This introduction to square foot gardening, or raised bed gardening, first appeared nearly two years ago here at Frugal Dad. I’ve republished with a few updates sprinkled in. With the weather warming up here in the south I’m itching to get started planting our vegetable garden, and plan to build a much larger on-the-ground square foot garden. Look for garden updates coming soon!

I recently discovered an interesting gardening method called square foot gardening, and decided we would give it a try here in the Frugal household. The founder of the concept, Mel Bartholomew, has a fantastic resource available in the book All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!

I’ve always thought the idea of growing your own vegetables in raised beds would be a lot of fun. Even if the cost savings are not significant, there are plenty of other benefits to starting your own garden.

Our first square foot garden box built in February 2008

Gardens appeal to self-sufficient, frugal types like me. While I won’t be able to fully feed my family of four with our mini-harvest, we will surely enjoy some fresh-picked vegetables to supplement our spring and summer meals. With any excess, we may even do a little canning. Gardening is also therapeutic in that provides something to look forward to, and is a great stress-reducing hobby.

One of the major challenges to gardening is our lack of quality soil, and frankly, hand-digging a gardening can be a lot of work. While I could rent or borrow a tiller to handle the job, I prefer the square foot gardening method in raised beds. Using this method, you control the soil content, and it doesn’t require any digging prior to planting.

What is a Raised Bed Garden?

The idea behind a raised bed garden is that you can plant fruits, vegetables and flowers in raised beds, above poor soil conditions. Seeds are planted in 1X1 square foot plots, and when harvested a new plant is installed in the square. Raised beds can sit directly on the ground, or include a bottom layer and be placed on patios, decks or porches. Because of a bad back, and a dog with a propensity to dig up our new plants, we decided to build a 4×2 foot table-top design.

Materials Needed to Set Up a Vegetable Garden

Material costs vary depending on factors like the size of garden you plan to build. For our first tabletop garden, we opted to build a 4ft. by 2ft. configuration because it fit the table we were planning to use. Most people typically start with a 4ft. by 4ft. design for their first square foot garden. I’ll share with you what materials I used, but keep in mind the pricing could be higher or lower depending on your local costs of lumber, soil, etc.

(1) Sheet untreated plywood – $0.00 (leftover scrap from a previous home improvement project)

(2) 2×6×8 pieces of untreated lumber – $7.38
Don’t get treated lumber because treatments can seep into the soil and contaminate your planting area.

(8) #8 x 3″ Wood Screws (or deck screws) – $2.94
Use these longer screws to connect the corners of the 2×6’s after cutting to the desired length.

(8) #6 x 1″ Wood Screws – $0.98
These were used to anchor the nylon line to create a grid system for the 1×1 planting plots. I also used a few to fasten the sheet of plywood to the 2×6’s to create a bottom to my container.

(1) Pack of Twisted Nylon Line – $4.43
I used this and the smaller screws to create a grid system on top of the container, in 1×1 square foot patterns.

(2) 2cu ft. bags of Miracle Grow Garden Soil (for flowers and vegetables) – $13.54
There were more frugal recipes here for soil, such as 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite. However, I could not find the ingredients packaged locally and the individual ingredients bought separately at the larger home improvement stores were more expensive the bags of Miracle Grow.

Update: This year I plan to visit a nursery and pick up the specific ingredients suggested in the book. The commercial, pre-packaged bags of soil still have too many fertilizers, etc. for my liking.

(10-pack) Strawberry plants – $3.98
(1) Burpee Seed Pack Super Sugar Snap Peas – $1.57
(1) Burpee Seed Pack Tomato, Early & Often Hybrid – $2.47
(1) Burpee Seed Pack Cucumber, Burpless Beauty – $1.88

Total Start-up Cost: $39.17

Building a Raised Bed Garden Box

It was my daughter’s idea to use popsicle sticks to mark the type of fruit or veggie planted. We will fill in the remaining squares after we eat another round of popsicles!

Since we decided to go with raised beds on a table top I checked the dimensions of the table and came up with a suitable size for our square foot gardening container. Four feet by two feet would allow for eight square foot plots for planting. First, cut the 8ft. long 2×6s down to size. Next, position the 2×6s on the table in a rectangular pattern, alternating corners to make the “inside box” dimensions four feet by two feet (I chose not to alternate corners because the table I was working with was only 45 inches wide, so I needed it to be a little narrower). Fasten the sides using the #8×3″ wood screws. If you have trouble with the wood trying to split you may want to first drill pilot holes.

Update: This year, instead of a tabletop design, we plan to build four 4×4 boxes to plant a variety of vegetables and flowers (for color and some marigolds to keep some insects away).

