44 Pollinator Friendly Flowers and Herbs to Help Save the Bees

May 28, 2019

Creating a pollinator friendly garden is a win for both you and nature. You create habitat for the bees, which in turn pollinate your garden, which leads to delicious vegetables and better yields.

But what flowers are the best flowers to save the bees and other pollinators? I’ve researched and come up with a list of 44 annuals, perennials, and herbs you can grow in your backyard landscape to attract bees in your garden.

A quick disclaimer–I garden in zone 3b in the Canadian Prairies, so my suggestions reflect what grows here. If you know of another flower that bees love in another zone, please put it in the comments, along with what zone you’re in so we can all learn.

Alyssum

Sweet Alysum can also be grown as a cover crop between rows to help suppress weeds and add nutrients to the soil once it is worked in for the season.

Agastache (Anise Hyssop)

Agastache is a very drought resistant perennial and provides height in the landscape.

Apple Trees (Or really any fruit tree)

Okay, so this one is sort of cheating. But to be fair, have you ever seen a fruit tree in bloom that didn’t have tons of bees buzzing around it? Yes, many fruit trees need the bees to pollinate them, but not all. So plant those apple, cherry, plum, saskatoon berry, or any other flowering fruit free to encourage bees.

Related: 28 Hardy Fruit Trees for Zone 2 and Zone 3

Asclepias (Butterfly Weed)

Butterfly weed isn’t just for butterflies–bees love it too!

Aster

There are many varieties of asters to choose from, from the late summer blooming perennial, to the kind used as bedding plants or grown from seed in a cut flower garden.

Bachelor’s Buttons

Kids of all ages love bachelor buttons. They’re easy to grow from see and bees can’t get enough of them.

Borage

Borage is an excellent companion flower in the garden and has medicinal purposes as well. In some climates it can get invasive.

Blanketflower

A stunningly beautiful native flower that’s also drought resistant.

Calendula

Calendula is a workhorse in the garden. It’s easy to grow from seed, loved by pollinators, is a good companion plant for vegetables, and can be used as an ingredient is soaps and diy beauty products.

Related: 14 Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden

Catmint

You might plant catmint for the bees, but your cats will enjoy it as well. I once planted catmint, but there were so many neighbourhood cats that got into it that it didn’t stand a chance and died shortly after.

Celiosa

Celiosa is a striking and more unusual addition to your flowerpots.

Clover

Clover is an excellent cover crop and can be used as an alternative to grass in a lawn.

Cosmos

Cosmos are an easy cut and come again flower that you can start from seed. They look beautiful in the garden and as part of floral arrangements.

Crocus

Crocuses are a welcome early-blooming flower and one of the first food sources for bees in the Spring.

Chives

A garden isn’t complete without perennial chives. I adore their purple blooms and use fresh chives in my cooking all season long.

Echinacea (Coneflower)

Echinacea is drought resistant and a lovely native plant to use in both the garden and in landscaping.

Related: 5 Benefits to Landscaping with Native Flowers

Foxglove

Foxgloves are a gorgeous addition to the garden, but not a good choice if you have children or pets. Every part of the plant is poisonous and can be fatal if ingested.

Geranium (Cranesbill)

Not to be confused with the ones used as bedding plants! Cranesbill Geraniums are perennials.

Goldenrod

This late summer to fall bloomer is a native plant that is drought tolerant and perfect in cut flower arrangements.

Heliotrope

Heliotropes are very fragrant with a smell that both bees and humans find irresistible.

Lavender

Lavender is another fragrant choice. The flowers can be used in soaps or as a flavour in drinks and desserts.

Liatris

Blazing star liatris is an easy-to-grow, drought resistant and deer resistant perennial. A must in any landscape!

Related: How to Design a Low-Maintenance Flower Bed

Lupin

Lupins are a gorgeous choice in the garden, but also dangerous for kids and pets.

Marigolds

Marigolds are easy to start from seed and are a good companion plant in the vegetable garden.

Mint

Every garden needs a mint plant, but keep it in a pot, as it is highly invasive.

Related: 28 Perennials You’ll Regret Planting

Mondara (Bee Balm)

It’s called bee balm–enough said.

Oregano

Another herb that is loved by both bees and humans.

Nasturtium

Nasturtiums are edible flowers with a peppery taste, and their seeds are easy to collect and grow.

Pansy

A beautiful and very hardy bedding plant. Pansies often survive a light frost or two.

Peony

Planting a peony bush? Just make sure you keep it farther away from the house so ants aren’t encouraged to come through your doors. Learn more about growing peonies here.

