Couldn't put it down !  Logical, Practical good stuff !

Reviewer: Dick Hickman,  Mt Gilead, OH United States   -   November13, 2003.

46)  NOT just another gardening book...

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.

Fantastic, I read this book on the bus, in the AM, PM, even in the Bathroom !

Reviewer: Leon, Albuquerque, NM United States   -   August 21, 2003.

45)  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.

Gardening made simple.

Reviewer: Heather Wifall, Lake Mary, FL United States   -   August 1, 2003.

44)   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!

I spend only an hour a week - Great Method !

Reviewer: ebraynz, Mentor, OH United States   -   July 11, 2003.

43) 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 !

This is the book for you - Look no further !

Reviewer: Science Garden Neighbor, risetolife, Taylorsville, UT United States   -   April 15, 2003.

42)   If I were to recommend one book, or if I could only have one book about gardening, this would have to be the one. I've had this book for a little over 2 years and it's damn near worn out already. I've read it cover to cover 2 times and refer to it constantly. I used to hate yard work and gardening but now, in 2 years I've developed a wonderful small garden plot that rivals the author's own pictures.

The first year of using this method of gardening, my neighbor peered over the fence, beer in hand, gave a quizzical look and wanted to know if I was doing some strange kind of science garden. Two months later when the results started rolling in (along with the lettuce that's hard to
grow in this part of the country), my skeptical mother, who was raised on a farm in Canada, could not stop raving and telling everyone what a wonderful garden I had.

This year it's going to be even better... and I'm expanding my vertical crops all over the place! If you have any interest in gardening, no matter your experience level (but very inspirational for beginners), this is the book for you.

From what should be the simple obvious way to garden, and with its extremely effective methods, to the great tips and ideas, along with the book's simple readability... this book
is tops. Look no further!

Great for beginners!

This is definetely the book to start with !

Reviewer: John D. Wheeler, Edinboro, PA United States   -   Feburary 20, 2003.

41) Great for beginners!

Like many other reviewers, reading this book was a real breakthrough when I started getting serious about gardening. Everything you need to get started is in here. (Even if you've gardened for a long time but only in traditional rows, this will really help increase your productivity.)

However, since then, I've moved on to Permaculture and biointensive and have hardly looked at this -- I'm mainly keeping my copy to lend out. If your library already includes books by authors like Jeavons, Mollison, or Steiner, you'll probably be disappointed by this. But for someone new to intensive gardening, those may be too confusing and intimidating.

This is definitely the book to start with!

This is the Only Book I Recommend - It's indispensable.

Reviewer: Jackie Patti from Carlisle, PA United States   -   January 25, 2003.

40) I love this book. I have read hundreds of gardening books, mostly taken out from the library, but have only actually shelled out the cash to buy about 5. This is the only one I recommend to people regularly.

I went to the author's website and emailed him a couple questions. The guy emailed me back with replies in less than a day. That was really nice of him.

BTW, one of his replies was that the recommended spacing for potatoes is one to a square if growing to full size, or 4 to a square if growing for new potatoes (or a small variety).

He said he would post to his site with more info on my second question. He has a lot of other additional info available on his site as well.

The site is great for owners of the book. But get the book, it fully explains the system and includes reference tables for many types of plants. It's indispensable.

Every Gardener Needs This Book - It's fascinating.

Reviewer: A reader from Richfield, MN  United States   -   January 6, 2003.

39) I am a beginning gardener - ambitions, but not very experienced.  I have a shady backyard, and I LOVE tomatoes - not factors that really go together.  This book explains how to save space, time, effort, and resources while you get more out of your harvest.  It turns gardening into a few-minutes-at-a-time proposition, something you can easily do everyday to keep up.  Now I have an idea of how I *can* grow tomatoes, despite my big trees.

Square Foot Gardening offers specific information (valuable for a beginner!) in just about every area.  I can't think of a single thing I still need to know.  Mel Bartholomew also offers suggestions for wheelchair-bound gardeners (build planters and raise them to a comfortable level) that are also great for anyone who can't get down on the ground easily.  He suggests good plants to try in a garden for kids.  In short, the book is through and fascinating.

My seed catalogs are coming in the mail, and I have NEVER been so excited about the prospect of growing stuff - because I have the tools to succeed at it now.  Square Foot Gardening made it much less daunting

A Must for Your Gardening Library.

Reviewer: Violet from MO   -   August 7, 2002.

37) This is an easy to read, no nonsense book you will refer to for year to come for all the wonderful reasons other reviewers have sited.

You'll learn something new every time you pick it up.

More Food, Less Chemicals.

Reviewer: email from Milpitas, CA   -   July 20, 2002.

