Last Saturday we put together “The Dirt” for my Square Foot Garden. See my first post HERE.
My hubby created the box a couple weekends ago. He decided to use pre-treated wood for this project. There is some controversy of using it because of the chemicals that are used such as extra copper so its up to you if you want to use it. It will last for many years which is a big benefit. See more information HERE from Home Depot which is where we purchased it.
Seed Starter Kit at Home Depot: $15.98
Strongly suggest stopping at Walmart and picking some up. I saw them discounted down to $6! I might pick up 2 for next year just to have the peat moss starters. Not a bad price.
Cost of box:
2×10-8 Pressure Treated $8.97
2×10-8 Pressure Treated $10.97
4×4-8 Pressure Treated $6.97
1×2-8 Pressure Treated [email protected] = $3.94
1×2-8 Pressure Treated [email protected] = $7.88
4- Finials on clearance [email protected] = $4.00 (Will probably add some deer fencing to keep them out and my hubby thought that having the corners tall we can attach the fencing easier.) These were a great price and they look nice.
3×3 Angle metal mounts [email protected] = $18.24
Cost of Box = $60.97
The cost of the Dirt at Lowes:
5 – 8qt bags of Vermiculite $3.97 each = $19.85 (used only 2 bags so far will add more as I plant)
3.0 Cubic Feet Peat Moss $8.96
1.0 Cubic Foot Leaf Humus Organic Compost $4.78
Humus Muniure Organic Compost $9.98
Leaf Mulch FREE (except gas to get it)
Leaf Compost FREE (side yard)
Cost of Dirt = $43.70
The cost of other Seeds and plants:
I know this is my first garden and we’ve spent quite a bit already.
Marigold yellow flowers $1.25 (Deer don’t like Marigolds)
Zuchinni $1.25
Onions $.95
2 – Sunflower $.20 = $.40 (Walmart)
2 – Carrots $.20 = $.40 (Walmart)
Other plants:
Not sure if this will go in the garden or the front house landscape.
2 – Lavender plants $4.95 each
3 – Mint Plants $2.95 each
oh! i just noticed you have mint–they are a garden thug!!! it’s my favorite “weed”–but a weed indeed! LOL! definitely don’t put them in your square foot garden, and if you want them in your landscaping, I’d recommend putting them in a spot where NOTHING else will grow, and they can take over the world. but the BEST thing to do is to “containerize” it–either in a pot on your deck (or some place like that) or to LITERALLY plant it in the ground in a plastic pot (with the lip ABOVE the dirt line) so that the roots can’t get out. it is SUCH a difficult thing to get rid of, once it takes root. (But you’ll have your own no-stop supply of mint for iced tea, once you have your own. it’s delicious! this summer, i want to learn how to make Mojito’s too.)
Thank you so much for the suggestion! I wasn’t planning on putting the mint in the sfg just because I knew it MIGHT take over but I want it near by to hopefully deter deer. Same goes for the lavender. I’m thinking now that you said what you said to put it in the backyard. I need to write another post about deterring deer.
Now, I’m thinking about mint iced tea, and Mojito’s. You can definitely come over and have some!
this is a great post, and i love the pics! square foot gardening is so neat! my favorite gardening forum site, GardenWeb has a really helpful bunch of people on their square foot gardening forum. check it out, if you want to get any tips, or just chat with others and see other cool pictures of their beds and plant progress! also, a few years ago, i built a raised bed, and I built it with pressure treated wood. i read that one way that you can mitigate some of what makes people fearful of pressure treated wood (the chemicals) is to rub the wood down with linseed oil. linseed oil is cheap and natural. apparently, it “locks in” everything. as an added benefit, it further protects the wood from water and rot. it worked great for me!
Thanks. I need to take a couple more pictures because my beans, squash, zucchini and onions are growing! I’m amazed at how fast the beans have grown.
Inside since March 15, I’ve been growing cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, basil, oregano and lettuce. Can’t wait to put them outside. I’m sure to have some spare plants because my SFG is getting full! Let me know if you need some.