Details Of Design

My Square Meter Garden Bed

Design Process 

This will be a comparatively short and succinct design as it is a tweak for a larger design and for that reason I am going to use a basic framework being SADIM

A small picture here showing it as a cycle – I had been reading about this process as opposed to the larger SADIMET containing the steps of Evaluation and Tweaking though I will do that as part of the process. 

Background

After starting this season growing at our allotment and making a start on planting up the beds I became interested in the possibilities contained in the one singular space in the middle of my plot that was relatively unplanted in. 

I have also looked at my learning pathway and realised that I want to do more in terms of community garden be that with the school or small space gardening and I want to explore the possibilities for small manageable spaces growing diverse food. 

This bed seems like the perfect place to start and with the seeds and seedlings we already have what I want to do is create a plan that maximises the light and position as well as create successional growing for a diverse array of crops that uses only a little room.

Survey

Client Needs: 

1. Learning space
2. To use what seeds and seedlings we already have 
3. Successional Growing Plan
4. Learning time 
5. To require max two hours per week 

Map of Space 

What Seeds/Seedlings do we already have ?

I have checked all of these out with regard to being suitable for Square Meter Gardening .

We have in a previous plan decided not to grow any salad at the allotment when we can grow a lot at home.

We also have carrots already growing in abundance at home.

• Dwarf French Beans 
• Leeks 
• Broad Beans 
• Spring Onion 
• Cauliflower 
• Amsoi ( Indian Mustard ) 
• Kohl Rabi 
• Blauwschokker Peas
• Perpetual Spinach 
• Chard 
• Kale 
• Pak Choi 
• Courgette 
• Celery 
• Beetroot 
• Swede 
• Pumpkin
• Cabbage Winter 
• Chinese Cabbage
• Celeriac

The originator Mel Bartholemew recommends making your own soil with quite specific quantities of moss peat, vermiculite and compost ( good rich crumbly soil ). This bed is already in quite good rich condition and I have no plans to try and dig it out and start again. The biggest requirement is for it to stay in rich healthy condition as growing so many crops in a small space can take a lot out of it. 

It needs to be well measured. 

Only certain plants – namely annual veg are suitable for this style of gardening. 

Rotation should happen within the squares. 

Soil Needs

Is naturally dry and stony – Sandy Loam 

Been treated regularly with seaweed and rotted compost

Could do with more enrichment.

Analysis 

Fitting the plants into the space. 

Measuring and dividing the bed into square feet resulted in spaces that measured 13 x 12 inches. 

This gave forty two  different squares all up. 

The amount of seedlings/seeds I have in my list already decided is twenty.

This gives just over two squares per crop. Two being left over is ideal because there is likely to be something I want to try that will come up.

Plants Needs

Name	Growing Needs	How many to a square	Sow	Harvest
Dwarf French Beans	Some support, grow in blocks	Nine	April	Aug-Sept
Leeks	Well Watered	Nine	April	Oct- Feb
Broad Beans	Support, south facing full sun well drained	Four	March – May	July – Sept
Spring Onion	Sun or partial shade	Sixteen	April	July-Nov
Amsoi	Full Sun Partial Shade	Nine	July	Nov
Cauliflower	Rich soil – firmly planted
Kohl Rabi
Blauwschokker Peas
Perpetual Spinach
Chard
Kale
Pak Choi
Courgette
Celery
Beetroot
Swede
Pumpkin
Winter Cabbage
Chinese Cabbage
Celeriac