How does she plan it?

After years of working in non-profit organization and attending the neighborhood gardening workshops, I learned a thing or two. Plus, I'm an avid reader who likes to give the words on the page a reality check.  So here's two things I learned:

1. Newspaper mulch suppresses weeds and

2. squarefoot gardening allows you to grow more in a small space.

I took these two ideas and put them together and what did I get?  Squarefoot newspaper mulching!

Here's an example.  Take some of the newspaper that lacks any pretty pictures or bright colors.  You just want the black and white facts of the news paper. Cut that newspaper in a  1 foot by 1 foot square.  You could make several of these 1 foot by 1 foot or  you could make them bigger.

Now here's where you have to put your thinking cap on. If Mel tells you that 16 carrot seeds can go in 1 square foot then you must fold that paper so that you get 16 squares.

Take the square foot newspaper, fold it in half, fold the half in half and keep folding until when you unfold it you get 16 squares.  It seems like this is hard, but it really isn't.  If I get out my web cam, I can show you this, but for right now just fold til you get 16 squares.

In each of those 16 square, 1 carrot can grow.  Make a whole in each center square or just poke one whole in the  folded newspaper.You might want to put a couple in the square just to be sure that the seed sprouts. Listen to Mel, he knows what he's talking about.

So what I am doing here is using the newspaper to mark the square foot instead of using the string and wood to mark off the square foot in the garden.  I don't know if it is more accurate or not. I just know that this works for me.

I plan for the Spring, Summer  and Fall. I've thought hard about doing winter, but I just haven't had the heart to farm in the winter.  Maybe this year?  Who knows?

So I have a plan where I use the technique I just told you about and add in some crop rotation. It may seem like a lot of work but this is urban farming and it is serious. So here's my plan:

Spring

Summer and Fall

So remember, people don't plan to fail ,but they do fail to plan. Plan it. Do it! But don't do it  because I said so, do it because it's hip!