A dracaena that looks like it’s dying can often be saved, because these plants store a lot of energy in their thick canes. As long as part of the cane is firm and some roots are white or tan, the plant can push out new leaves once you fix the cause. To save a dying … Read more >>
Strawberries are the best fruit to plant in a square foot garden for most home gardeners, because four plants fit in a single 1-foot square and they come back for 3 to 4 years. After strawberries, my top picks are cherry tomatoes and ground cherries at one per square, plus small melons and icebox watermelons … Read more >>
If you or someone in your home has allergies, the worst indoor plants for allergies are the ones that shed pollen, release spores, or carry allergens in their sap. The plants I’d skip first are weeping fig (Ficus benjamina), chrysanthemums, African violets, ferns, and strongly scented bloomers like jasmine and hyacinth, because each one puts … Read more >>
A bush zucchini plant needs a 2 x 2 block of four squares in a standard grid bed, and big, sprawling types can claim up to nine squares. For zucchini in a square foot garden, I give each bush plant at least four squares, or I tie it to a sturdy stake so it fits … Read more >>
Hardy lotus grows best in USDA zones 6 to 10, where summers stay hot, and it survives in zones 4 to 10 as long as the tuber never freezes solid. Both sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and the native American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) fit that range. Winter cold decides whether your lotus lives. Summer heat decides … Read more >>
Plant four parsley plants in each square, set 6 inches apart in a 2 × 2 grid. For square foot gardening parsley, four plants per 1-foot square gives each plant room for its taproot and leafy crown, and you’ll still cut more parsley than most kitchens can use. Parsley seed is the slow part. It … Read more >>
Yes, you can grow lotus in soil. In fact, lotus has to grow in soil. The best soil for a potted lotus is a heavy clay loam with little organic matter, kept under 2 to 4 inches of water in a wide pot with no drainage holes. The heavy clay holds the tuber in place, … Read more >>
Marigolds are one of the easiest flowers to fit into a raised-bed grid, and the spacing is simple. For marigolds in a square foot garden, put 4 French marigolds in one square, or 1 African marigold per square, because French types stay 6 to 12 inches tall while African types grow 2 to 3 feet … Read more >>
You can fit one compact, early cabbage plant in each 1-foot square, and that’s the setup I recommend for most beds. To grow cabbage in square foot gardening, plant one small-headed early variety per square, and give big storage cabbages a 2 x 2 block of four squares so their heads can fill out. Cabbage … Read more >>
Garlic is one of the easiest crops to tuck into a square foot bed. Plant 9 garlic cloves per square, set in a 3 by 3 grid about 4 inches apart, in fall about 4 to 6 weeks before your ground freezes. Each clove grows into a full bulb by early to mid summer. The … Read more >>