Square Foot Gardening - Preparation

[DeanJenniferlila]

great stuff rickvanman! thanks

[customep82]

sorry for typo lol

ment to put only "other" plant is leeks.....

[customep82]

rick, you mentioned that compacting the soil is bad because it stunts the growth of the plants. however plants from the brassica family (cabbage, sprouts, brocalli, etc) need very compact soil to form propperly, otherwise you end up with very loose leaves. it's also worth noting that "liming" the soil is a good idea before planting them too.

the only plant i've found worth compacting the soil for is leeks. compact the soil use a broom handle to make a hole and drop them in ;-)

great vid :-)

[DreamsCatcher101]

My granddad never had a cat problem. Not surprised since he used to go to the local zoo and buy lion poo to put on his garden. Not a cat in miles of that stinky stuff. Imagine a domestic cat having a smell around to see who is boss around here and getting a nose full of lion shit.!!!! I bet the pooh things nearly died.

[sohcahtoa1970]

Hi there! I am wondering what you've done about any potential drainage problem, with the beds set on concrete and up against the walls the way they are. Are the beds a little bit elevated, and/or did you put a layer of gravel at the bottom of the beds? Or am I worried about nothing?

[rickvanman]

@sohcahtoa1970 it's raised slightly - if you watch my video titled "Constructing a Raised Bed Vegtable Garden For A Patio Garden" you will see exactly how it was made :o)

No gravel used.

[jaylc005]

What about the flame retardants dupre add to the vermiculite so that it conforms to fire retardant reg LPS 1207?

[TheOriginalJoeBloggs]

Micafil Vermiculite Granular Insulation - found it! 100.00 Kgs = £14

GOOD VID

[rickvanman]

@TheOriginalJoeBloggs Nice catch!

100 kg? are you sure it's the right stuff? - Vermiculite weighs the same as polystyrene. A bag bigger than a person could be lifted with your little finger.

[TheOriginalJoeBloggs]

@rickvanman - That was a cut and paste from the website ;) Bargain hey

[TheOriginalJoeBloggs]

@rickvanman

discountedbuildingsupplies couk

Details

SKU 190105

Weight 100.00 Kgs

Price: £14.92

including VAT 17.50% (£2.22)

( £12.70 Ex VAT )

[rickvanman]

@TheOriginalJoeBloggs LOL! It's 100 litres not Kg's.

100 Kg's would require a bag the size of windsor castle :o)

[TheOriginalJoeBloggs]

@rickvanman - did you see my cut and paste? 100.00 Kgs was the weight :D typo on website I think :D

[Hawklynn]

lol Rick im having a hellashes time with cats in my garden they have ruined every thing i have planted except for my beef steak tomato's i'll try ur idea of the nets and thx : )

[timwardell]

Nice video. Well done. Thanks for sharing.

[mmmbad]

Great video, Rick! Thanks for posting!

[haypockets]

Very nice garden boxes & video! I started my first SFG last year and loved it. I'm going to build 3 additional 4x4 beds this year - 1 each for my kids, and 1 for my husband. I also have videos of my last years garden here on YouTube. I cannot narrate well like you, so my garden is just set to music, but it does explain the basics & the timeline. You can watch my videos by searching for 'rebeccas square foot garden'. Thanks for sharing SFG w/everyone!! It's awesome!!

[55022RSG]

is the vermiculite, used to cancel out the acidity in soil, =D

[rickvanman]

I think its more to do with water retention. If you want non/low-aciddic soil, just add lime

[55022RSG]

ahh fair enough then. also its just too cold to anything.

[rickvanman]

Tell me about it! I'm itching to get on with it, but can't do anything with this cold weather!

[55022RSG]

Exactly, i was going to Manchester Airport, but as soon as i stepped out of the front door, god it was cold!

[baconsoda]

Excellent video - just got yourself another subscriber.

Best Wishes,

Brendan

[jihadacadien]

Niely done!

[tlk40us]

Rick, very nice. It's educational and your production values are great. Keep up the nice work.

[8thumbs2fingers]

I am really gettin into these vids Rik lol ... Another great post ...

Dave

[rickvanman]

Cheers Dave - glad you like em! :o)

[silverpizza100]

I found it. Check my fav. vids. Cheap easy way to make your own light. I think you will enjoy how simple and cheap lighting can be, without a lot of electricty. I believe gardening is like math, we go for the least possiable in supplies and the most simple.

[silverpizza100]

hey Rick, me again. Ill send you a complete system for you to try out and keep in March. Ill build it, you grow it.. You share the results.. Ill pay for shipping,,,Sounds good? Great! Ill get started on it.

[rickvanman]

Yes the expense in the first year will probably cost more than buying vegges from the supermarket, but years 2 onwards it should start to pay for itself - although its not really the point of the excercise.

Apparently mel's mix gets better with age.

From next year onwards, all I'll be buying is a couple of bags of manure (which are really cheap) to mix in at the end of the growing season to prop the soil ready for the next growing season.

[TK42138]

Great video as always.

What is the weight of your growbags? (should state on the bag itself) Just be aware your shelving must be strong enough to take weight of growbags plus the extra weight when it is watered. 1 litre of fresh water = 1kilogram

[rickvanman]

Thanks for the tip - I'm pretty sure they'll hold up, I have faith in my engineering abilities :o)

[johnny102marvin]

Great video ... 5 stars. You are right. You don't want the cats pooping in your garden because some cats have worms...roundworms. Roundworms are a parasites that can cause immeasureable damage to humans.

I am looking forward to seeing how you grow potatoes in a plastic bag.

john

[TK42138]

@johnny102marvin

Good point.

In addition to round worms they also transmit toxoplasmosis and a whole host of other nasties....you may have guessed I'm not a big cat lover...

[rickvanman]

My neighbour has 5! I'm not a big cat fan either.

I love dogs, but only when someone else owns them! LOL!

[FilmCrab]

I usully relocate them to the woods 5 mles away. Works a treat. :-) Awful animals.

[rickvanman]

Cheers John - interetsting tip about the cats - this I didn't know.

Planting potatoes video as soon as they start sprouting.

[garryentropy]

Perhaps painting the green fence white would be good to fully utilise sunlight levels?

[rickvanman]

Interesting idea - thanks for the suggestion. I think pinning a mylar blanket to the wall would have the same effect and upset the neighbours less :o)

[silverpizza100]

Hey Rick Ive been keep up with your videos, I just did a video just for you. Check it out...Cheers..

[MrRunningwolfe]

Great video...Thanks !

[clatterowls]

hey rick just randomly wanted to say i really enjoy watching your videos.

if im totally honest as a 20 year old student i dont have much interest in gardening but your videos are really interesting to watch and i am wathing them all the time! nice work!

[HydroponicsFriend]

Thanks for the mention Rick. Glad I could help save you some cash. We currently have about 4" of snow on the ground with another storm on the way for Tuesday. I'm very jealous you're able to start your prep work so early in the year. Great videos, keep em coming.

[FilmCrab]

I heard that half filling a pop bottle with water and leaving those around the place puts cats off. Supposed ot scare them away i hear. Never tried it myself.

[butch3100]

very creative gardening

[CathyDirector]

Hey rick, what micriphone you use and where can i get it? BTW nice preporations!

[nkey01]

Thanks for making this vid and your good advice.

[FATMIME]

Rick, is there anything you don't know how to do? You are a genius my friend. From music to garden, you are awesome!

[iStonner]

@FATMIME Rick has skills!

[lillith886]

this is so exciting!!! great information!!

[justjoemusic]

Interesting video, and some good tips and advice here... will come in handy for me soon!