Lesson Idea | Square Foot Salad Garden

In many school and home landscapes, growing space is limited; therefore, maximizing every inch of soil to its fullest is essential. Teaching students how to design gardens that use space and resources efficiently provides them with valuable life-long skills and a unique understanding of plant needs. In this lesson, students will explore the principles of square foot gardening while also practicing math skills and learning foundational science concepts.

Objectives

Students will:
- Learn the basic principles behind square foot gardening
- Investigate and consider plant needs for healthy growth
- Practice design and math skills.

Materials

- Pots
- Potting soil
- Seeds for fast-growing plants like basil or lettuce
- Clipboard
- Paper
- Pencils
- Seed packets or access to printed or digital seed catalogs
- Square Food Salad Garden Student Worksheets

Background Information

The concept of Square Foot Gardening was introduced by Mel Bartholomew in his book titled Square Foot Gardening, first published in 1981. Noting that traditional gardens planted in parallel rows created unused soil space that typically received water but more often than not became a battle with weeds, he encouraged gardeners to divide planting space into adjoining squares measuring 1’ x 1’ and populate them with a diversity of crops rather than single crops. Benefits of this planting technique included:

- Obtaining a larger harvest in the same-sized garden plot
- Decreasing bare soil resulting in fewer weeds to pull
- Shading the soil, keeping it cooler, and conserving moisture
- Encouraging the planting of a diversity of plant species

The Square Food Gardening Foundation estimates that compared to row-style gardening, square foot gardening costs 50% less, uses 20% less space, uses 10% of the water row-style does, and requires just 2% of the work.

To plant successful square foot gardens, gardeners must carefully consider plant needs when designing and making variety selections. All plants need light, water, air, nutrients, and enough room to grow. Their growth and health will be impacted if they do not meet any of these needs.

For further information, please visit KidsGardening website.