Don't worry. If you run out of room, just pull out the under-performing plants and forge ahead. One zuke is more than enough for a family of four for fresh eating and it'll start producing long before it gets huge. You can always succession plant -- so when the one zuke gets bigger and production starts to taper off, the replacement is getting big enough to flower. There's also a climbing zuke that likes growing in containers, but I haven't tried it. When I lived in California and had a small patio, I gardened square foot style. Most everything grew with precision and exactly as the books and web sites say. In Alabama? I think there's steroids in the dirt. I get monsters here. I experimented with small melon plants last year, and Minnesota Midget really does live up to the description but all the melons ripened at once and then the plant died. I got 5 4-5" melons off a tiny little plant with a couple of 4' vines, though. This year I am trying a reportedly smaller zuke plant (cocozelle) and smaller winter squash varieties. I have lots of room but the BF doesn't eat many veggies and I need smaller portions!

Dang'it Barbie - I was so looking forward to meeting you in the flesh :) TimeT - I grew up in gardening to learn to embrace the experiment; try different methods and see what works best for you. I have one small SFG that I am not so impressed with. I have other raised garden beds that I have 'made my own dirt' with that I'm pretty content with. Caveat - I am still learning :) My most productive raised beds are those that I started a season or two before I used them. Piled them up with cardboard/newspaper/yard debris/my compost/peat/black kow. Then let them sit and marinate. This always worked very well for me growing ornamentals; and thus far is working very well with edibles. I am finding with the edibles that a regular amendment routine is really critical for higher harvest gains. I try to rotate weekly between black cow, black hen or blood meal, 6-6-6, and our own compost. And mulch heavily. Then mulch some more. So far things are going fairly well; and I expect that as I experiment and learn I will change things and improve things. Oh, and my primary veggie bed is around 250 sqft. ~dianne

Personally, I'd plant more spinach in one. The other, I'd try for something else leafy - even better if the roots are edible too! Nasturtium is fun, especially for a 2 yr old since you can eat the leaves and the flowers :) We can't get enough Chard in my house! Good luck and hope to hear that it goes so well you become addicted!

Well said justaguy2. I suggest not screwing and unscrewing if you don't have to. You'll increase longevity if you just leave as is. The frame won't be that heavy at all. As for holes, not sure, maybe someone will have a suggestion. Off the top of my head I'd say an ice pick or something that wouldn't turn into a "rip" if that would even happen, maybe Xs would be fine with a knife. If you do line with no bottom, consider corner drainage instead of directly in the bottom center area. Maybe you could even build the box, line the box, fill with soil, and then drill some holes in the sides along the bottom. Just an idea... Sounds like all you need to do is get started!