36)  I'm buying copies of this book for my gardening friends. I bought my first copy almost 15 years ago and I was able to start a food garden with less space than I thought possible. When we moved into a house I didn't waste any space and made myself a 10x8 raised bed and had lettuce, tomatoes, chard, onions, garlic, and much more. It cut my grocery bills way down and we were eating fresh veggies daily. The thing I liked best was ways to combat pests using other plants, like garlic, to reduce or eliminate my use of pesticide. A definite plus. I would recommend this to beginner and advanced gardeners alike. The techniques I've read about turn everything I had been taught before upside down, but I've never had better results. I'm a believer in Square Foot Gardening.

...And They Said It Couldn't Be Done.

Reviewer: A reader from El Cajon, CA   -   July 4, 2002.

35) I moved to Southern California a year ago, and bought a house on a hill in San Diego's East County area. For those of you that don't know, that means HOT summers and very poor soil. As I was telling my new neighbors about my enthusiastic plans for planting a vegetable garden, I was met with nothing but skepticism. "You'll never grow vegetables in this lousy soil." and "I tried for several years - the gophers got most of it and nothing ever grew anyway." and "The soil here is so bad even the cactuses have a hard time."

They didn't know what I knew. I had purchased a copy of this book a few years earlier. I dug out a small area, lined it with 1/2 inch hardware cloth to keep out the gophers, and followed the instructions in this book for preparing the soil and planting. I now have a small garden (total of 32 square feet) that produces more vegetables than I can eat, and still has room for some colorful flowers to break the green monotony. (I wish Amazon would let us post photos in these reviews!) My neighbors are now believers, as I shower them with the excess produce.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to grow a vegetable garden! --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

The Best Vegetable Gardening Book to Start With.

Reviewer: Elaine DiMasi from Miller Place, NY   -   December 25, 2001.

34) 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.)

Can't Wait for Spring !

Reviewer: penny-wise from La Center, Washington   -   November 2, 2001.

33) This makes so much sense! Eliminate over-sowing then thinning. Stop the endless weeding of empty spaces between rows. Successive plantings will avoid the over-run of ripe veggies during the busy Summer. Wow, why didn't someone tell me earlier? I can't wait for Spring so I can try it myself.

Maximum Production - Minimum Space and Work.

 Reviewer:   Michelle Hall from Morgan MN 56266   -   July 18, 2001.

32) Square Foot Gardening is innovative, quaint, and informative. However, it is difficult to explain to the neighborhood farmers who have done long straight rows since the dawn of time. But it's time for a better more fruitful way.

After hearing the "facts" from the local people I didn't use this method, and you know what happened? I used too much space, I'm still battling weeds, and caterpillars or something similar destroyed all my beautiful cabbage. They were absolutely certain the plants wouldn't have enough room to grow and produce anything worthy of eating. I knew in my heart it would work and I'm positive next year will bring a happy hearty garden using the Square Foot Gardening recommendations.

I've received a couple of helpful emails recommending alternatives to the planks I couldn't find out here in rural country. So, I'm off to build my raised beds and hope for much better results next year.

Please, buy this book, learn it-use it, don't waste your time with any other method. Feed your loved ones home grown goodies- their healthy bodies will thank you.

 A Lot of Garden in a Small Space.

Reviewer:   Howard F. Osden, Jr. from Torrington, CT   -   June 9, 2001.

31) This book will show you the way to get the most garden out of the smallest area. Electrical conduit used to create a lattice work for climbing plants? It works! Using Mel's method I've even successfully grown pumpkins and cantaloupe vertically. If your house sits on less than 1/2 acre and you'd still like a vegetable garden, this book is a must!

 If You Love to Garden But Hate to Dig, This is for You.

Reviewer:   Joanna Daneman from Europe   -   February 22, 2001.

30) I have to admit it, digging the rocky soil of New England never appealed to me. So when I started a garden in our New Hampshire backyard, even though I had a half acre to work with, I used this book and the square foot principles.

There is no reason to create a monster patch of garden if you are only going to have to give away those hundreds of zucchini (people in our town make sure to close their car windows in August, lest passersby fill their auto with their surplus squashes.) The square-foot garden method uses square plots, starting with a 4-foot square, that's all. This book gives you the right number of plants per square to put in each for a typical family. We love lettuce, so devoted more squares to lettuce; and you'd be surprised how few tomato plants you actually need. A married couple with no kids can actually garden in a 4 foot square, which is also helpful for those living in condos or doing terrace or balcony gardening. This method is somewhat related to French intensive agriculture, where a huge crop can be grown in a relatively small space.

Another reason to square-foot garden is to have enough compost to enrich the soil. I never ever have enough of this black gold, even though we compost all our vegetable scraps and grass clippings. (A friend went so far as to strike a deal with the local organic vegetarian restaurant for their scraps to have enough.) And weeding is a lot easier in a small square than on a long, endless furrow.

