CanDoCOOP_SquareFootHeroGarden

Presents:

Presents

The Amazing Story of the Square Foot Hero Garden:

The Amazing Story of the Square Foot Hero Garden

Inspired by Mel Bartholomew’s Original Hero Garden Box Project:

Inspired by Mel Bartholomew’s Original Hero Garden Box Project Square Foot Hero Gardens are a philanthropy of the Square Foot Gardening Foundation, providing stand-up and wheelchair garden boxes for the local Veterans Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. http://squarefootgardening.org/

Mark’s Hero Garden was originally an aspiring Chef’s Herb Garden:

Mark’s Hero Garden was originally an aspiring Chef’s Herb Garden

It all began with constructing Portable 2x2 Hero Garden Boxes:

It all began with constructing Portable 2x2 Hero Garden Boxes

Mark prepared Mel’s Mix for his Gourmet Herb Garden:

Mark prepared Mel’s Mix for his Gourmet Herb Garden We had a slight bag malfunction with the vermiculite, so Mark got inventive with one of our community garden signs and scooped it up to complete the soil mix! Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening Mix consists of equal parts coarse vermiculite, blended compost, and peat moss .

Dividing the Squares:

Dividing the Squares Each plant is added to a square foot section according to size & required spacing (clockwise from top left): 9 Parsley from seed, 4 Basil, 16 Chives, 1 Sage

Julie places the first marker :

Julie places the first marker 

Mark’s Herb Garden 2009:

Mark’s Herb Garden 2009

Square Foot Demonstration Gardens Spring-Summer 2009:

Square Foot Demonstration Gardens Spring-Summer 2009 Transforming an overgrown Boy Scout garden project at CRUMC

Preparing the Grids:

Preparing the Grids

Creating Community Compost Bins:

Creating Community Compost Bins

Time to Plant! Topping Off with Mel’s Mix:

Time to Plant! Topping Off with Mel’s Mix

Hand Watering from Bucket of Sun-warmed H2O:

Hand Watering from Bucket of Sun-warmed H2O

Earth Day 2009 Preparing the Hero Boxes:

Earth Day 2009 Preparing the Hero Boxes Cub Scout Campout Weekend

SFG Presentation Planting Boxes with Local Heroes:

SFG Presentation Planting Boxes with Local Heroes

Finishing Touches:

Finishing Touches

Earth Day 2009 More Projects:

Earth Day 2009 More Projects SFG Presentation @ Lakes Region Library Miss Serita’s Square Foot Hero Garden @ WTI Community Hero Garden Pedestals @ CRUMC

Before/After Old-fashioned Row Gardening Digging, Weeding, Overwhelming!:

Before/After Old-fashioned Row Gardening Digging, Weeding, Overwhelming!

Before/After Square Foot Garden-style No Digging, No Weeding, No Kidding! :

Before/After Square Foot Garden-style No Digging, No Weeding, No Kidding!

Memorial Day Hero Garden 2010:

Memorial Day Hero Garden 2010 The bunnies and other critters from the park next door thought Mark planted the herbal goodies just for them(!), so instead of making a screen covering for this box (which had been relocated to the front beds for more sun,) we decided to convert it to a Square Foot Hero Garden planted with two shades of Mexican Heather, dedicated to my father, Herbert W. Davidson, Sr. (USAAF-WWII, deceased,) brothers, Herb Davidson, Jr. (USN, USS Forrestal, Vietnam, deceased) and Walter Clifton Davidson (USAF,) plus my ever-lovin' husband, Chuck Ard (USN, USS Nimitz.) Honorable mention goes to my mom, Phyllis Clifton Davidson (Navy brat, Army wife, and Rosie the Riveter) and our nephew, Phil Ard (USMC,) who has served multiple tours of duty in the war zone. Thanks to Mel Bartholomew for the inspiration and special granting of my retroactive (Spring 2009) Teacher/Speaker diploma from Square Foot University on this lovely Memorial Day weekend 2010!

Mark’s Butterfly Hero Garden 2011 :

Mark’s Butterfly Hero Garden 2011

Slide 23:

It's not a Square Foot Garden without a proper grid to divide the plantings ~ playin' Tic-Tac-Toe with pebbles for fun and good measure! (With props to my mentor, Mel Bartholomew of the Square Foot Gardening Foundation, for his guidance & words of wisdom :o)

Butterfly View:

Butterfly View Center : Spike Dracaena (Drácena) ~ Mark was a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so we thought he'd appreciate this! ;-) Corners : Petunias to please the butterflies :)(: Center Edges : Reserved for True Blue Iris ~ symbolic of the fleur-de-lis (of special significance to Mark as a New Orleans Saints fan); Mark's favorite color.

True Blue Irises and Carnations ~ Mark’s favorite flower:

True Blue Irises and Carnations ~ Mark’s favorite flower Immortality & Clarence Irises are designated for the fall planting; Starlight Carnations will fill in for the summer.

~ Fin ~ :

~ Fin ~