Phlox

Phlox makes a good ground cover in a rock garden and can be grown underneath a tree if there is enough light.

Poppies

Poppies are another easy-to-grow flower that often re-seed themselves.

Rosemary

We love rosemary for it’s deliciousness in cooking. Bees love rosemary for the little blue-ish flowers.

Related: How to Dry Herbs so They Still Taste Good!

Roses

Roses can be tricky to grow in zone 3. Stick to the Morden series of roses for the best success. Tea roses or anything fancy will not survive our winters.

Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan)

A staple perennial of the late summer garden.

Sage

Sage has a lovely smell and is also a beautiful filler piece for flower arrangements.

Salvia

Scabiosa

The unusual blooms of scabiosa make a statement in the garden.

Snowdrops

Plant snowdrop underneath a tree or in the shade by your house for best results.

Stonecrop (Sedum)

There are so many types of sedum to chose from. To keep it bee-friendly, choose flowering varieties like Autumn Joy.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are also fun to plant with kids around. Compare their height to the sunflowers!

Thyme

Bees love the delicate purple flowers and you’ll love the fresh taste in your cooking.

Related: How to Grow a Mini Outdoor Herb Garden

Yarrow

I personally adore yarrow because it is a perennial with a long bloom time, it works well in flower arrangements, and it’s drought tolerant.

Zinnia

Every garden needs some cheerful zinnias! Zinnias are good companion flowers and cut flowers.

More Tips for Creating a Garden to Attract Bees

As I mentioned before, this list is definitely not exhaustive to all zones! There’s also a few general tips you can use to decide if a flower would encourage bees to your yard or not.

Use Organic Gardening Methods & Avoid Hybrids

Avoid using pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides as much as possible–even ones marketed as organic. They can contain ingredients that are harmful to pollinators.

Hybrid flowers are bred to have benefits to gardeners, but unfortunately they often have less pollen and nectar–bad news for bees. While I don’t think you should avoid all hybrids, maybe keep them to only a few favourites if you’re trying to attract bees.

Prioritize Native Flowers and Colourful Flowers

Native flowers have so many benefits to them, including being good for the bees. For ideas, go to your local library and pick up a book on plants native to year area, or google [your province or state] + native flowers for ideas. Some native flowers in my area that I like are goldenrod and asters.

Bees love colourful flowers! While all colours will work, bees prefer yellow, white, and blue/purple. While there are tons of flowers to choose in these colours, I like marigolds for yellow, alyssum for white, and bee balm & delphiniums in the blue/purple family.

Fragrant Flowers and Herbs

Fragrant flowers were meant to attract bees. Some of my favourites are lily of the valley, citronella geranium, and lilacs. Herbs such as chives, mint, sage, and lavender are also good choices.

Long blooming Flowers

Gardeners love long blooming flowers because they provide colour for more of the growing season. Bees love long blooming flowers because they provide a good food source for a longer amount of time. Try planting yarrow, rudbeckia, and daisies.

Want to attract bees and other pollinators and beneficial insects to your vegetable garden? Plant a variety of these 44 annual, perennial, and herb flowers that bees love! Bonus, all the plants are good for zone 3!! #bees #pollinators #garden #flowers

Early Blooming Spring Flowers

Even thought I’m personally not a fan of dandelions, I’ll leave them all of May because they’re one of the few sources of food for bees in early Spring. Try planting some early varieties of tulips, crocus, and daffodils.

Plant More Than One of Each Flower and Have Something Blooming in Every Season

While one bee-friendly plant is better than no bee-friendly plants, it’s better to have more than one of each type of flower you’re planting. Your landscape should also contain flowers that bloom in early-Spring, late-Fall, and everything in-between so there’s always a food source for the bees.

Have a Variety of Shapes and Sizes

Different bees have different shapes and lengths of tongues. Therefore, you need a variety of flowers to make sure that your garden can benefit as many bees as possible.

Feeling inspired to add a few bee-friendly favourites to your garden? Which ones will you add?

DIY Wooden Garden Markers: A Cute Craft for the Garden

May 24, 2019

A garden looks perfectly beautiful on its own merit. Who doesn’t love to look through a well laid out and weeded garden? And the smell! But the gardener needs to know what’s what- especially at the beginning of the season.

This means you’ll need garden markers. And, because they’ll get the full force of the great outdoors, you’ll definitely want weatherproof plant markers! So many gorgeous gardens are ruined by those flimsy plastic labels.

