The Bottom Line
Pros
- Kit comes with everything but the plants
- Takes up minimal space
- Made of weather-resistant polypropylene
- Included fertilizer is organic
- Optional casters are available
Cons
- Small size is limiting
- A bit pricy for a pot and soil
Description
- Kit includes: Planter, Trellis, 20 qts. Container Mix and 1 lb. of organic fertilizer (5-5-5)
- Weather-Resistant Polypropylene Planter 12" square x 11" H
- 30"coated steel trellis
- Price: $39.95 plus S&H
- Urethane wheels available ($7.95 for a set of 4)
- Available from Gardener’s Supply, 1-800-955-3370, www.gardeners.com
Guide Review - Square Foot Gardening Success Kit
This truly is square foot gardening and for someone with a small terrace or patio who wants to experiment with a few plants, it’s a good idea. The kit comes with everything you’ll need to get started growing, except a plant. They leave that choice up to you.
The container is self watering with a holding reservoir at the bottom of the pot and a top filling port complete with water level indicator.
I like the squared, conical trellis. It’s a functional 30' high, so you can grow a decent sized tomato plant or even a flowering vine. Yet it’s not so tall that the pot will become top heavy and tip over.
This size pot is targeted toward gardeners with minimal space and folks who really crave just picked produce. Dwarf varieties would work best here, but since dwarf plants are being bred to be heavy yielders, that’s not really a drawback. You could easily grow perennials, small shrubs and even dwarf fruit trees in this square foot garden.
Gardener’s Supply also offers several other self-watering containers, including a self-watering whisky barrel. But this all inclusive kit is definitely aimed at urban and first time gardeners. It takes away all the excuses for not having a garden. I think it would also make a great gift or apartment warming present. The Square Foot Success Kit won a 2007 Mail Order Gardening Green Thumb Award. Another Green Thumb Award Winner, The Grow Box™, is similar, but larger (30”L x 15”W x 12”H ) and it does not include potting soil or a trellis. However it does include a soil cover called the Nutrient Patch™ , which suppresses weeds, dispenses fertilizer and has spacing for dozens of popular plants and seeds marked out for you. It’s another good tool or gift for someone who’s taking their first steps into gardening. Price is $9.9.5 plus S&H. 1-800-519-1955, www.aGardenPatch.com
