Square Foot Garden - The Beginning

In early March, we built a couple of square foot gardens based on Mel Bartholomew's books and system. We decided on two beds: one is 8' x 4', and the other is 6' x 4'. The original plan called for just one raised bed, but as with most things gardening, some just wasn't enough. Construction was easy enough using untreated lumber, L-brackets, and outdoor wood screws. The bottoms are lined with black landscaping fabric. For the dirt mix, we followed "Mel's Mix" in the beds pretty closely. There is about a one-third portion of each of the following: perlite or vermiculite (we did one kind in each bed), peat moss, and a compost/manure mixture.

Both beds around a week after planting: The first bed contains radishes, bell and jalapeno peppers, cabbage, okra, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, red and yellow onions, and watermelon. The marigolds are for show and some pest resistance (allegedly):
The second bed contains more peppers, tomatoes, squash, and onions. There is some color added with snapdragons, osteospurmum, and petunias:
Overall, some cold snaps and downright nasty weather have been a pain. A stack of blankets stood at the ready for month of March for a couple of impromptu coverings. Some 30 degree nights loom yet, but hopefully the stunted production is over!