Week 1: Thinking Inside the Box

When I first discovered micro gardening, or "Square Meter Gardening" as some people call it, I was blown away. The very idea that you could feed your family with just a few boxes of well placed vegetables seemed surreal and definitely way too good to be true. If it was true however: it would be a complete indictment on the human species that we weren't teaching this technique to every kid in  every school and any one else willing to listen. Particularly in Africa.

This brings us to this blog. I have studied the technique of Square Meter Gardening, in as much as you can call it "studying". It is really simple and, again, sounds too good to be true, so I decided to test it out and build my very own micro patch of heaven in the courtyard behind my kitchen. 

For the record: I don't have a green thumb. My wife, Nandi, and I manage to kill most of the plants we get given within a week. This is going to be a true test of just how 'easy' this technique is. If we can do it: anyone can. 

So this is week 1: thinking inside the box. The whole concept of square meter gardening is that you plant in boxes not in the ground. I suppose this would keep the nutrients generated by the technique in the area you are planting. Makes sense. I think. 

This week we built the box and planted the seeds. 

After a quick visit to the local building supplies store, which conveniently had a gardening section, we came home to get started.

Man is never more at his most man than when he is using tools (and wearing safety boots). So I pulled out my trusty hammer and set to work constructing the box. Having not wielded a hammer in years, I think I did a pretty good job, while my wife made supportive cooing sounds from the doorway of the kitchen. 

The process was pretty easy: 5 nails a side, turn and repeat.

And here is the finished box: well done us! 

It was now time to add the compost mix. To be honest: I didn't really research this terribly well. 

I bought two bags of what looked like the right stuff and dumped it in the middle of the box. It smelled like the seventh layer of hell. It was horrible. We immediately attracted a horde of flies. "Don't worry," I told my wife reassuringly, "it wont smell this bad once we add the rest." (I had no idea what I was talking about. Look at me pretending to be a garden veteran. She looked at me with that look only a wife can give when she knows her husband is talking absolute bull and said: "uh-huh", before walking back into the kitchen.) 

Thankfully I was right. I have been making a bit of my own compost in the bottom of the garden for about two months now, and once we filled the box with "Zill's Wonder Mix", it did indeed smell better. (Or maybe we just got used to it? You'll have to come for tea and tell me if my sense of smell is forever broken; a distinct possibility considering how pungent the odour was.)

Next we had to divide the box into squares. This is another key principle of the technique. each square is to house its own variety of vegetable. You are supposed to have 16 squares per box, but since our box was slightly smaller than a meter by a meter, so that it would fit on the table, we only made 9. 

Once we were done we gave the mix a good watering and planted our seeds. (More on that next week)

All we have to do now is wait. Wait and water.