I think the idea is to give inexperienced gardeners some guidelines for plant spacing. If you don't need the dividers or feel they're in the way, by all means don't use them.

I have 3 raised beds of varying sizes. I used grids in one of them, one I marked the spacing on the boards on the outside, and one I didn't mark at all. All worked well but I think I won't use dividers anymore for the reasons the OP mentioned. I've been gardening for many years but this is the first year with this method and I wanted to try it several ways.

Sandy

I use a dab of white paint just to give me a little visual and keep me in line. I agree the grids seem like they would hamper the use of hand tools. I also imagine all manner of bugs hiding and reproducing on the underside of the grid so I left it off.

I do not use dividers myself; I simply eyeball it, which has worked well for me.

I have to say I was very pessimistic at first, but I just figured things like that are purely optional. I used string in my 10 raised beds when I planted and until the plants started coming up. It kept me organized while we were germinating. I then took them all down and have been full steam ahead ever since.

When I gardened the "old fashioned" way, I used string to make sure my lines were exactly straight and just figured this is a similar idea. My husband and I are a lot alike in the "must be straight and look clean" thinking. Probably a little shared, um... I hate to say obsessive, but it probably fits:)

I am also one that does not stay exact with the SFG rules on how many plants in a square foot either. I am probably not a good example of SFG methods:) But, I love my raised beds and have really appreciated the book and ideas that the writer shares with us.

I guess I am trying to say I am like most people on this forum, take the ideas I like and not the ones I don't:)

Happy Gardening!!

g

I also have one bed with, and one bed without dividers. I do like the square ft. planting but from now on I will use removable markers. I had Marked the foot markings on top edge of my bed. Now I lay a couple of pieces of wood strips across, and use a planting square made out of 1/2 inch plywood 11 x 11 inches square. This allows me to slightly compact the soil and germination seems inproved.I only have one board with nine 3/8 inch holes. The only spacing to give me trouble.I use a shaker for small seeds. Now all that to say during the summer when I start my fall crops of beets, carrots, ect I have made some square ft. critter covers to keep out birds, and worse mice, they love baby beets, Ya I know I wandered off but Its getting late.

I put plastic garden stakes one foot apart around the periphery of the garden and then use polystyrene twine to connect the stakes. Regular twine does not last a whole season. By using twine (instead of slats), I do not take up any of the actual area.

Why demarcate the squares? First, it gives a planting guide (e.g., 9 bean plants per square). Second, by planting a common plant (e.g., beans) within a square, they are finished at approximately the same time, facilitating succession planting. That is, you know you have an area that is ready for reseeding. Third, marking squares facilitates planning from season to season. I keep fairly close records on each square, so that I know when I planted or transplanted a vegetable for each square, when I first started harvesting it, and when it was finished and ready for another crop. The next year I know what was successful and what was not. For example, I know which varieties of cucumbers were not productive and I know how late (or how early) I should plant snow peas, lettuce, mustard greens, collards, etc.

In short, more rigorous application of the square foot gardening system imposes a sort of discipline that results in much higher yields.

check out www.gardenpods123.com. full depth dividers make more sense.