Here are some garden markers that can be made very quickly and will enhance the beauty of your garden. With the rustic wooden look they will fit in with any garden.

These DIY wooden garden markers would be so cute in my vegetable garden, or even for my outdoor herbs and perennials. They use dollar store items and would be perfect for a craft with the kids! #plantmarkers #gardenmarkers #vegetable #diy #gardenart

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about it in my Privacy Policy. Thanks for supporting Shifting Roots!

Supplies

Wood slices (mine are 9-10cm)
Vice
Drill
Acrylic paint (Black and White)
Giant BBQ skewers (If you’re concerned about these biodegrading throughout the season you could use the wire from a hanger instead. These will provide more durability. However, my BBQ skewers were inexpensive and came in a pack of 30, so I’m just going to replace my skewers as needed.)
Damp Cloth
Spray Varnish (I didn’t actually do this with mine. They’ve been outside for a month in all this rain, and they look good as new.
Stamp set, wood burning kit, Cricut or paint pen

Note: if you purchase these pre-drilled wooden slices, you can skip the vice and the drill.

All Garden Row Marker Styles Start With:

Clamp your wood slices into a vice and drill holes (about half an inch deep).
Using your damp cloth, wipe off each wood slice. The slices come pre-sanded, so this is just to get the saw dust and bits off. If you plan to use an adhesive stencil for your garden markers you’ll want to sand it down (gradually) to 240 grit so the stencil adheres properly and doesn’t leak.

Chalk Board Style Garden Row Markers:

After the wood slice is completely dry paint your black circle onto it. You will probably need two coats of paint. I used the grain of the wood as a guide, so none of mine looked the same. If you prefer, you can make perfect circles or ovals for the name. I thought it looked woodsier following the grain.
Wait for the black to dry completely. Don’t get impatient! It will mess up your black (and maybe ruin your white marker) if you don’t wait for it to dry.
Using your preferred method of lettering, write on your plant name. Obviously the idea is for it to look like a chalk board, so I recommend using white paint. I used a brush to paint mine, but maybe you prefer a little bit more control and are going to use a paint pen. Maybe you prefer a lot more control and are going to opt for a stencil. Whatever you want to do, now is the time.
Allow to dry.
Insert the BBQ skewers into the hole on the bottom of the wood slices and stick them into the ground.

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Wood Grain Style Garden Row Markers:

This is by far the simplest one! All you need to do is use a Sharpie to write the plant name onto the wood slice. Alternately, you can use a paint pen, wood burning kit, stamp set or stencil and paint.
Stick the BBQ skewers into the bottom of the wood slices and stick them into the ground!

Black Label with Border Garden Row Markers:

Tracing the grain, paint a black circle around the border of your wood slice.
Using a straight edge, draw two lines. The first goes about a quarter of the way from the top and the second about halfway. Paint in this rectangle black.
Allow to dry.
Using white paint write the plant name on the black space.
Allow to dry.
Insert the BBQ skewers into the hole on the bottom of the wood slices and stick them into the ground.

If you’re loving how these adorable large wooden plant markers improved the look of your garden, and are craving another little garden craft, be sure to check out Kristen’s post DIY Fairy Garden. It is so darn cheerful! Happy Crafting!

5 Benefits to Landscaping with Low Maintenance Native Plants

May 21, 2019

What is Native Plant Landscaping?

Native plant landscaping is using plants in your garden that originated locally in the wild from where you live. These plants can range from grasses to herbs to shrubs to trees. They include beautiful flowers and food source plants.

There’s no special way to landscape native plants. The design can be simple clusters of one plant, a mix of plants to create a wildflower meadow or even a food forest. Native plants can be arranged in any way you like, just as ornamentals are, and there are many benefits to growing native plants over non-natives.

Why Should I Use Native Plants in My Garden?

Many people don’t realize that caring for native plants is way easier than ornamentals!

Native plant species have had time over centuries to acclimate to a region making them more resistant to damage from freezing, drought, common diseases, and herbivores, whereas non-native species have not. Native plants have ecological, economic, genetic, cultural and aesthetic benefits including:

They require less maintenance post-planting (fertilization, water, weeding, etc.) than ornamental plants!

Survival rates over the first winter after planting are usually higher than ornamentals. Native plants are also used to suffering through drought and poor weather conditions so they don’t need as much tucking in at night! They are also better at defending themselves against weed species. Who doesn’t want to weed less!?!

Retention of naturally occurring food sources for wildlife.

