Box Gardening by the Foot

By John Chapman

The basic box garden is 4ftx4ftx6inches deep giving 16 square feet. All other sizes are variations of the original 4ft by 4ft. Now my garden has 4x8ft boxes and 4x12ft boxes. Experience has shown that two feet is about as far and most people can comfortably reach so 4x4ft allows gardeners to reach in 2 feet from each side. When gardening along a wall or fence then 2 feet wide is most practical and any length that suits you such as 2x2, 2x3, 2x4, 2x5, 2x6 and etc.

  • 16 vegetable selections in 1 sq foot 4 ft by 4 ft grid
  • Natural soil is not as good as special soil. I like to use Miracle Grow Garden Soil. It is a little heavier than potting soil so the water travels sideways instead of fall straight through it. You will need (4) 2 cubic foot bags for a 4x4 box.
  • Vegetables grow very well in soil only six inches deep. I have proved it myself. Large plants like artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower grow just fine in only six inches of soil. In the case of carrots; plant short varieties like Nantes types, Danvers or Shantaneys. Potatoes, both white and sweet can be grown in a tower of old car tires.
  • 2-3 week staggered - sequential planting ensures harvesting as you need them. There is no need to plant in long rows where all the produce ripens and comes off at once. If you like cabbage, why plant the whole package of seeds at the same time; you can't eat 600 cabbages at once. Plant two seeds in one square foot (two seeds in case one fails to germinate - if both germinate snip out one plant) - two weeks later plant another cabbage and two weeks later plant another and etc. Plant 16 carrots in a square foot; and every three weeks 16 more so the harvest is staggered throughout the season. Plant only what you can eat at one harvest instead of all at once so that you have to give most of your produce away and none for the rest of the season. Experience will teach you what you need to plant more of; and what to plant less of.
  • Vine crops are grown on fences. Squash, cucumbers, melons are grown on a fence and not allowed to sprawl. Watermelons and cantaloupe are slung in cloth hammocks tied at each end to the fence.
  • Learn how to extend your harvest with frost protection of domes and tunnels.
  • Plant spacing of 1, 4, 9, 16 per square foot. 1 broccoli, 4 lettuce, 9 spinach, or 16 radishes. Etc.
  • Properly stored seeds will last many years. It isn't necessary to buy fresh seed each year. Plant just a pinch of seeds and store the rest. Refrigerate them in a wide mouth jar with the lid screwed down. Wrap the powdered milk in some tissue to collect any moisture inside the jar.
  • Details for growing most vegetables.
  • Waist high box gardens so you don't have to bend over or stoop down.
  • Tools needed for Box Gardening by the Foot hand trowel, scissors, pencil - NO ROTOTILLOR
  • Requires 80% less space
  • Takes 90% less water
  • Uses 95% less seeds
  • No thinning required
  • All hard work removed
  • No physical limitations
  • Children love to garden
  • Multiple times the harvest
  • Storing seeds that are not planted instead of planting the whole package and thinning out 75% of the germinated seedlings - stored seeds will keep for years
  • Putting a bottom on the box and supporting it on legs for a waist-high garden to avoid bending - over gardening
  • During cold weather, keep plants growing by making PVC pipe frame and cover with clear plastic for min-green house. 5 Gal buckets of water inside will act as solar water heater

Garden Magic Fertilizer

Garden Miracle Fertilizer combines the best features of soil-based gardening and hydroponic gardening, but without hydroponic expense! It's a complete, easy-to-follow plan that eliminates guesswork and ensures success anywhere: an apartment patio, a city yard, a country lot, or a farm. Unlike hydroponics, weekly feed fertilizing gives plants access to the soil for nutrients.

  • Fertilize weekly with essential minerals & traces elements. (1/3 of teaspoon per square foot). Hydroponic gardening does not use soil minerals and trace elements are provided for plants in a liquid solution. When essential minerals and trace elements are available, plants produce phenomenally regardless of the soil conditions.
  • Vine crops produce more abundantly when trained to grow vertically. Diseases and destructive insects are reduced in vertically growing vines. Melons are slung in cloth hammocks tied to trellis.
  • Transplants instead of seed saves 6-8 weeks. Germinate seeds in small cups and have transplants ready when squares are ready. You cannot transplant root crops like carrots and beets.
  • Pruning vine crops allows air circulation and increases yields many times over. Removing side shoots directs the plants energy into the growing tip instead of side branches increasing the yields even more.