It's really not hard to set up a Square Foot Garden with these helpful hints.

Many people love square foot gardening because they can get so much beauty from a small space. You can build a square foot garden following an exact square foot layout, or you can garden using a square foot layout and put a few square feet together to make a larger space for vegetables and other larger plants.

It will be necessary for you to build or buy boxes that sit above the ground for your square foot garden. If you are using more than one box, space them 3 apart so you can walk in between them. You dont want to ever step inside the box and damage your plants. Place your boxes in an area that gets 6 - 8 hours of sunshine daily, and it should sit somewhere close to the house so you can water often. Because you are working with small spaces, you may have to water more often than you do your larger garden.

The soil mixture should consist of 1/3 part compost, 1/3 part peat moss and 1/3 coarse vermiculite.

Even though it may appear that your garden is a bunch of rows, it's actually arranged in squares, which can make some people think they have done it wrong. First, lay out your garden in 4 by 4 areas, then make a square foot grid on the top and start separating them into 1 sections.

Depending on what you like to eat, or view, you can mix flowers, vegetables, or herbs in each square foot. It doesnt hurt to mix the plants, as they will each be planted in their own square foot space. You should plant only 2 or 3 seeds per hole; it doesnt take much to make a beautiful garden.

When you water, use a bucket of sun-warmed water and water gently by hand. The seeds are very delicate at first, and you dont want to just spray them with a hose and send them flying all over the place.

After everything is growing, you can sit back and enjoy it. At harvest time enjoy the fruits of your labor, or the beauty of your garden, and then when everything is done blooming and growing, add fresh compost and replant new crops.

SquareFoot Gardens do not always have to be exactly square. You can get creative and add a little flair by using an Octagon shape, or even round (although round is going to be harder to work with). When your plants are young, it might be a good idea to add some small garden art pieces so you have something beautiful to look at while your seedlings are sprouting Its up to you whether you leave the art in as the plants grow. Some people find that when their flowers start to bloom, they like to see the natural look and will take the garden art out. Others just enjoy the beauty of it all.

When you have a beautiful (and hopefully edible) garden growing, you can enjoy it for years to come!