Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
I love to garden. But growing a garden is hard work. Think of all of the digging, and the tilling, and the pulling. Just talking about it makes my back sore.
But if you ask Mel Bartholomew, creator of Square Foot Gardening, it doesn't have to be that way. Mel guarantees 100 percent of your normal harvest using only 20 percent of the space and 20 percent of the water! And the best part: no digging, tilling or pulling weeds.
You see, straight row gardens waste a lot of space with their stretched out rows and gaping aisles. The gardener can't get to the crops without stepping on the soil and packing it hard. Worst of all, there's no end to the weeds that sprout, one after another.
The solution is to plant a square foot garden. It begins with a box at least 6 inches deep and small enough that one can reach into the middle of it from all sides. The box can be raised to waist level to avoid having to bend over or for those in wheelchairs. The box is filled with one-third compost, one-third peat moss and one-third coarse vermiculite. It's the perfect soil: one without weeds, but rich with nutrients. Next, a grid is placed over the box that divides the soil into square foot sections where the different crops will grow. After harvesting one of the squares, the gardener simply mixes in a trowel of compost and the square is ready for a different crop. It's more efficient than planting in rows, and a trellis can still be used for growing vining plants like tomatoes and squash.
Mel has traveled the world teaching people about Square Foot Gardening. He even teaches welfare missionaries who then go out and teach the method in developing countries. With his program translated in several languages, Square Foot Gardening is globally improving people's nutritional and economical well-being.
Mel offers more than 20 classes in varied locations along the Wasatch Front. To sign up or for more for more information, visit his Web site, www.squarefootgardening.com.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