With the sides now fastened it is time to attach a bottom to the container, unless you are planning to put the raised bed directly on the ground. If this is the case, use some cardboard or weed blocking fabric to discourage grass and weeds from coming up through the soil. In my case, the container will be placed on a table top so I needed to attach a bottom to hold the soil in place. Fortunately, I had some untreated plywood I ripped to size. The bottom doesn’t have to be thick, so 1/4″, 3/8″ or 1/2″ plywood would do just fine. Fasten the bottom to the container using the #6×1″ wood screws (assuming you didn’t use 1″ plywood).

Update: With an on-the-ground design we will not place a “bottom” on the boxes. However, we do plan to put down some weed barrier (cardboard) to slow weeds from popping up in the box soil.

Plan for drainage by raising the box up a couple inches. I ripped a couple scraps from the remaining 2×6s and used them to attach four 2″ feet for each corner of the box. I also drilled a few 1/8″ thick drainage holes in the bottom of the box to allow standing water to flow out the bottom.

You can see our vegetable garden quickly outgrew the plots on the original 2′x4′ box

Create a grid system on top of the square foot gardening container using nylon line and #6×1″ screws, spaced a foot apart across the width and length of the container. Drill the screws about half way into the top of the 2×6s, leaving enough room to tie a knot of nylon line around the screw. If the end of the nylon line frays after cutting (as mine did), use a lighter to gently melt the ends to prevent further fraying.

Update: The nylon string help up pretty well, but got dirty quickly and wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing a some more elaborate lattice systems I’ve seen.

I’m not sure what to expect from this effort in terms of food yields, but just the process of building the box, filling it with dirt and planting seeds with my kids was worth the $40. If the small garden yields a few fruits and veggies during the spring and summer then all the better. Who knows, if we can cultivate a good crop we may build more boxes next summer and section off an area of the yard so the dog does not eat our produce.

I think over time it will help my kids understand the true value of things. Those strawberries don’t just wind up in the produce section of our local grocery stores. As I pointed out to my daughter today someone has to plant the seeds, water the plants, harvest the crops, clean the strawberries, package them, and transport them to a distributor.

I’d love to hear about your gardening plans this year in the comments below!

During the last year I have put my own health on the back burner as I focused on the health of my mother, who passed away in September at 54 after a long recovery attempt from a stroke. One thing I have a learned from her illness, and death, is that I need to take better care of myself. So, like millions of others planning their diet of choice in 2010, I have started planning for a healthier me.

Since I’ve always been a big guy, I’m familiar with all sorts of diet plans, training regimens-even the gimmicks. When I was younger, spending lots of money on gym memberships, bikes, creatine and other supplements, and high-quality food was pretty easy. Now that I have a family, and other mouths to feed, spending a lot of money on those same things seems like an expensive hobby more than an effort to improve my health. But, it seems the years of eating cheap and working (and sleeping) through planned workouts is catching up with me.

The Costs of Commercial Diet Plans

Looking at the various available diet plans through a frugal filter leaves few options. Most plans require you buy the plan’s food, or pay for a subscription to a website, or pay for group meetings, or counselors, or all of the above. This can add up quickly. For instance, take a look at the program fees for three of the more popular diet plans(as listed in the January 2010 edition of Smart Money magazine):

NutriSystem ($349/month)

I tried NutriSystem for a couple months, but found it to be very expensive. Not only did I have to pay for the food, I also had to buy additional food to eat along with the NutriSystem meals (salads, vegetables, etc.). A few of the meals were pretty good, but I found all the canned, “red” sauce foods to taste like they had nail shavings in them (very metallic). I became convinced Dan Marino was full of crap.

Weight Watchers ($69/month)

If I had to pick a commercial diet plan it would probably be Weight Watchers. I’ve attended a few meetings out of curiosity, and found their points system to be more tolerable than counting carbs or calories. I also like that they have a “do-it-yourself” web-based plan for those like me who would rather not attend weekly weigh-ins.

Jenny Craig ($380-$770/month)

I don’t know much about Jenny Craig, but from what I’ve read it is one of the more costly diet plans around. The plan costs include enrollment fees, one-on-one counseling, and of course, Jenny Craig branded food and other supplies.

*Medifast is offering $50 off any purchase of $275 or more now thru 1-31-10. Use Coupon Code: Jan31C when ordering.

The Frugal Diet Plan

Instead of shelling out over $6,000 on a diet plan next year, I started thinking about putting together my own plan by taking  some of the better ideas I’ve come across in the last couple years of blogging. These ideas cost very little, and in some cases actually save money.

Eat less to be lighter. Here’s a novel idea: eat less food to lose weight. It’s a concept that is simple when said out loud, but very difficult when parked in front of a buffet. This concept focuses less on what you eat, and instead how much you eat. This will definitely be an important element of the frugal diet plan I develop in 2010.

