1st of all there are no hard & fast rules in gardening. We learn by doing. Gardening is just one huge experiment - to have fun & enjoy - not stress for perfection, right!

And we are just brainstorming here - meaning on the forum.
Starting small is an excellent idea. Too many of us jumped in with both feet & were disappointed to find out just how much work it can be.

Being in CT the Oregano may not overwinter. Consider planting it in a large pot (in the ground) then remove the pot before winter.

I think the carrots in 2nd row will not get enuff sun. In CT the rocky soil can be a problem too. It was for me, plus I had a problem with the slugs eating the seedlings as soon as they sprouted. The seedlings are very tender.
In fact, if possible consider building or using a small window type box for the carrots. I built one for mine - best thing I did for the carrots.

Plant more spinach in place of the carrots. I was surprised how much you need to be able to eat any of it.

fwiw- Bush Cucumbers are just a shorter vine - not really a bush at all, so don't be disappointed and plant 2 or 3 of them in the square. Just trellis them.

The Tomatoes, Peppers, etc. are just one plant for the square, correct?

How many will you be feeding?

Start a garden notebook, jot down both the good things and things to change. Make a note of this years layout. If you are like me - by next year you will have completely forgotten all the wonderful ideas you had this year.

Have fun with it.
Good Luck,
Gumby_CT

Thanks for all the great tips, Gumby! It is especially helpful to get advice from someone in my neighborhood! :)

I haven't planted anything yet - when do we in CT do that anyway? I've found last frost dates that vary by almost a month depending on the source!

I'll plan to put the oregano in a pot. Should I put a Marigold plant in that square? I've read it's a good pest deterrent.

I should have noted that all of this will take place on a cement patio with the 4x4 box slightly raised off the ground. And I will also be using Mel's Mix.

Yes, the tomatoes and peppers will be 1 plant per sq. foot. Do you think I should move the other pepper plant back to the 2nd row where the carrots were going to be?

We have just three of us in our family (me, my husband and our toddler son). I work full time during the week and am busy chasing my son around on the weekends, so I'm a little worried I won't have the time it takes to tend to this garden - in your experience, does an SFG require a lot of attention?

I'm one of those people that LOVES to organize and plan, so you can bet I already have a garden journal going and a few versions of my first garden layout saved on my laptop! :)

Thanks again for your help!

On the patio - well my crystal ball just blew up, ha. When writing we tend to leave out the details because "we" know them. Just bustin em, here. Communication truly is a lost art, tho.

Moving the pepper is a good idea. If it were me, I would put the marigold in a pot, so I could move it around, but that's me. I'd plant more spinach in the garden, really I would.

We haven't talked about orientation which can be critical when trellising plants. You want your tallest plant on the north side with the row going east to west or west to east but so that ALL the tall plants are in the northern most row. If you can't do that you WILL have shade problems.

Time- Gardens like anything else in life take the most time the 1st time. There is no teacher like Experience. I think you have taken the right approach. I wish I had found out about SFG much earlier in life.

If you haven't read the SFG book go to the library - it is worth the read. If you don't have time, read it over the winter. If you are inclined to buy books - buy the old book. I would NOT buy the newest book - but that's JMMO - Just My Meaningless Opinion.

Good Luck,
Gumby_CT

--I haven't planted anything yet - when do we in CT do that anyway? I've found last frost dates that vary by almost a month depending on the source!

Sorry forgot about this one - Like many places CT is esp. difficult to put a date on the calendar to say "No Frost after this date". CT with its many rolling hills, valleys, shoreline, and inland areas will vary the date for most of us. I say don't be afraid to take a chance just be prepared, have a plan A & a plan B, maybe even a 'C'!! Farmers must have been notorious gamblers, eh? Imagine betting your whole future on a gut feeling?

Some guidelines are when the forsythias bloom we know that spring is not far behind. That doesn't mean we won't have a frost but means the soil has warmed (I think its the 50 degree mark). Get yourself one of those 6 in. digital kitchen thermometers to check your soil temp. I think Walmart has them for $12-$15. Check the soil to at least 6in deep.

Many folks here swear we'll be frost free by Memorial Day. Some like me, like to start a bit earlier maybe even Mother's Day. The only thing I think you can count on - is each year will be different. Hence the thermometer, oh and dice.

Plant cold weather crops and if you don't have one - consider a cold frame. I use one 4x4 frame on top of another, to give a little height and some old windows, tho plastic will also work. It doesn't have to be air tight, just something to help contain the suns' warmth. I find any plants I start that way are a bit stronger.

Get creative, & keep an ear on the forecast.

HTH,
Gumby_CT

Thanks again, Gumby!

You're right about farmers being gamblers. My husband and I are both from MN originally and he grew up on a farm where his family was always playing roulette with mother nature!

Mel's new book is what got me into all of this in the first place - I read it cover to cover one afternoon and got hooked on the idea of square foot gardening.

Re the orientation of the bed & plants. I will have the bed arranged so the rows are running east to west with the tall plants (tomatoes and peas)on the north side. I'm also planning to have pepper plants and cucumbers in the second row - how big do they get and will they shade the plants in the 3rd row?

TIA!

Hello from another CT gardener!

I haven't had much luck with root crops in our SFG. I built our main bed (5'x8') last year (I plant annuals in the center row and then ignore them all season so that I never have to reach in further than 2 squares) and it has close to 18" of growing depth. Carrots grew, but they were very stubby. This year I'm trying a carrot cultivar named Parmex, which is a round market-style carrot that I hope will do better.

I'm a tomato fiend, so I do toms with a vengeance. I'll have 8 in the raised bed this year, with 4 determinate varieties in pots on the deck. I'm also doing 3-4 summer squashes (all bush types), green beans, carrots, lettuce, etc. Peas will be planted for the fall.

With a 5'x8', I have a total of 40 squares. At the moment I have allocated 4 for my flower annuals, 8 for toms, 3 for spring peas, and 5 for garlic. That leaves me with 20 squares. Assume 4 for squash, 4 for cauliflower and broccoli, and I'm down to 12 squares for beans, lettuce, and carrots. I may focus on beans and carrots rather than monkeying with lettuce. I do my layouts based on position in the bed and how tall the plant will get since the garden bed "faces" south. Taller plants have to go to the north side or I'll have a shade issue. The toms are the furthest back, and my carrots and lettuces are all the way forward.

I'm an engineer and have a lot of fun with graph paper figuring out my layouts. :) I suggest doing the same or keeping a garden notebook.

My toms and spring peas are in the ground already (the garlic overwintered). We're in the Farmington River Valley and haven't had frost in weeks. It's a risk, but not as substantial as if we were in the Litchfield hills or the northeast hills. We're past our average last frost date for Hartford, so I felt comfortable putting plants in the ground.