so that the uprights can slot in and rest on the nails.
The height of the uprights should be adjusted so that the nylon cord at the bottom of the netting fits snugly and tightly around the outside of the wooden frame about midway up the boards.
It was a bit tricky to set the frames in place, to dig them in slightly until the soil came nearly half-way up the inside, to tamp the edges down to keep them firm, to line them up and level each frame. But in the end it worked out well.
The walkways around each plot are well below the soil in the plots and provide good drainage. I placed bark on the walkways. It's good to walk on.
Even if you only get this far you have a neat looking garden, requiring no digging, with ease of operation and the ability to rotate crops.
FRAMEWORK:
How to solve the problem of no spraying took me eighteen months of trials. I erected a framework of PVC piping over each plot and finally tried plastic sheeting which wasn't any good. Then I tried shadecloth but it was the wrong dimensions and too difficult to sew.
Later I found a green windbreak that was three metres wide and when cut square fitted over the framework ideally. A nylon cord threaded around the bottom with the corners tucked in front and back and tied tightly around the centre of the timber kept the slugs and snails out as well as the butterflies.
The frame to hold the netting consists of white PVC pressure pipe 15 mm. in diameter and comes in six metre lengths.
It's best to make three plots at a time as for each plot you require two cross-pieces of two metres each and four uprights of one metre each. For three plots you need four 6-metre lengths of 15 mm. piping from your nearest plumbing supplies. From these you can cut six lengths of two metres and 12 at one metre with nothing left over. Cut the flanges off the end of the piping and reduce the two metre lengths slightly to compensate.
You also require 12-15mm. elbows to join the cross bits on the uprights.
Finally purchase about two metres of 20 mm. pressure piping and cut into twelve 150 mm. lengths (enough for three plots.)
These need to be drilled through halfway down and nailed into each corner so that the uprights can slot in and rest on the nails.
The height of the uprights should be adjusted so that the nylon cord at the bottom of the netting fits snugly and tightly around the outside of the wooden frame about midway up the boards.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
GROUND PREPARATION
You may have an existing, traditional garden that can be easily converted to the Square Plot system. I totally cleared the existing garden, measured out the area I required then rotary-hoed to a depth of about 25 centimetres. After raking thoroughly I measured out where each plot would be, then dug out the walkways to a slightly lower level. I then placed black polythene sheeting on the walkways to end 10 centimetres in to each side of the plot. This keeps any weeds getting under the frames.
If you want to start from scratch and convert part of your lawn to garden you could place your frames as you want them straight on the lawn. Then inside each frame build up the following layers on top of the grass:
1. A number of layers of newspaper spread flat to the height of one to two centimetres, well soaked with water.
2. A selection of organic manure, blood and bone etc. mixed with friable earth or potting mix to a depth of five or six centimetres.
3. Make or buy compost to bring the height nearly up to the top of the frame.
The first crop may be planted straight into the compost and after it has been harvested the "no dig" garden is ready for the second crop merely by adding more compost on top.
If you want to start from scratch and convert part of your lawn to garden you could place your frames as you want them straight on the lawn. Then inside each frame build up the following layers on top of the grass:
1. A number of layers of newspaper spread flat to the height of one to two centimetres, well soaked with water.
2. A selection of organic manure, blood and bone etc. mixed with friable earth or potting mix to a depth of five or six centimetres.
3. Make or buy compost to bring the height nearly up to the top of the frame.
The first crop may be planted straight into the compost and after it has been harvested the "no dig" garden is ready for the second crop merely by adding more compost on top.
PLANNING OUT YOUR SQUARE PLOT GARDEN
Try and position the plots in a sunny place preferably to get the morning sun. I decided on twelve plots one and a half metres square with walkways of 400 millimetres around each plot.
These walkways give ready access to all sides of every plot enabling easy planting, sowing and harvesting. Therefore no digging required.
Three of these plots I kept permanent, one for herbs and rhubarb, one for runner beans and one for asparagus.
Because of available space you will need to modify the number of plots to suit your area. A smaller sized family could easily do with half the number of plots so long as there was a continuity of planting as soon as one plot became vacant.
If you are a real enthusiast then set up a planning white-board in your workshop with a diagram of each numbered plot and plan your planting schedule using a water-soluble felt-tipped pen.
These walkways give ready access to all sides of every plot enabling easy planting, sowing and harvesting. Therefore no digging required.
Three of these plots I kept permanent, one for herbs and rhubarb, one for runner beans and one for asparagus.
Because of available space you will need to modify the number of plots to suit your area. A smaller sized family could easily do with half the number of plots so long as there was a continuity of planting as soon as one plot became vacant.
If you are a real enthusiast then set up a planning white-board in your workshop with a diagram of each numbered plot and plan your planting schedule using a water-soluble felt-tipped pen.
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