Day 37--News from the Square Foot Garden

Three hail storms, two near-tornadoes, late rain, and now 98 degrees in the shade later, the square foot gardens are filling our mouths with a few treats and tantalizing us with what is yet to come.

In the potato bucket, technically not a square foot, but pie times 12", squared, the four chunks of Montana seed potato blossomed into a bush of beautiful leaves and blossoms. They were mounded 5 times, but amidst an unscheduled watering system, have begun to falter while the tubers are yet 3 ". I have hope, but it just might be to the stew pot for that harvest.

In the 2 x 2, the potatoes took over the radishes, carrots, beets, and lettuce. They grew beautifully and profusely so as to squelch everything else. My lesson for next year is to contain them in their square. So far, their tubers are also about 3" with no signs of faltering. This I credit to the 10" of "Mels Mix" helping with root development and water retention.

In the 3 x 3 the news has been a bit slapdash. With a mere seven inches of soil compressed to about four, the wind has challenged the plants to put down roots and develop stems. It has been a losing battle via the "SFG" method which encourages limited planting and thinning and a better battle by planting more densely. The corn has struggled to get over three feet high, while the stuff in flower boxes is over six. The ornamental Thai peppers and oregano, by nature have faired well and are blooming gloriously. We've nibbled several bowls of mesculan mix salad, a few radishes, and seasoned the pasta with oregano. The dahlia, while full, has yet to bloom.

The hail storms were violent and unexpected, so I did use some Miracle Grow to give everything a boost, once I cleaned up all the broken branches and lost blossoms.

Mixed reviews all around, but I remain hopeful.