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Summary: Change your way of thinking
Review: I grew up near Baton Rouge. We had three acres of land with about 20,000 square feet of garden. I was the only boy in the family, so during the summers when Dad was at work, I got to work that half acre all by myself. I hated gardening and swore I would never inflict this curse on my kids. I started reading this book on 3-31-00, and started digging and planting the following afternoon. I am actually excited about my new garden, and my kids were begging me to let them help me. This is a terrific book and I recommend it to anyone that even thinks they might have an urge to grow. You can grow nearly all the veggies your family of 5 can eat in less than 100 square feet, including corn. Some things just take up too much room (potatoes, for example), but if you want to eat it, you can probably grow it in your square foot garden. The only thing that isn't really covered (if it is, I missed it and apologies to Mr Bartholomew) is replenishing soil mineral content. All plants produce their vitamins with not much more than standard nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash fertilizers (organic or synthetic), but they cannot produce the trace elements that they get from the soil which are essential to your diet (like iron, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, et al). Anyway, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. READ THIS BOOK READ THIS BOOK. You will be thanking yourself every time you eat a meal. Many thanks to Mr Bartholomew!
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Summary: NOT just another gardening book...
Review: As a retiree I have plenty of time on my hands. After planting a flower garden (first effort) for my Mom, I quickly realized that crawling around on my hands and knees was not comfortable for me and searched the Web for alternatives. Found Mel's website at http://www.squarefootgardening.com Being frugal and a customer of Amazon, I looked for a bargain-priced copy of his book. Found one. Bought it. And then... When the book arrived I couldn't put it down. The subject matter was all new to me, but it was an easy one-on-one kind of read. So much good stuff. Practical. Logical. And...raised a question in my thinking process. Why isn't everybody using this gardening system? I tried it. I like it. You will too! The author of this book questioned the common practice of row gardening and experimented. Sharing his methods AND the results teaches new and experienced gardeners how to eliminate the hard work of digging, tilling and weeding. You will learn to save time, effort, space , water, and increase your harvest. I never experienced the "old-fashioned" way to garden. Square Foot Gardening provides all the known/assumed pleasures and self-satisfaction of gardening, without the drudgery. I have a Stand-Up garden that is easy to care for, portable and actually FUN. Mel Bartholomew, the originator and author of "Square Foot Gardening" since writing the book has formed the Square Foot Gardening Foundation, a non-profit educational organization that is taking this method across the nation and around the world! Buy this book! WARNING: It may change your view of your role in this thing called Life. "Square Foot Gardening" is NOT just another gardening book.
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Summary: The Easy Way to Garden
Review: Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening is one of the best gardening books on the market. It shows you how to maximum your gardening effeciency by growing the plants in a wide bed instead of the more traditional narrow row method developed for tractors. By reducing the rows and maximizing the area of planting, you reduce the amount of wasted water and compose. You get more out of this important resources and your gardening efforts. The book is 20 years old and a little dated, but still worth the purchase for the beginning gardener.
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Summary: The best vegetable gardening book to start with
Review: This book transformed me into a gardener, from a former self who would buy a few tomato plants or pepper seeds and watch nothing much happen. We've all read generic gardening books with nice photos and a long recitation of suggested, common methods for doing what needs to be done. One of the reasons that Square Foot Gardening is different is that the author has strong preferences. Start seeds in vermiculite! Plant oak leaf lettuce! Read the seed catalogs in december! --Because of Bartholomew's enthusiasm, these specific things are fun to start with, and because his method works so well, you wind up happy and with lots of vegetables. One warning though, I tried to build a Bartholomew style trellis from copper plumbing and string, a bit too close to a neighbor's property line. "I'm sorry, but this looks like a soccer net." I tore it down and worked considerably harder on something nicer. (But yes, do build the trellis, it's worth it.)
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Summary: Perfect for the gardening beginner.
Review: I was told about this book many years ago when I first became interested in gardening. It is a great book for those just starting out, those living in areas with poor soil etc. His recipe for perfect gardening soil has made an incredible difference in my gardening success. He also teaches across the board about organic measures for pest control, boosting yields, composting, and doing all of that in very little space.
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Summary: THE gardening book!
Review: Wow! If you're looking for a gardening book to see you through from planting to harvest, then this is for you! Before I purchased this book, I only knew the mere basics of gardening [namely, put seed in ground, water.] but Mr. Bartholomew goes right back to the beginning without being tedious. Also, he is not too preachy nor overconfident in his formula for square foot gardening - which obviously works when you stop to think about it. The illustrations are simple yet spot on, the list of plants and how to plant them is extensive and applicable for various regions on earth [I live in Ireland and was able to grow plants just as the author described]. If you've ever wanted to get into gardening without investing too much time/effort/money and wanted a simple approach which will give you results with little fuss - then this is the book for you. I highly recommend it. - A.
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Summary: Best Gardening book I own!
Review: I have been gardening for the past 30 years and this is the best gardening book ever!
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Summary: Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
Review: This is the only self help book I have read past page 10. I find myself reading it on the bus to and from work, in the morning, at night, and even in the bathroom. This is a wonderful system of gardening for those who hate weeding, hoeing, rototilling, digging, and all the hard hard labor of traditional gardening. Mel's method of growing crops vertically is fantastic. Since I live in the desert I will be using his method of gardening combined with rainwater harvesting to landscape my entire front and backyard.
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Summary: Florida gardening made simple
Review: I think this book and method are great for gardening here in the hot South. Although, during the summer, I had to water a bit more than Mel suggested, it was easy since I was only watering a small area. Using the method was fun, and even weeding was easier - since I knew what was supposed to be where, I could spot what wasn't supposed to be there before it grew large. We had tons of tomatoes, and are still getting lots of green peppers every day. I especially liked how he did not recommend expensive "garden" supplies, but detailed methods to make things from supplies we could easily get from the home store. The best part was that since the garden was small, I could keep track of what progress the crop was making and what each crop needed to stay healthy. Plus, when something ended its season, or didn't come up, it was easy to replace it since it was just a matter of replacing a couple squares. It is a great resource - and all the ideas inside keep you dreaming of garden projects for seasons and years to come!
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Summary: Cheap, easy, effective and fun.
Review: A year and a half ago, I purchased a new place with a small yard, clayey soil, but a very good southern exposure. My first spring at the place, I thought, "I want to raise some fresh vegetables." My dad always had a garden when we were growing up, and I know nothing beats that "Right from the garden" taste. So, like the dutiful college boy I am, I was off to the used bookstore to get a book on gardening, where I stumbled on this book by accident.
Sound, practical advice. First of all, my plot is so small (about 20 square feet), the soil this year is 100% better than last year. By spring, 2004, I expect to have the best soil on the block. Secondly, what a harvest for the space! Last year I grew only summer veggies. This year, though, I started harvesting radishes and lettuce in April, and have full, bushy tomatoes, cukes, pea vines and pole beans that are the envy of my brothers, sisters and parents. When I tell them I merely spend an hour or so a week gardening, they scoff. Let them scoff. This book is sound, very easy to follow: A great method for gardening in small spaces. Cheap, easy, effective and fun.
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