Sorry the title has nothing to do with the question. I started a question about something else and erased it, but left the title.

Thanks for explaining the title. Kinda hard to edit once you click the submit button. I am the only one using my Square foot beds I have a 4x12 for my main vegetables or should say my smaller faster turnover vegetables. I keep it full all the time and have plants started and waiting on my patio table all summer anticipating a harvested spot. Some times I even successive plant partial squares or inter plant squares. My garden gets no rest until winter And requires compost or fertilizers and a lot of water to keep production up with such an intensive schedule. I just don't like to see empty squares. Oh and I do eat a lot of veggies. I would say more than most people I know of do. I also have a larger 4x28 foot for the long term large plants Rhubarb, Squash, Corn, Potatoes etc. This garden is not intensely planted at all, or even fully planted, but is still a Square foot garden.

Curt~

How's it going Curt? Thanks for the response. So was it just you eating the plot? Also, how many squares do you have dedicated to each vegetable? Is your 4'x12' box full of different crops, or do you have a box or two of each veggie? Sorry for all the questions, I"m just trying to figure everything out.

Well I love fresh carrots so I have about 4 squares growing at any one time 2-3 weeks apart I also put in up to 50 plants per square foot I like baby's and thin them down to about 25 per square. It is so hard to talk in general terms as each plant is different and every body likes to eat them at a different stage of growth. I am the same way with beets I eat the whole plant when it is under ping pong ball size so I crowd them in thicker. I would say I keep about 3 squares of beets going planting every 2-3 weeks till late summer. By the way fall baby carrots are the sweetest of the year. Lets see cabbage small early cabbage 2-3 squares that is one plant you can grow in a pot for half it's life saving room for larger plants. Of course you know to follow all your early spring plants with summer plantings. As a last hint do you have the square foot book by Mel Bartholomew He explains it so much better than me.

Curt~

I think the answer really depends on what you grow in your boxes. We are a family of 6 and space is not an issue for us but money is. We will see what kind of mileage we can get over time. Tomatoes produce a lot for the amount of space they take up and are a family favorite so they definitely warrant space. Lettuce and greens do not take up much space but supply a lot from their squares when I harvest as needed. Carrots on the other hand, I would have a hard time growing enough to accommodate my family.

Mel uses a guideline of 1 box per person for fresh eating with an additional box if you hope to can. I honestly cannot say how accurate this is for our family but I do know that I am adding more boxes this year because it is something I love to do. Start a reasonable number of boxes and add in subsequent years if you decided SFG is really for you.

According to Mel you need 3- 4x4 for each adult. That will give you enough squares to grow salad and supper veggies and some for preserving. I had 3 last year and it really wasn't enough for 2 adults and I don't really preserve anymore. We just added an additional 3 to what we had. Mel says you need 3- 3x3 for each child but recommends a 4x4 for when they grow up. Hope that helps.
Keski