84pagirl
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25' square garden plot

Any ideas on how to get the most out of a 25 ' square plot? so far I have a strawberry pyramid in the middle and I am planting a row of purple passion asparagus today.
Last edited by 84pagirl on Mon Apr 19, 2010 11:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

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hendi_alex
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A five foot by five foot plot is a perfect size for one planting area that would be used in 'Sqare Foot Gardening'. Conceptualize the area as consisting of 25 one foot squares. Then plant using spacings from sqare foot gardening or other intensive planting spacing guide. If the plants vary in height by very much, place the taller items in the back of the bed, so that they do not shade the shorter plants. If I were limited to 25 suare feet, then I would likely stick to smaller plants: lettuce, spinach, herbs, radishes, maybe a couple of bell pepper plants in the back, and maybe a couple of miniature salad tomato plants.

Here is a link to a spacing guide, but a simple search will give several variations:
https://www.essene.com/Vegetarian/PlantSpacingsInASquareFootGarden.htm

Here is a link to M.B.'s Square Foot Gardening:
[url=https://www.amazon.com/All-New-Square-Foot-Gardening/dp/1591862027/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=thehelpfulgar-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325]https://www.amazon.com/All-New-Square-Foot-Gardening/dp/1591862027/[/url]

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gixxerific
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You could use the "Square foot gardening method".

But it would be more helpful to you and us if we knew what you wanted to plant. What is most important to you?

84pagirl
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:lol: thanks I am planting asparagus today and have a strawberry pyramid in the middle. then I want to plant peas, beasn zucchini. cukes up the fence and purple pole beans. there is an offset I made into a raised bed for leafy veggies. I am going to try french fingerling potatoes in pots outside the garden....thank god its spring!!!

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hendi_alex
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Just re-read your title, and noted "25 foot square" rather than 25 square foot. The square foot gardening method is still great for such a space. I would grid the plot into perhaps 4 foot by 5 foot planting beds, with adequate walk between. Maybe put down one by four boards or other edging material to define the various spaces. As an alternative, place a barrier over walk areas and mulch over them. Do the same for the perimeter. That will do a good job of defining the planting areas. You should be able to get between 12-15 planting beds. Block each off with a square foot plan, and then plan what you will plant, once again keeping in mind the direction of the sun and the height of various plants to be included.

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hendi_alex
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When deciding on crops and their location, keep succession planting in mind. When the peas finish, what goes in next? Also, for the pole beans, if you have a great climbing area then pole beans would be a good choice. I believe that several succession plantings of bush beans gives a bigger harvest and is a lot less trouble. You can buy virtually any bean variety as either climbing (pole) or bush.

Also, be sure and give some thought to the fact that you are dedicating part of the garden to perennials, strawberries and asparagus. The asparagus will get huge, 4-5 feet tall and fairly wide as well. The strawberry plants will be sending out runners all over the place and will have to be maintained. From my experience, I would prefer to have these two items planted in their own dedicated space, and outside of the annual garden beds.

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gixxerific
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I agree with the strawberries in it's own bed. Although mine after 3 years are finally doing something. My neighbor behind me has roughly a 25 square foot bed that has be 100% taken over by his strawberries.

Just a thought.


Same with the asparagus they are perennials and should be in their own bed as well. Doing this will allow you to change up the layout of your vegetable bed without disturbing the asparagus.

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Ozark Lady
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You can manage the strawberry runners, by simply placing small pots underneath them, let them take root, then this fall, sever the youngster from the adult, and either pot grow it in a hanging basket for next year, or move it to a new location. I do this, and often give away the babies to family who want a start of them. Seems they start better this way for us, since they are already acclimatted to the area.

If you do decide to pot grow it next year, remember the pot grown will require different care, more winter protection and more watering.

Many vegetables are quite lovely to grow, and you can grow them as houseplants or along the foundation.

I would suggest that you read: Jeff Ball's 60 minute garden. He gives clear directions for building beds, and even charts of when to start seedlings, and the quantity of seedlings. It really was my primer on figuring spacing and how many plants I could grow, and even succession planning and planting. I can't do it in the 60 minutes that he does, but I do like the book in many other respects.

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hendi_alex
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Last year I did as you said, and placed pots under runners to allow the runners to root there. Probably started 50-100 plants. Problem is, what to do with the other 50,000 runners? I just couldn't stay ahead of them. ended up pulling all plants back out of the beds this fall and winter, renovating the beds, and then replanting the berries, but with less plants per 4 x 4 planting block. Hopefully they will be more manageable this year.



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