The latest dirt...

 Well.....the latest dirt is that the square foot gardening has begun!  (The daffodils are up too!)  After we branded the first-calf heifers' calves, I took part of my afternoon and mixed the dirt for one of my square foot raised beds.  I had raised beds before, but this will be the first year I've used "Mel's Mix" and true square foot gardening methods.  I'm excited.

 Here's the dirt..... one part compost, one part vermiculite, one part peat moss.  The measurements are  by volume, not by weight.  Mix it well and we'll be on our way to growing beautiful gardens full of veggies and flowers. 

 The truth is that the initial investment in the soil stuffs is pretty spendy.  Vermiculite is about $16 per 2 cubic foot bag and the peat moss was $17 for a 2.2 cubic foot bag.  I had the compost --- sheep manure -- so that was free for me, but if you had to buy compost, there's another expenditure.    The thing is, this is all you ever have to do except to add in a shovelful of new compost to each square foot every year.  And as I understand, the bounty of this mix is well worth the investment in the long run.

Here's the dirt....all mixed together.  It's light, loamy, soft, and nutrient dense.  The vermiculite and peat moss will keep the soil light and allow it to retain moisture too.  That's another bonus to the soil mixture -- less watering, more moisture.  At this point in time, our water situation is not very good so I may only plant one box unless it rains and runs water between now and the first week of June.  Otherwise, I may be pouring my dishwater on the plants through the summer.  I've sure done that before.  I put a plastic tub in the kitchen sink and after I'm done washing dishes, I carry my tub outside and water the potted flowers and any other plants that need a drink. 

Now for some INSPIRatiON....

Reasons to Grow Healthy Food

I love the plantings in this particular square foot garden box.  It looks like tomatoes on each end and a cucumber vining up in the middle with lots of herbs filling out the front.  Artistic and beautiful!

 

Check out this table top herb garden.  This would look great on a patio, deck or rooftop.  Here are 10 Square Foot Gardening Ideas for you.  

 Grow Fruit & Veg in the UK forum

Aren't these red onions gorgeous?  I never thought of growing them in pots, but why not?  Do you use the square foot gardening method?  I'd love to hear about your garden ideas and successes.