In a previous post, I finally got my Square Foot Garden box assembled. Now it’s time to drag the box outside and fill it up!
First, we had to measure out and mix up the composts (an essential part of the Square Foot Garden soil mix). I could find only three kinds locally (cotton, mushroom, and manure). I ordered 30 pounds of worm castings from Amazon.com as a fourth compost.
Needless to say, the twins couldn’t resist playing in the compost!
After my big, strong teenager helped me mix the composts (actually, I helped him — he did most of the work), it was time to add the peat moss and coarse vermiculite. I had an awful time trying to locate the vermiculite! But the Lord provided, as always.
It was dark outside by the time we got the soil components combined and the box filled. I had the kids soak the soil with the hose; I wanted the water in the soil mix to be warmed by the sun by the time we did our planting on the following day.
Square Foot Garden costs so far
- cow manure: $2.74
- mushroom compost: $3.47
- cotton compost: $3.65
- worm castings: $40
- peat moss: $11.00
- coarse vermiculite: $24.99
Total cost to make “Mel’s Mix,” the soil for our Square Foot Garden: $85.85. Eeeek! Add to that the cost to build our “box,” and our costs so far are $228.48 for a single 4-foot by 4-foot raised bed with a plywood bottom and soil. (I think I need to lie down for awhile.)
Is having a Square Foot Garden worth it?
To me, yes. We’re on a budget, but I’m willing to make this investment for our health, for my kids’ training, and to make our family a little more self-sufficient. Together, we will plan menus using our home-grown produce. We will learn to preserve what we don’t use right away by dehydrating, canning and freezing our garden bounty. My kids are learning valuable life skills, and I am giving them homeschool credit for learning them!
And it warms my heart to see us working together as a family. You should see my oldest son teaching skills to his younger brother! And I look forward to the mornings when my daughter and I water the garden together. Vegetable gardening has become another way for us to bond as a family.
I have a gift for you!
It’s nothing fancy, really. It’s just a collection of eight forms that you can use to plan and document your gardening efforts. Please accept it as a token of my appreciation for you following my gardening adventures. The forms are as follows:
- Seed Starting Schedule
- Garden Wish List
- Garden Notes
- Description of Plants
- Daily Outdoor Journal
- Future Garden Reference
- Garden Chore List
- Garden Contacts
Click the link to download: Garden Checklists (right-click, then choose “Save Link As”)
If you would like to share the forms with others, please do me the courtesy of directing them to this page to download the forms for themselves. Feel free to leave a comment below! And come back soon, because there is more to come in my Square Foot Garden Saga.
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