Constructing a Square Foot Garden

How to make a Square Foot Garden

See the page Outline current page under construction

Materials needed

For the box

You will need the following pieces of wood as they are usually supplied, some cutting will need to be done to achieve the final dimensions. Some timber merchants will cut the pieces to the intended size for an extra charge per cut piece. Alternatively you could used recycled wood. We have tried to be environmentally friendly so have used

3 x 22 x 100 x 4800 mm Ungraded Carcassing Treated UC3 Class FSC (We are going to use a barrier of sheet plastic to line the box and on which we sit the box so the contact

with soil will be minimal so class UC4 is not needed here)

1 x 2400 x 100 x 100 mm Post Brown FSC

On this occasion the timber was supplied by a local firm originally called Pightle Builders Merchants, employing local people I know (always try to buy local) Buildbase. Other suppliers are available

The liner can be bought anywhere just Google plastic sheeting landscaping to find the various thickness and grades.

You will need one square 1200 x 1200 mm to act as a weed barrier underneath growing box.

You will need a strip that is 300 mm X approx 4000 mm to line the inside of the walls of the box.

For the soil we have three horizons

Lowest Level (or Horizon) Farm Yard Manure (FYM) based soil improver: We used 120 litres of Bord Na Mona FYM (this will decompose down as the year goes on)

Middle Level (or Horizon) Peat Free Multipupose Potting Compost. We used 80 litres of Field Peat Free made by Field (Compost) Ltd

Upper Level (or Horizon) Raised bed topsoil: We used Field Number 6 Peat Free Topsoil again made by (Field Compost) Ltd

The quantities being about 300 litres (the volume of the box) we bought locally from Sturmer Nurseries. Field (Compost) Ltd is also a local company, just 6 north of Haverhill so the microbes in the soil will definitely be suited to the local microclimate. Similar products will be available locally. In the UK soil is often transported over long distances for gardening purposes, we have tried to reduce the road miles by sourcing locally and using as far as possible peat free products.

The next step

Tools needed

Saw suitable to cut the wood

Measuring Tape

Electric Drill and suitable bit for screws you will use

Electric Screwdriver or drill with screw head bit

Square

Construction

Step 1

• Cut the pieces of wood so that from each 22 x 100 x 4800 mm planks you have 2 x 10444 or 1050 mm pieces and 2 x 1000 mm pieces, in to total you should have 12 pieces after cutting all three planks 6 that are 1050 mm long and 6 that are 1000mm long the overlap when fitted together protects the ends of the smaller pieces