I’m not new to gardening. For over a decade, I’ve planted in whatever space I had available. Ive planted in windowsills, on porches and balconies, or in backyard beds. As a young military family, we gardened on the side of our first home, then in tiny windowsills of base housing, and eventually in the backyard of our third on-base home. After my ex and I left the military and later split, I kept gardening. There were the containers in my Baltimore apartment, then big porch planters when I moved back to California.

Last year was our first spring in what we now call our forever home. We closed right before planting season, and with all the chaos of moving, settling in, and containing puppies, we didn’t put much focus on gardening, except to start composting. But this year, we were ready.

In the past, I struggled with a few recurring issues in my gardens, and they all come back to one common thread. Drumroll please… my ADHD.

1. Forgetting What I Planted Where Every year I promised myself I’d remember what I planted. I never did. Whether it was rows in a backyard or pots on a balcony, I’d excitedly push seeds into soil and convince myself I’d know what each sprout was. Spoiler: I didn’t. This year, with square foot gardening, organization was built into the process. I planned out what went in each square and made a little garden map in Canva. I printed it out and kept a copy with me when planting with the kids and I’ve got it on my phone, too, so it is always with me. No more mystery sprouts.

2. Out of Sight, Out of Mind Another issue? Location. If the garden wasn’t part of my daily rhythm, I’d eventually get distracted by other projects and forget to tend to it. This time, our garden is right outside the front door. Every morning when I get home from my overnight shift and every time I go out to feed the chickens and ducks, I walk right past it. I water it before I even set foot inside in the mornings. It’s become part of my morning grounding ritual and a routine is crucial when you’re a neurodivergent dad in a home with four other neurodivergent folks.

3. Lack of Planning = Disappointment I used to plant randomly, often too close together or without thinking about how plants would affect each other. I’d shade out my lettuce with towering tomatoes or crowd things together so nothing thrived. With square foot gardening, planning is non-negotiable and honestly, that structure is helping everything (and everyone) grow this year.

Square foot gardening was originally developed by Mel Bartholomew in the early 1980s, and one of the best parts is how accessible it is. A quick search tells you how many seeds or starts of each crop fit into a square. It takes the guesswork out, and that’s been such a relief for my ADHD brain.

This method is helping us build something consistent and joyful in our chaotic little corner of the world. We’re not aiming for perfection just food, fun, and a little more peace in our routine.

If you’re like me, neurodivergent, busy, craving connection with your space, then square foot gardening might be the gentle structure you didn’t know you needed.

If you enjoyed this peek into our hillside garden, come hang out with us on Instagram @neuroblended ! We’re a neurodivergent, blended fam growing veggies, raising chickens and ducks, and finding magic in the messy, beautiful process of homesteading. From tiny sprouts to big wins (and plenty of dirt in between), we’d love to have you along for the journey.