Square foot garden ideas are ideas I have come up for my own gardens, not necessarily used as I tend to dedicate whole boxes to particular plants, however the SFG method should provide the same potential yields no matter what the box layouts are.
Salad Box vegetables
Primary:
Tomato: (1/square) Cherry varieties with relative quick growing as well as continuous fruiting over the season are the best choice.
Cucumber: Qucick growing, soft skinned varieties. National Pickling cukes make great early season salads – with continuous fruiting.
Lettuce: Have a few varieties, some romaine (4/square) – staggered planting, leaf (5/square – like dice) or whatever you prefer. – PROVIDE SHADE!
Others:
Radish: (16/square) A couple varieies with staggered plantings as they are very quick to mature.
Kohlrabi: (4/square) Pretty good sliced up and in salads.
Carrots: (16/square) Baby carrots especially good in salads.
Bok Choi: (4 to 9/square) Eaten small (9/square) or fully mature (4/square) – quick to mature, staggered planting and even successive planting in some areas.
Considerations
Cucumber and tomatoes are typically a late season crop and require warm conditions. Lettuce is an early season crop and loves the cool weather, they will bolt and go to seed in the heat. Planting early to mature varieties of cucumbers (national pickling 52 days) and cherry tomatoes (~ 60 days) will allow for a mid season crop. In addition lettuce should be shaded when it gets hot (plant between tall plants or shade with fabric). Lettuce should be clipped or picked before it bolts. If it bolts, replant.
Cucumbers need to be vertically trellised and tomatoes must be pruned and cage/staked.
Some Layouts
| Cu | LL | LL | Tc |
| Cu | RL | RL | Tc |
Cu=cucumbers; RL=romaine; LL=leaf lettuce; Tc=cherry tomatoes
Simple 2×4 plan should produce enough salad veggies on a regular basis for 1-2 people.
| Cu | Cu | Cu | Cu |
| Ra | RL | LL | LL |
| BC | RL | RL | LL |
| BC | K | Tc | Tc |
Cu=cucumbers; RL=romaine; LL=leaf lettuce; Tc=cherry tomatoes; K=kohlrabi; Ra=radish; BC=bok choi
16 square feet of salad goodness. Cucumbers trellised at north side (can likely get away with half as many cukes). Tomatoes and Kohlrabi should provide shade, however screen shading may be needed as well when the heat sets in.
Should be no problem feeding the family salads regularly.
| Cu | RL | RL | LL | LL | LL | LL | Tc |
| Cu | BC | BC | K | K | RA | RA | Tc |
Cu=cucumbers; RL=romaine; LL=leaf lettuce; Tc=cherry tomatoes; K=kohlrabi; Ra=radish; BC=bok choi
16 square feet as above, with more efficient use of space, less cucumbers. This will require additional shading for the heat.