Many pollinators including bees have co-evolved with native plants and rely on the for food. Having these plants in your yard can help attract native bees and prevent a decline in the species.

And with the bugs come beautiful birds who eat them!

By planting native plants you can help protect threatened or endangered species.

Specific relationships exist between native plants and mycorrhizae, invertebrates, pollinators and birds that cannot be replicated with non-native plants. Native plants not only provide food sources for wildlife, they provide suitable habitat. Think of the Monarch butterfly who need milkweed plants to lay their eggs on.

There is also less spring/fall cleanup to worry about. The longer you leave it, the better it is for the insects and animals that depend on dead leaves and fallen-over grasses for overwintering.

Add beauty to the landscape and preserve our natural heritage.

Many native plants produce gorgeous flowers and some species are especially fragrant. Shrubs such as red-osier dogwood are even beautiful in the winter as their red stems protrude from the snow.

These plants also connect us to the land. First Nations peoples have used them for centuries as food and medicines.

Dogwood for winter interest in a zone 3 landscape on the Canadian prairies.

Provide opportunity for public education.

Your neighbors will probably ask about the new plants they may not recognize in your yard. This is a great opportunity to educate them about the plants that are native to your region and the benefits of growing them in your own yard.

Where Can I Find These Plants?

There are several native plants nurseries across Canada where seeds, seedlings, and larger plants can be purchased.

Just like ornamentals, native plants have different life cycles (annual, biennial, perennial), different planting requirements (e.g. sun/shade, moister/drier) and different blooming times.

The nursery can provide all the details you need for successful establishment. Most have a guarantee on the plants’ survival and even ship right to your door.

Some nurseries in western Canada are Wild About Flowers, Sherwood’s Forests, Twin Sisters Native Plant Nursery and NATS Nursery. The Edmonton Native Plant Society also has lots of useful information on their website: http://edmontonnativeplantgroup.org/home.htm. If you want to get more involved, consider joining your local native plant group if there is one in your area.

How do you create a low maintenance, drought-resistant flower garden, encourage pollinators, and add beauty to your backyard landscape? The solution is easier than you think with native perennials! #flowers #landscaping #nativeplants #zone 3 #canada

Native plants can sometimes be found at garden centres amoungst the ornamentals. If the Latin name has been included on the tag you can check if it’s in a local native plant guide such as Plants of the Western Forest Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Boreal and Aspen Parkland by Derek Johnson, Linda Kershaw and Andy MacKinnon.

You can find this book or others similar to it for your area on Amazon, Bookstores, or your local library.

Be aware that only the Latin name will tell you the exact species as many plants have the same common names.

There are also landscaping companies that specialize in native plant landscaping (although I imagine most people reading this probably love to get the dirt under their own finger nails!). A quick Google search can yield these types of companies.

Some cities even have small grants for native plant landscaping projects. You can also check with your local government if any shelter belt programs exist for rural properties (these are usually for shrubs to be planted around the homestead).

So if you’re looking for a way to encourage pollinators, create a low maintenance flower garden in your landscape, add beauty to your yard, and create conversations–grow native plants.

Simple Tips to Easily Air-Dry Fresh Herbs at Home

May 17, 2019

Do you love cooking with a wide variety of herbs in your kitchen or use them for homemade remedies? Then you know very well how expensive herbs can be. Before I got into the whole growing and drying herbs, I used to regularly buy small quantities of a variety of fresh ones—or whenever I needed it for a specific recipe. But they always went rancid fast before I used it all up. Sometimes I was able to prolong their freshness by wrapping them in a paper towel. Even the price of tiny bottles of dried organic herbs can run high.

Today I grow and dry most of my own. Because it is not only easy and much more economical, but I also get to enjoy them year round. If you are interested in how I started growing herbs then also read What I’ve Learned from my First Mini Herb Garden in zone 7b.

This time I want to share how to best air-dry fresh herbs whether they come from your garden or are store-bought. It still is the cheapest and most uncomplicated method to produce flavorful dry herbs that last you quite long. So, let’s start and throughout I will provide some of my experiences on how to best maintain their flavors.

Air drying is the best way to dry herbs easily. Good to know next time I'm processing dried herbs!

Preserving Herbs

Dried versus Fresh

I love using fresh herbs more often during warmer seasons. Luckily most of them grow well throughout the summer. So I’ll often resort to drying them when I have a sizeable end-of-season harvest. Well, a lot of it also goes to neighbors!

