Lots of people who do square foot gardening struggle finding the right dividers to mark off their beds. Mel Bartholomew originally suggested tack nailing flat wooden strips (like trellis slats) to the side of the beds. That's expensive. I've read of others who have tried using string, pvc pipe, and even mini-blind slats.
I struggled finding the best divider for my square foot garden too. Then it hit me! I discovered the best material is 1 1/4" vinyl corner bead. You'll find it at your local home improvement store in the section where they sell drywall supplies. It comes in 8 foot sections. Mine cost under $2.00 each.
It looks like this:
Since the corner bead is "V" shaped all you need to do is cut off both sides. You'll need a strong pair of cutters to do this- regular scissors won't cut it. I use a pair of garden scissors. Just trim along the line of holes on both sides.
Here's what you'll end up with.
Now just lay out the strips in your bed.
You can secure the strips a number of ways. Last year I interwove them (like a basket weave). That kept them in place pretty good. This year I'm trying wire stakes make out of this stuff.
I just cut the wire into about 10" lengths then bent them in a "U" shape and pushed them through the holes at the intersections. See below:
I'll let you know how the wire stakes hold up this year.
Cheers!
5 comments:
This is an excellent idea, I am glad I found it! It provides a more permanent grid, not made of plastic, which is easily moved if you have to get to irrigation, add soil/compost, etc.
It is particularly helpful for us, because we have a curved bed because of the shape of our yard.
I thought it so clever, I put it as a reference in our e-newsletter: http://nl.r2rassoc.com/enews/4743/cook-remodeling/2
Thank you for posting. God bless!
Thanks for the link. Glad you found it helpful.
Cheers!
Thanks so much! I was trying to think of a way to add dividers because I use cinder blocks and can't nail, staple, or screw anything into them. This looks like It'll work out just great! Off to Lowes once the hubby get's home! You're my gardening hero!
Thanks so much! I was trying to think of a way to add dividers because I use cinder blocks and can't nail, staple, or screw anything into them. This looks like It'll work out just great! Off to Lowes once the hubby get's home! You're my gardening hero!
Hey Marc, I know this is an old post, but how did this work for you? I used vinyl mini blinds last year but they won't last for another season, and thought I might try this.
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