Below and on the following pages are examples of how you might lay out a square foot garden. Obviously not all vegetables can be crowded into a single square. Some of these are included and we've shown how they might be worked into the garden.
Some vegetables will require more space, but this doesn't exclude them from a square foot garden. In fact, their inclusion can stimulate the growth of other garden plants, as well as adding to the aesthetic value of your garden.
Vegetables that require a square of their own include Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Okra, Tomatoes, Peppers.
Vegetables that do well when planted four per square include certain varieties of lettuce-- not types like "Iceburg," which produce large compact heads, but loose leaf varieties like Butterhead and Romaine. etc.
Other plants that require ony a quarter of a 1-foot square include Spinach, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Leeks and Parsley.
Now we begin to get into the real square foot garden stuff-- the plants and their spacings that led to revolutionary and productive methods of backyard farming.
Other plants that require ony a quarter of a 1-foot square include Bush Beans, Leeks, Spinach, Mustard Greens, Anise.
Here the fun begins! It is when you plant your first 9 or 16-plant squares that you really be begin to see the potential of a square foot garden. Coincidentally, many of the plants that do well when crowded into a 1-foot square are fast producers. Continual harvest are possible with several vegetables.
Plants that thrive when planted at 16 per 1-foot square include Radishes, Green Onions, Celery, Carrots and Beets.
There will always be vegetables you want that seemingly wouldn't fit into a garden of this sort. But you can still plant them at the garden's perimeter, as long as they don't prevent direct sunlight from reaching the other plants. In the image above, you can see how you might plant Snap Peas (on a trellis) or Corn in a short row. The Plot 3 image shows how a large plant like Summer Squash or Zuccini might fit in.
Large plants that can be worked into a square foot garden include Peas or Melons (a trellis spanning four squares) Corn, Cucumbers and Pole Beans.