As someone who uses fresh and dried herbs often and interchangeably in my kitchen, I can tell you that the flavors and aroma of dried herbs are always somewhat different than fresh ones as is to be expected.

Dried herbs might lose moisture and some of its characteristics, but whatever flavors remain are much stronger. Because they are packed with a more concentrated taste, don’t expect to use them the same way as fresh ones.

Note: if you are not familiar with using dried herbs in your kitchen, know that a little goes a long way. They are three to four times stronger than fresh herbs. Sometimes people think that their dried herbs have little taste because they add it at the end of a recipe as you usually would with fresh herbs. Instead, add them at the beginning of your cooking (or during) to slowly release their aromas and build up the flavors.

A Basic Drying Process

Air-drying herbs is straightforward, easy and a pretty cheap way to preserve them. It doesn’t require much of your attention either, but the gentler you are with the whole process, the less flavor you will lose. I have noticed that if you keep the shape of the leaves and allow them to air-dry the natural way slowly, you will retain more of their essential oils which means more flavor and better quality.

It is true that herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and sage dry well and reasonably quickly. That is because most of their leaves have a small surface area and less moisture. However, I did also have success with drying herbs that have flat softer leaves and a higher moisture content like basil, mint, and parsley.

A note on parsley: from all the herbs that I have dried, I ‘ve found that parsley retains the least of its beautiful, distinct taste and almost becomes bland. It is excellent to have on hand when you need to garnish your dishes and add some green, but I prefer fresh parsley over dried anytime.

I love growing herbs in my garden but I never know how to preserve them so they still taste good. I can't believe how easy it is to preserve herbs with air drying--although there's more to it than meets the eye. This post has lots of good tips. #herbs #air #drying #preserving

Preparing herbs for drying

If you have fresh store-bought herbs, gently wash and carefully pat dry them first. If you are harvesting your own, here are a couple of tips to lock in their flavors:

Harvest them before the plant flowers. After doing some research and with some trial and error, I’ve learned that the oil content and taste of plants are better before they have started flowering.
Try pruning them around mid-morning when the dew has dried but before it becomes too hot. I have tested this a couple of times, and it is true that herbs are more tender and fresh at the beginning of the day and therefore in better condition to prepare them for drying.
Gently cut away only the best parts of the plant that you plan to dry immediately. You want to use the leaves that are in good shape and can preserve the maximum amount of flavor and oils.
Shake off any excess dirt or insects outside. Then bring them in and give them a little rinse. But not too much otherwise you can strip them from their natural oils.
Gently pat-dry them with a clean towel and remove as much moisture as possible. Then spread out on a large serving platter lined with kitchen or paper towels and place in a warm spot but out of any direct sunlight.

You can also use a large baking tray, wooden board or just your kitchen table if you plan to dry a lot at once. It allows the herbs to further dry up after rinsing and before working them in batches (just for about an hour.) It helps if you do this with herbs that have broad leaves such basil or mint. There is less chance that way that they mold.

Note: I have noticed that herbs from your garden preserve more of their flavor once dried than the ones you get from the store.

Air-drying herbs

In Bundles

When you air-dry herbs in bundles, it takes about two to three weeks before they are totally dry. But it requires little to no maintenance, it is effortless to store, and it can look beautiful in your kitchen or pantry. Here is what to do:

Make small bundles and tie their stems together with any twine, string or cotton thread. I avoid making large bouquets of herbs because they are harder to dry and can mold more easily.
Hang upside down using (painters) tape to attach the string to the wall, a pantry closet, kitchen cabinet. Just make sure that it is in a dry and warm place, but away from sunlight.
Check from time to time for signs of mold or mildew.

Note: Bouquets of dried herbs also make for a beautiful gift for friends or family!

In a large Basket

An alternative option is to place them on paper towels in a large basket and cover them with paper bags poked with some holes for lots of air circulation. Then place it on top of cupboards in your kitchen to dry there for several weeks. Check regularly and turn them around if needed. It is a more suitable method if you tend to dry smaller amounts of herbs.

Note: this is also how my grandmother would dry old bread for several days before transforming it into bread crumbs.

Air drying herbs is so easy and it preserves the flavour better for storage.

Tips on how to store dried herbs

Once dry, I crumble the herbs with clean fingers, and I discard any thick stems. It is best to store it in small individual airtight containers. I like to reuse empty store-bought dried herb bottles with tightfitting lids. I keep the jars in a cool dark place like a kitchen cabinet, pantry or drawer. It will hold between 6 to 12 months. Of course, the sooner you use them, the more flavor they have.