This is one of my favorite garden books. It's really fun to read, especially in the dark of winter as you plan your summer salad and tomato bounty for the coming summer.

 A Must Have for Greenhouse Owners !

Reviewer:   Dominique Johnson, from Melbourne, Florida   -   February 20, 2001.

29) Great ideas in each chapter. I use these methods in my income producing greenhouse. The info on growing cut flowers for market and herbs for chefs was very helpful. If you are interested in a Fun and Profitable home business, see Secrets to a Successful Greenhouse and Business, 2000 edition.

 Among the Best Organic System Books Anywhere, Anytime.

Reviewer:   Eric from Boothwyn, PA   -   December 12, 2000.

28) This is a classic. If you're a novice gardener, it will be your bible. If you're experienced, it will give you great ideas. I've actually bought this book twice over my gardening career. First I was a novice gardener working the back 40 square feet in an urban garden. It became the talk of the neighborhood. Over the years, I let someone borrow it, and lost track of it. So now, 20 years into gardening, I needed a little boost of enthusiasm after having a couple of bad years. I now garden about 1/4 acre, and used this book this year to manage my vegetable crop. I've got my green thumb back.

Essential Gardening Guidebook.

Reviewer:   Melody A. Fitzgerald from Woodway, TX   -   October 9, 2000.

27) This book is a classic. If you want to know how to garden in an organized, easy, time and money-saving manner, this is an essential book for you. It is also great for those gardeners who are elderly or physically challenged. It tells you, among other things, how to make the most out of limited space, how to rotate your crops, how to set up your beds, what and when to plant.

High Yields ! Less Work ! Gardening Nirvana is Here !

Reviewer:  arygarden from Catonsville, MD   -   September 27, 2000.

26) This book completely revolutionized my way of garden use when I first bought it in the 1970s. WOW is the only word I could think of. Easy, fast, great for the 5-minutes-in-the-evening-after-work gardener. Fabulously effective with raised beds, and especially well suited to organics.

Free yourself from the drudgery of weeding all that empty space between the rows! Plant only exactly how much you need! Introduce yourself to the most flexile, responsive way pf planting a vegetable garden you can imagine! The closest thing there is to hassle free gardening.

Most Excellent !

Reviewer:   Richard from Garden Grove, CA   -   June 30, 2000.

25) I have done square foot gardening for 15 years based on his book. It is excellent. I have one in my cement patio in the back leading to my garage. It truly takes very little time and produces lots of vegetables and looks very decorative too. It gives me a calming effect when I cook and look out my kitchen window. When you buy his book, you will not be disappointed. Also, it produces a lot of lettuce which you can pick fresh each day.

A Handful of Seeds.

Reviewer: M.D. Cummings from Kanosh, UT   -   May 2, 2000.

24) Are you like I was. . .grab a handful of seeds and sow them like grass then worry about thinning later? Of course, thinning was an arduous chore and never really got done; which meant, I'd usually end up with a lot of small useless vegetables.

"Square Foot Gardening" has done away with the old traditional method of raising vegetables, especially, the plant thick, thin later approach. The first year I used the square foot gardening method I couldn't believe how many carrots I grew, and each carrot was picture perfect. What a difference square foot gardening made for our family garden. No longer is it like fifteen little carrots then one big one. The same is true for all the other produce. My radishes were the biggest I'd ever grown and not a hollow one in the bunch.

Each plant gets undivided attention in an easy almost carefree environment. Also, in arid areas such as Utah--where I live. I use only a fraction of the water with the square foot method. It's all explained, and more, in Mel Bartholomew's book: "Square Foot Gardening".

Get Up ! Get Out ! and Get Dirty !

Reviewer: Rose from Memphis   -   April 14, 2000.

23) The information in this book will change you from a couch potato to a green thumb overnight. The techniques are easy, clearly explained, and inexpensive! In fact, you'll save money because you won't be over planting. The planting information and timetables for each individual crop, located at the back of the book, are themselves worth the purchase price.

Change Your Way of Thinking.

Reviewer: Brian Bagent from Houston, TX   -   April 3, 2000.

22) 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!

Amazing and Easy !

Reviewer:   amberleeb from MI   -   March 28, 2000.

21) Want a garden without a lot of hassle, work, or space needed? This book is for you! Wow. Building, maintaining, and growing in an efficient manner. Want to have a garden but are limited on space or are renting and can't till up the lawn? Get this book! It will be worth the cost to start this garden--you will never need to till again if you follow Mel Bartholomew. I even looked up a few web-sites for Square foot discussions. You will not be disappointed.

A Must Read !

Reviewer: Dan Owen from Forsyth, Missouri   -   March 23, 2000.

