Comments on: Square Foot Gardening Roundup

By: Mama Leche

Mama Leche — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:52:01 +0000

Hey Frugal Dad,

Thanks for sharing about your experience with SFG. We’re getting a late start on it ourselves this year, but are planning to do a lot of tomatoes with our first box. This year we’ll be using transplants from the local farmer’s market. Next year we’ll start with seeds. You mentioned in your initial article that you realized heat plastic bottles = not good slow drip irrigation. Have you discovered an alternative method?

Also, I wanted to share that your hunch about the California drought is right… at least for us! We live in Northern California and LOVE the produce, but expect the costs to be really high this year. Therefore, we want to grow our own, especially heirloom tomatoes.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences!

By: RyansDad

RyansDad — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:14:20 +0000

I just started my first real garden with vegetables and flowers, starting from seeds-I have planted many flowerbeds before, starting with plants.I mainly have started this years seeds in containers. However, I did do one small raised bed. I do like the look of your square foot gardening picture–wishing I had tried that too!

By: Adam

Adam — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 06:51:05 +0000

Hey FD, can’t wait for the updates on your SFG. I’m starting one at my college house and am ready for some 2009 inspiration!

By: Hugh

Hugh — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:14:32 +0000

Hi,
A local old-timer makes 10 inch high concrete planks with holes and threaded rods so they simply bolt together, and never rot nor poison the soil. We have 4×8 foot beds and 4×4 foot also. In the smaller squares we added uprights on four corners (2x2s), braced their tops, and added mesh-wire on two opposite sides where our cucumbers and peas climb.
On the long beds we thrust foot-long sections of steel rebar into the soil along the side boards sticking up several inch; black poly-pipe tubing is cut to length and slid down over the rebar to make half-circle arcs over the bed. They can support clear poly-ethelene for little greenhouses, or shade-cloth in hot weather to shelter lettuce and tender green. 2-inch sections of the poly-tubing, slit along their length, can be pressed over the hoops and their covers to secure it. Some folks also use Ramey cloth (like gauze) to keep out flying insects–ought to work on animals also. Good Gardening!

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:37:33 +0000

Keep us updated on this…especially ideas on how to keep the dog from trampling the bed…we have three (big) dogs and I am trying to come up with ideas for that myself.

Also, at Home Depot you can buy wood leftover pieces for really cheap. They are from when people get the things they are purchasing cut to length in the store, the scraps stay behind. You can pick them up for pennies, and they will even cut them for you for free!

By: Sharon

Sharon — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:58:37 +0000

Love this idea, and hope to do the same for my deck (to keep small and large animals from eating it!)

By: Madeline

Madeline — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:22:59 +0000

unsubcribe me to this post..thanks

By: Kris

Kris — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:01:22 +0000

Can you explain your cost breakdown when you stated that in this market a new car is better than a used car? w/all of the markdowns I still did not think it matched the depreciation of the car within the first 2 – 3 years. We are in the market for a new car and continuously find safe and reliable cars with bell and whistles for $17000, 2yrs old, under 25000miles. Buy the same car new add $10000. I must be seeing it differently.

Also were you being sarcastic talking about a Lexus? Hardly frugal if you were serious…

By: almost there

almost there — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:09:20 +0000

Thanks for the cost of dog link.Not mentioned is emergency vet care. My lab and I were just attacked by a pit bull. Vet bill for 1st visit almost $500. Don’t know what my ER visit will cost.I will carry from now on.

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:44:21 +0000

For those living in New York City area, there will be a GreenThumb Seed Giveaway on March 31st. You can pick up vegetable, fruit, flower, and herb seeds for your garden group. You can also sign up for soil, compost, and clean-fill. This workshop will be held in the GreenThumb office at 49 Chambers Street, room 1020. Please bring ID to enter the building.

I thought you would like to know about this.