Because I use a lot of herbs, I often leave the dried cute bundles hanging in my pantry and cut off what I need.

There is something special about opening a jar of dried herbs from your garden or having beautiful aromatic herb bouquets hanging in your pantry! And if dried well and with a little care, their flavors are amazing.

Have you dried herbs at home before and used a different method that works well for you? Please share it with us in the comments and let us in on your secrets!

How To Start A Square Foot Garden

May 9, 2019

When you’re short on space, square foot gardening is the answer! I’ve recently started planting my garden using the square foot gardening method instead of traditional rows, and I couldn’t be happier with the results!

But how do you start a square foot garden? And is it complicated?

In this post I’ll go over everything you need to know and what I do to make square foot gardening spacing practically fool-proof.

Want to get started square foot gardening? Here's everything you need to know in a nutshell--raised beds, soil, what vegetables to plant and even some free printable garden plans. — Photo courtesy of Katelynn Peterson

This post contains affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission if you purchase something at no extra cost to you. You can read more about it in my privacy policy. Thanks for supporting Shifting Roots!

1. Read Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening

Sure, you can try to piece it together on the Internet, but it’s just better to learn about the method straight from the man who invented it. The book is an easy read, and you’ll be done it in no time. Get your copy here.

I love to square foot garden, but I never know that vegetable to put where in my raised beds--its so hard to make a plan. Now I don't have to guess with these free printable square foot gardening templates using the seeding square! #squarefootgarden #seedingsquare #printable #plan #design

2. Build Your Raised Bed and Add Soil.

Square foot gardening is traditionally done in raised beds with a light soil mix. I’ve square foot gardened in both a raised bed and straight in my traditional garden space and the results are almost the same–there’s just a few more weeds to deal with in the traditional garden space.

I actually don’t use Mel’s mix, just regular potting soil mixed with compost and manure, and find that it works just as well. However, I garden in zone three in Saskatchewan, so I’m very far removed from the weather conditions that Mel experienced when he created the method.

Related: 8 Reasons to Start Square Foot Gardening

The nice thing about starting a raised bed from scratch is that you don’t have to till the ground underneath. Just place your bed on the soil, cover the ground with cardboard to kill the weeds and grass, and add your soil on top. So much less work!!

3. Decide what to Plant

Here’s where things get both fun and interesting. It’s very easy to obsess over what you can and can’t plant in a square foot garden, but the simple answer is this–plant whatever you want to eat!

Vining plants such as peas, tomatoes, and cucumbers are grown on trellises at the back of the grid. Larger vegetables like squash and pumpkins are grown at the corners so they can trail out over the edges.

Any vegetable can be planted in a square foot garden grid, you just have to follow the correct spacing.

I’ve come up with four done-for-you plans to plant in your square foot garden. You can download them here.

Get 4 Free Square Foot Gardening Templates

Start your square foot garden the easy way!

You'll get 4 4x4 plans for

Salad Garden
Beginner's Garden
Salsa Garden
Kid's Garden

Plus a short 3 day email course of how to get started with square foot gardening.

4. Space Vegetables Out Correctly

All vegetables are planted in spacings of 1, 4, 9, or 16, with some vegetables taking up 4 large squares. You can make the little borders with wood, or tie string to map out your perfect squares. However, I like to use the Seeding Square.

The Seeding Square is a plastic guide that’s exactly one foot square and has all the different spacings, plus a handy chart showing which vegetables should be spaced at what distance.

It really takes the guesswork out of planting my garden, and I don’t have to drag the book outdoors with me or try and remember if bush beans are spaced in 4’s or 9’s.

Plus, my kid who has no interest in gardening actually wants to help me plant! That’s a huge win in my books.

5. Water and Weed

The beauty of square foot gardening is that you won’t have to water and weed as often as you do with traditional methods. Sure, you’ll still have the one bigger weeding session 3-4 weeks after you plant your garden. But after that, the weeds are minimal.

The closer spacing of the plants means that weeds are shaded out and more moisture is retained. Win-win!

Everything You Need to Build a Square Foot Garden

Once again, here’s a handy list of all the things I use to square foot garden, and some nice options for raised bed kits:

Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening Method Book.
Done-for-you Garden Plans
Seeding Square (Seeding Square site–Canada)
Seeding Square (Amazon.com)
I’m going to assume you have your own places you like to buy seeds. If not, here’s some places that I recommend.
Wooden raised bed kit
Vinyl raised bed kit
Metal raised bed kit

Will you give square foot gardening a try?