[cadalot]

Thank you all so much for your insight, The book from ebay has not arrived yet and really its the spacing modules and guidance that I'm looking for, and like most of you I will be taking what I want from the system, as far as I can see the wood and string not essential.

With narrow 1.2m beds sowing in blocks is logical and I have weed membrane sheets with preformed holes to plant in for plants like cabbages where the suggested spacing in both directions is 450mm.

I now have a wolf narrow Cultiweeder which means I don't have to make rows the minimum width of my saddle hoe. I can see more block planting, I'm guessing I could take the rows and spacing work out the area and establish a true area that the plant needs. Ummm lets see what the book says and then I may do the math on various plants myself

[RJR_38]

I have edged beds in my plot and from the off set did a version of sfg without realising it and generally have very good yields. I like it as each small bed can be for one (or sometimes 2) crops and it makes crop rotation fairly easy. I also find it is easier to manage in less than ideal weather (eirher very wet or very dry) as I stay off the beds when it is wet and can really focus my watering when dry

[LotuSeed]

I think that most people with raised beds have to disregard the instructions on seeds packets as they are written for growing in open ground, and on a more traditional large scale garden in mind.  That said, naturally there aren't 3 feet between rows in the beds, as usually the beds themselves are spaced that far apart. SFG as the book is written and is touted is not a new invention. People have been doing it for a loooong time. I know I have good soil in my beds and I judge the spacing by how big I expect the plants to get. No need for a grid or counting seeds per square foot. It's just kind of how things naturally fall into place. 🌱

[compostqueen]

I planted Hispi and Samantha cabbages out yesterday. These are two very small cabbages, one a pointed type and the other a small savoy. Both really compact little varieties and perfect for square foot gardening. 

[cadalot]

Cabbages are one of my problems at the moment the back of packet says 450mm in both directions so I'm going with the layout below, which keeps the growth away from the debris netting and the Cabbage Whites. The wife likes green cabbage not tight small balls of cabbage that are white inside which would be better for closer cropping. Any suggestion for smaller spring green varieties welcome.

Compost Queen I grew Hispi last year and they ended up huge, I have never heard of Samantha I will have to Google

I created a single page reference chart in metric, and will laminate and leave on the allotment and more than likely never look at again  it's below in Adobe and jpg if you want it.

I now have the book and actually once you have the planting patterns, it's all very logical and I'm likely to apply the same vegetable in 1.2m rows and carve up my 2.4m long beds into half, 1/3 ish or quarters   

[Snoop]

I've been following this thread and have downloaded your pdf document. It looks very interesting but maybe I'm not interpreting it right:

If you have a cell 1200 mm by 600 mm, is the implication that you can grow four winter squash plants in that space?

I ask because last year I grew my winter squash in a single row in beds that are about 1 m wide, with plants spaced about 75 cm apart. This year I'll be trying to dig two new beds for melons and squash (to be sown direct) and am hoping each one will be about 3 m long by 1 m wide. It's all the room I have, so the more plants I can fit in, the happier I'll be. Muck and watering aren't a problem but space is. The beds will be in previously unworked land so there will be lots of weeds in the vicinity (which I'll try and keep down) but no other plants for cropping.

Edited to add:
On the hispi front,what spacing did you use? I planted mine 30 cm apart a couple of years back, but each cabbage was only good for two people (that said, we love cabbage so might eat bigger portion sizes than some people!).

[cadalot]

The area per Winter Squash he quotes is 600mm x 300mm but later in the book he shows a frame at the back for the squash to grow up, Now how practical that really is I have no idea, but he shows two 600wide by 300 deep cells side by side as they would grow up a frame.

They were as my hand drawn layout above 400mm apart and away from the edges of the bed and netting

[NewSteve]

I grow in blocks in raised beds, and I'm trying to follow a crop rotation (John's 5 year rotation FWIW). This is my second year, and I'm finding the fixed bed sizes cause a few problems with the rotation, e.g. I wish I had more space for brassicas, and I really shouldn't have sown winter spinach in this year's brassica bed. But you live and learn.

I don't think you need to use any special mix. By the time I'd double dug the beds and added compost & manure I had a decent height of soil above path level. As others have said, Mel's book is a great source of ideas but there's no need to follow it to the letter.

We may be moving in the next year or two, and I'll hopefully end up with a bit more land to play with. Not sure yet if I'll stick with the raised/deep beds or switch to rows. All that extra digging looks like hard work, but I do feel like I'm missing out on something. 

[3759allen]

i'm doing my callabris in blocks this year. i found last year that as they grew to different heights at different rates some of the plants would be swamped before getting going. they are also a little more open to the elements in singular rows (wind, sun, etc) where as in blocks they sort of support/ help each other.

i find weeding can easier in rows, but i suppose you tend to get more weeds in rows in the first place.

if your doing a whole bed/ patch in one variety (similar to commercial) rows are prob the way to go. but as most gardeners try different varieties and successional sow patches or blocks are more practical.

i guess you just have to weigh things up and work out what suits your area and crop best.

[LotuSeed]

The area per Winter Squash he quotes is 600mm x 300mm but later in the book he shows a frame at the back for the squash to grow up, Now how practical that really is I have no idea, but he shows two 600wide by 300 deep cells side by side as they would grow up a frame.

They were as my hand drawn layout above 400mm apart and away from the edges of the bed and netting

It looks like he has cattle panel as the "netting" for the frame, which should, in theory, be able to support the weight. Those green metal posts are probably driven fairly deep into the ground; they can support a lot of weight as well.

[Snoop]

For hispis, you could plant them at 30 cm each way, that way you'd get quite a few more in in three rows and they would probably be of a more suitable size for you. I notice on the web that some seed suppliers recommend 30 cm. Samantha spacing would be the same. Kristen a while back recommended Candid Charm as a small cauli. If you didn't want so many cabbages, you could maybe make the central row caulis.

The squash frames people have shown recently are all impressive. Looks like there are maybe four squash plants in the photo you post on this thread. I have the materials, I just can't quite imagine the plants coping with the weight, though they obviously do! Squash/cucs up a frame at the back of the bed and melons trailing at the front... It would save a bit of digging.

Thanks for posting this topic. Inspiring stuff.

[Beekissed]

Snoop, what is a hispis?  I've tried searching for that online but can't find anything on the word "hispis". 

[snowdrops]

Hispi cabbage 

[Beekissed]

No wonder I couldn't find it!     Never saw cabbage like that before...quite unusual! 

[snowdrops]

A really lovely cabbage,sweet & crisp.