On Jan 21, 11:24*am, " wrote:
Hi!

I'm in the middle of reading Square Foot Gardening and have a
question. *In my backyard, I have an ideal spot to garden, however,
it's on top of cement. *There use to be a small one-car garage there,
and the previous owner knocked it down but left the cement.

I was thinking of building a 4x4 box to garden in on top of the
cement. *Will this work? *How deep would I have to make it?

One of my concerns is about drainage. *If I build it on top of the
cement, then the water probably won't drain well. *I'm also concerned
about the hot/cold of the cement. *I think dirt regulates heat/cold a
little better than cement. *BTW, I also live in Chicago.

My other idea is to build it in the yard. *I'd rather not do it
because the cement area gets the most sun, and my yard is pretty
small. *However, if it will affect my yield, then I can spare some
room. *;-)

I would also like to plant (if it matters) broccoli, parsley, onions,
peppers, tomatoes, muskmelons, peas, carrots, beans (pole), and
corn....if possible.

Thanks in advanced for any suggestions!

No problem. A lot of us do container gardening on decks and patios.
As long as you have a foot or maybe more dirt, you can grow these
things. If you are worried about water logging, unless your frame is
water tight, excess should leak out, or as I do in some of my pots,
put drain holes. If garden is only 4X4, you are best to plant higher
value things like tomatos and peppers.