It’s time for something better than “Square Foot Gardening!” Do this instead#gardening #gardendesign

Square Foot Gardening has been the most popular gardening book since 1981. I think it's time to try something better. Square Foot Gardening teaches you to lay out your plants in squares. But plants don't grow in a square shape. They grow in a circle. That's why I use plates to lay out my garden. To make the most of every square inch, Square Foot Gardening randomly assigns all different types of plants throughout all the squares of the garden. But nature doesn't grow like that. Instead, the tallest fruiting plants should be in the center of the garden. Bushy or rooting plants should be in the middle, and then overflowing trailing greens and herbs should be on the exterior of the bed. This makes the garden easier to tend, more productive, and protects your garden from pests. Also, the soil mix in Square Foot Gardening is one third vermiculite and 1/3 peat moss, two very unsustainable resources. Instead, mix compost with topsoil, coarse sand, and earthworm castings. We owe the world to Square Foot Gardening and Mel Bartholomew because he got over 3 million of us to start gardening for the first time. But just like the garden, there's always room for growth.