Eliminate “liquid calories.” Americans consume more than 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, and soft drinks make up about 1/3 of that amount (Bottom Line Personal Magazine December, 2009). Considering one 12-oz can of Coca Cola has about 8 teaspoons of sugar, I could eliminate significant calories and carbs simply by avoiding soft drinks. And considering we pay $1.25-$1.50 for each 2-liter bottle (plus my daily, 3:00pm trip to the vending machine at work) we could save a good bit of money over the next year.

Grow more of our own food. Last year we skipped the square foot garden and I really missed it, not only for the fresh vegetables right out of our backyard, but gardening is also therapeutic for me. I enjoy getting out of the house for a few minutes of peace and quiet. And when I am not interested in peace and quiet, I love letting the kids help!

Eat like a kid. No, not ice cream and gummy worms for breakfast, but in kid-sized portions. Eat off smaller plates.  Use smaller cups for juices and other drinks. The other day my son and I were finishing some Christmas shopping and had to grab a bite to eat on the run. I ordered him a fast food kids meal with fruit instead of fries. Instead of ordering the usual super-sized gut burger I always get, I decided just to double the kids meal order. I had a grilled chicken sandwich, fruit cup and water, all for many less calories (and a couple dollars) than I would have spent on an adult-sized meal.

Think like a caveman. My wife accuses me of this already, so perhaps I’m on the right track! Actually, what I’m referring to is making food choices based on the types of foods our ancestors ate. When humans first began roaming the earth, Oreo cookies and Mountain Dew were not staples of their diet. They eat things that came from the earth, not hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. In the coming months, I plan to eat more vegetables, fruits and nuts, just like the hunter/gatherers of the past. With the major exception being I’ll hunt and gather inside Kroger rather than a frozen tundra.

To review the highlights of my frugal diet plan, in 2010 I will eat less food, cut out soft drinks, and grow my own fruits and vegetables while eating like a kid and thinking like a caveman. Simple enough.

Photo by PicsmaKer

This year we are planning to expand our square foot garden, but the soil under the raised beds is so compacted I’m concerned no roots will grow beyond the soil in the beds.  I began shopping tillers and found a range of costs depending on the size and power of the machine.  I started considering the advantages of renting a machine, or maybe borrowing one from a friend.  That’s when I remembered my across-the-street neighbors recently tilled their entire side-yard to plant a large garden.  I bet I could borrow the tiller from him, or even pay him to till our planned garden area.

As I looked through my garage for another tool, it occurred to me I sure had accumulated a lot of stuff for once-a-year (or more infrequent) jobs.  For instance, I bought a 12-foot step ladder to paint the higher section of walls in our dining room last year.  I bought an expensive plumber’s/toilet snake to try to unclog our guest bathroom toilet, when it turned out to be one of my son’s toys hung up in the trap. And I nearly bought that new tiller.

Probably lots of examples out there where the advantages of renting or borrowing far outweigh buying outright.  Here are a few I came up with.

Specialized Tools

Just as my tiller would have been used once, cleaned and put away until the next spring, there are many tools we buy for one particular job and then it takes up space the remainder of the time.  Earlier this year I almost bought a paint sprayer to paint our privacy fence.  I’ve decided a brush or roller will work just fine, or I can borrow a sprayer from someone else.

Campers/RVs

One of our neighbors owns a gigantic RV with all the bells and whistles.  I’ve often wondered if it cost more than his house.  The funniest thing about it is it sits 95% of the year, save the one or two weeks they take it to a football game or a short camping trip.  Why not simply rent an RV or camping trailer for those rare occasions?

Vacation Homes

I suppose if I had tons of money a vacation home would be nice to have.  However, even the nicest second homes have their downside.  There are property management fees, and worries about having it rented to offset the costs (unless you can afford for it to sit empty), etc.  And of course it probably means your vacations will be to the same place every year.  That seems a little boring to me.

When renting a beach house, mountain cabin, or even a basic hotel room, I am not limited to a particular spot.  I can go to the mountains in the winter, the beach in the summer, and somewhere in between any time I want.  I pay for the nights I plan to stay and leave. No annual maintenance fees, association dues, property management costs, additional insurance, second mortgages, etc.

Movies, Games and Books

Netflix cornered the market with the idea of renting DVDs instead of buying.  We’ve all rushed out to buy a new DVD only to watch it once and let it add to our growing collection of never-watched movies.  I’m guilty of doing the same thing with games and books as well.  Why not sign up for a service like GameFly that lets you rent video games via mail and send them back when you are finished.  Why not check out a service like PaperbackSwap.com for books (or even the library).  If you find a game, movie, or book you really like, you might decide to buy a copy so you can enjoy it again and again.  But most people read, watch, and play things once and put it on the shelf to collect dust.

