The 100 Square Foot Garden Getting the Most Out of Your Small Vegetable Garden Mary Anne Normile, Pam Hosimer, Erica Smith and Sandra Sundstrom (Design)

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Our Vision: A healthier world through environmental stewardship. Our Mission: To support the University of Maryland Extension mission by educating residents about safe, effective & sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, & communities. 3

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Road Map Small-scale intensive gardening: What? Why? Techniques 100 Square Foot Gardens By Master Gardeners On a Hill GROW100--the 100 Square Foot Garden Challenge 5 ©2012 Pam Hosimer

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7 "The purpose of gardening intensively is to harvest the most produce possible from a given space." -- Virginia Cooperative Extension factsheet, “Intensive Gardening Methods,” 2009

Small-scale refers to the limited gardening space available to many urban/suburban gardeners. ©2012 Pam Hosimer 8

Photo by Sam Korper 2011 (detail) Small-scale intensive gardening looks like this… 9

Or this… ©2012 Pam Hosimer 10

But not this… ©2013 Pam Hosimer 11

Why small-scale intensive gardening? To save space To save time New gardener—start small Make use of odd-sized spaces Limit costs  Intensive vegetable gardening makes the most of your available resources. ©2012 Pam Hosimer 12

Beds, not rows Close planting Vertical planting Interplanting Containers Succession planting Use suitable varieties Good soil Intensive Gardening Techniques 13

Plant in beds, not rows Row gardening a holdover from agriculture Large unplanted areas are inefficient Bare soil an invitation to weeds Soil compaction in paths ©2013 Pam Hosimer 14

Plant in beds, not rows With raised beds, you control the soil Better drainage, warms sooner in spring Work in bed without stepping in it Less soil compaction Wide rows another variation Colorado State University Extension 15

Close planting Plant tightly—no wasted space Leafy canopy reduces soil moisture loss Keeps weeds down, moderates soil temperature Plant yield may be lower, but yield per square foot is higher How close? Photo by Erica Smith 16

Close spacing-- illustration Rows with traditional spacingSame area with intensive spacing 17

Vertical planting-grow up! Stakes, trellises, cages can support plants Peas, pole beans, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, squash can be grown vertically Saves space on garden floor Photo by Melissa Smith 18

Vertical planting Photo by Bob Nixon Photo by Erica Smith 19

Interplanting—mix it up! Plant fast- and slow- growing plants together Tall plants shade heat- sensitive plants Alternate rows of plants in bed Mix plants within a bed Photo by (used with permission) 20

Container planting Plant where the sun is Grow food on patio, porch, balcony, rooftop Use space-saving varieties Barrels, planters, tubs, pots, wading pools … Use your imagination!! Photo by Sam Korper

Succession planting Have something growing throughout the season After harvesting one crop, replant space Cool season  warm season  cool season plants Requires some planning! Photo: (used with permission) 22

23 Succession planting- example

High-yielding crops Compact, small-space varieties “Cut-and-come-again” greens Economic value: grow crops that are expensive to buy in store Choose your varieties ©2013 Pam Hosimer 24

Less efficient use of space: Long-vining crops: melons, pumpkins, winter squash Large heads: cabbage, cauliflower High-yielding: Tomatoes Peppers Onions Eggplant Beans Cucumbers Summer squash Lettuce and greens Choose your varieties 25

Importance of soil Soil preparation the key to successful intensive gardening Deep fertile soil high in organic matter Holds nutrients and moisture Plants better resist pests and disease Replace nutrients used by intensive growing Photo by M. Tulottes, Wikimedia Commons 26

27 The Master Gardeners’ 100 Square Foot Garden Photo by Lauren Greenberger

Design of the Garden N 28

Design of the Garden-SPRING 29

Design of the Garden-SUMMER 30

Design of the Garden-FALL 31

Laying out 100 Square Feet Photo by Mary Anne Normile 32

Spring bed a few weeks later… Photo by Darlene Nicholson 33

Intensive techniques… Succession planting (fall garden follows summer) Container garden Vertical gardening Interplanting Photo by Erica SmithPhoto by Melissa Smith 34

…yielded big rewards! The garden produced over 170 pounds of produce from 100 square feet Vegetables and herbs donated to Manna food center Photo by Mary Anne Normile 35

36 The 100 Square Foot Garden On a Hill ©2013 Pam Hosimer

Design of the garden Garden Plan- 100 square feet of vegetable garden using six raised beds and two containers Vegetables in center of each bed Perennials on either end of each bed 37 ©2013 Pam Hosimer

Close planting in beds Tomato transplants in May……staked in a bed… ©2013 Pam Hosimer 38

…are ready to harvest in August! ©2013 Pam Hosimer 39

40 Vertical Planting-an A-frame Maximize your growing space by growing on both sides of an A-frame structure. ©2013 Pam Hosimer

Vertical Planting-an A-frame Pickle cucumbers climb… …and take over their support ©2013 Pam Hosimer 41

Pallet gardens filled with herbs and annuals ©2013 Pam Hosimer 42

Vertical Planting-Trellis Set up the trellis in May… …plant beans close together… ©2013 Pam Hosimer 43

44 …harvest in September ©2013 Pam Hosimer

45 Interplanting Mix it up in your beds by planting perennials, like Phlox (right) and Helenium (left), next to vegetables like these hot pepper plants. ©2013 Pam Hosimer It helps attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.

Container Planting Sturdy patio tomatoes……grow robustly in a pot ©2013 Pam Hosimer 46

square feet can yield big rewards … 7 tomato varieties 4 pepper varieties Cucumbers Carrots 3 bean varieties Asparagus Chard Peas Zucchini yellow squash 15 herb varieties potatoes ©2013 Pam Hosimer

This 100 Square Foot garden yielded a whopping 167 pounds of produce in this small economical space. …and look beautiful too! ©2013 Pam Hosimer 48

What Can YOU Grow in 100 Square Feet? 49

OPEN to all gardeners Tell us about progress in your garden Tweet - to #grow100 Post - on the GIEI Facebook page 50

Keep it small Register online at: grow100-challenge-sign-form grow100-challenge-sign-form Pick a theme: New to Gardening 4-Rs Garden – reduce, re-use,recycle,re-think Maximum Production 51

Judging will not be scientific Three update periods: April 16 - June 15 June 16 - August 15 August 16 - October 15 Prizes will be awarded Resources available online 52

53 ©2012 Pam Hosimer

Resources Grow It! Eat It! – We have all types of practical food gardening tips and information. Check out our popular blog! Home and Garden Information Center – Here you will find factsheets, photos, and videos. You can also subscribe to the free monthly e-newsletter. – We answer gardening questions 24/7…just click “Ask Maryland’s Garden Experts” Maryland Master Gardener Program – Consider becoming a trained MG volunteer!

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