Square Foot Gardening for School Community Projects

Square foot gardening is ideal for your school project—intensive planting maximizes yield in small plots, reduces maintenance, and teaches valuable skills.

Project-Friendly Recommendations

• Plot size: 4x4 feet standard, but larger works if managed intensively
• Kid-friendly crops: Lettuce, radishes, carrots, bush beans, cherry tomatoes, herbs
• Soil prep: Compost, aged manure, peat moss; pH 7.0 target
• Post-harvest: Plant cover crops or add compost to replenish nutrients

Keys to Success

Start small (10 crops max), interplant flowers for pollinators, use Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening as your textbook. The included university links provide curriculum-ready resources.

This model builds community, teaches sustainability, and produces real food—perfect for a philanthropic contest!