Trucks, SUVs, and Minivans

Ever heard someone justify buying a huge pickup truck so they can do something like haul gravel to their property to put down a new driveway, or tow their boat to the lake a couple times each summer?  How about the family of four who buys a huge, expensive minivan so they can take grandma and grandpa with them on their summer vacations. Guess what – it is possible to rent trucks and minivans, and the costs are usually much less than one monthly loan payment.

As a general rule, try to avoid falling into the trap of thinking that you must own one of everything to get the job done.  Sure, there are some costs associated with renting or borrowing equipment, but unless you plan to use something very often, chances are you will come out ahead by opting to rent it or borrow it from a neighbor rather than buying it outright.  And of course there are other hidden costs associated with owning more stuff.  You have to store it, protect it, insure it, and maintain it.  Renting it for a short time means when you are finished you transfer all those worries back to the owner, leaving your life (and garage) as uncluttered as possible.

Last year’s table-top design.  This year we’re going with several raised bed boxes.

This week I took a look at the 10-day forecast and it revealed temperatures hovering in the mid-sixties for highs, and lows safely above freezing.  That means it’s time to start thinking about gardening!  Last year we gave square foot gardening a try, and enjoyed some limited success.  This year we we plan to expand our plans from a simple tabletop design to a few raised beds directly on the ground.

So over the next couple weekends I’ll be building the 2×4 boxes, preparing the soil, and coming up with a way to keep our dog from trampling the garden (this might prove to be the hardest part!).  We’ve already picked up our seed packs and look forward to a summer crop of cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peas, carrots, strawberries, and a variety of peppers for homemade salsa.  I’ll keep you posted!

The Roundup

15 Graceful Ways to Say “No.” My first year of blogging I said yes to everything – every deal, every freelance opportunity, and ever PR pitch asking for a mention.  I did it in the interest of growing the blog, but quickly found out it is impossible to say yes to everyone, so I’ve become a bit more discriminating to protect my own schedule.

Severe Drought Adds to Hardships in California.  We were planning to expand our square foot garden this year anyway, but news of water rationing in California (which will lead to higher produce prices this summer) have reinforced these plans.

Cheap Meals and Easy Dinner Ideas: Recession Dining For Under $10.  My favorite part of this post was the “Meals from the Depression” cooking YouTube video with Clara, a 91 year-old grandmother who cooks recipes right in her kitchen.  Cool stuff!

Mortgage Rates Are Low, But It May Still Cost You. A good reminder that while rates are hovering near historic lows, there are still plenty of fees to contend with when navigating a new mortgage.

Job Search – FInd a Freelance Job.  Nice rundown of the places to land a side hustle; something more and more of us may be looking for as traditional employment continues to dry up in many major markets.

Save Money on Hotels.  Planning a spring break getaway soon? Here’s a collection of tips to save money on your next hotel stay.  We are not planning an extended trip any time soon, but do plan to squeeze in a long weekend with a short hotel stay somewhere in the mountains this spring.

A Walkthrough and Cost Breakdown of Brewing Your Own Beer. I was at the grocery store last night and they had a deal where you could pick any 6 bottled beers and make your variety six-pack for a special price. It was tempting, but having just read this article hours before I decided to pass and reconsider home brewing.

The Pursuit of Wealth For The Sake of Others.  One of my motivators to building wealth is that I can give some of it away.  Admittedly, I would also like to help family first, but if I can accumulate enough I have a long list of “Secret Santa” missions I’d like to participate in!

Should We Downsize?  We recently addressed this same question in a review of our 2009 goals (one of which was to downsize our house).  In the end, we decided to stay put for now, but it remains a long-term goal for us to reduce our mortgage, our utilities, and our stuff.

Consumer Reports 2009 Best New Car Picks.  Still hard for me to get used to the idea that new cars could be a better buy than used, but in this market it’s true.  Regardless, I still get a little sticker shock at these prices – a Lexus LS 460 will set you back $64,000 to $77,000…Ouch!

The Frugal Dog – The Cost of Dog Ownership.  Frugal pet owners everywhere will appreciate this one!  I’ve been a dog owner my whole life, and this list inventories some things even I had not thought about.

Quick Hits

• Bargain Babe is giving away two chances at winning a $25 Starbucks gift card just for signing up to her new blog, BargainBabe.com.  I’ve followed Julia since her times at the L.A. Daily News, and have found her new blog worth subscribing to, with or without the Starbucks card!

• Chasing Dollars Instead of Passion (video).  So many of us have this backwards, and once you’re headed in that direction, it is hard to turn things around. Are you chasing your passion?

• User Testing Provides Valuable Feedback.  WC shared an excellent guest post over at SideHustleBlogging.com.  If you run a blog or website, consider asking a spouse, a friend, or even an unbiased third-party to look over your site and solicit feedback.