20)  Square Foot Gardening is a must read for anyone who has tried gardening the traditional way and then given up. If you like the benefits of healthy produce but don't want the backbreaking tedious work a traditional garden affords, then this is the book for you.

Perfect for Beginners and Veteran Gardeners Alike !

Reviewer: DIANNE from Houston, TX   -   October 23, 1999.

19)  This "gardening instruction manual" is a perfect fit for our 90's lifestyle - not enough time, and small yards instead of acreage. Good organic info (fertilizer, compost, etc)too. I first purchased this book in the early 80's as a newly-wed with the idea that I might like to try a small garden. The square foot garden concept is so simple, and the garden is so easy to maintain that I have used it since then.

Great book !

Reviewer: A reader from Pennsylvania   -   October 9, 1999.

18)  This is a must read for anyone that wants to garden in a small area. Read this book, and books by John Jeavons and Eliot Coleman, and you might just end up going into business with a bio-intensive mini-farm. Be warned!

Excellent for Anyone with Little Time & Space.

Reviewer: (jpenny@aol.com) from Montgomery, AL   -   September 27, 1999.

17)  I have gardened the traditional way all my life but was frustrated with the space required and hard work involved. I tried the techniques presented in Bartholomew’s book on square foot gardening and LOVE it. It is so easy and enjoyable not fighting weeds. Also there are suggestions for anyone with only a few feet of space to produce an amazing amount of food. This is perfect for today’s small city living spaces. There are directions for flats at heights comfortable for persons wheelchair bound. I highly recommend this book for ease of reading as well as gardening.

Excellent Gardening Advice, Especially for Novices.

Reviewer:   William W. Davis from Boca Raton, FL   -   August 12, 1999.

16)  A friend lent me this book when I expressed an interest in gardening two years ago. This book got me so fired up that I dug up a portion of my backyard and then expanded my garden shortly after that. I've had overall terrific results since then. The concepts are easy to follow and the method of gardening and overall philosophy are excellent.

Replacing "Lost" Book Borrowed from Farmer.

Reviewer: A reader from Alaska   -   July 17, 1999.

15)  I borrowed this book from my organic farmer. It was so good, and his margin notes were so helpful that I decided that I couldn't give it back. His copy is dog eared, so when I bought him a new one, he was thrilled that he had one in better shape, and I am happy with the one I said I had lost!

Simple for the Most Unknowledgeable Beginner.

Reviewer: A reader from Southeastern U.S.   -   June 25, 1999.

14)  We have a 6 year old who has been fascinated with gardens. While my husband's mom had a small backyard vegetable garden a few years growing up, we have no experience gardening, and really do not delight in basic "yard work". We decided to pursue growing a garden as a family project to learn together and develop her enjoyment of the idea of a garden. Although the initial stages do involve good planning and the preparation of the soil is important, the results have been overwhelming. Two months into it we have had numerous salads, veggies and are awaiting homegrown tomatoes, and cantaloupe. We have found it to be so easy and it requires little time every day, and only takes up minimum space. GIVE IT A TRY !!

Anyone Interested in Gardening Should Read this Book.

Reviewer: A reader from Tucson, AZ   -   May 22, 1999.

13)  This is one of the books Michael Hyatt recommends for a Y2K library. It is a true reference, which appears to include everything you need to know to efficiently grow your own food.

If you have ever given any thought to growing your own food, herbs and/or flowers, this book presents a method by which you can do so with the minimum amount of space and work. It is claimed to be 5 times more space efficient than row gardening and much easier to maintain. It tells you how to prepare the ground, what to plant, when to plant it and how to plant it. Also covered are protecting the plants from weather, disease and pests (birds, animals, insects), and some tips on harvesting and using.

The method is easily adaptable to patio, rooftop and indoor gardens, as well as for handicapped gardeners. It 'automatically' provides for crop rotation and companion planting, and continuous (possibly even year round) production.

It is unlikely that Y2K will be impacting food availability by harvest time, but there are other reasons to grow your own food - to save money, to increase nutrient content and lower chemical content, to have better taste and possibly for fun and relaxation. This book covers everything you need to do so, while maintaining the fun and relaxation aspects.

If you do get this book for Y2K, you will need to start following it NOW, as you will need to have the supplies, tools and experience already in place before needing them under emergency conditions.

Highly Commendable Book.

Reviewer: gulden_s@hotmail.com from Istanbul, Turkey   -   May 17, 1999.

12)  As with all true innovations, this gardening method is so simple, practical, and obvious that one just wonders, "Why haven't I thought of it before?" It works, and it's fun. Instead of doing a chore after a while, you are eager to work in the garden as you know each single plant, and watch their growth closely; almost like a pet. As an amateur, I have already begun to develop sub-systems and procedures for myself. Thank you Mel, and please include a wider range of tips concerning different climate conditions, natural fertilizers, etc. for us sq-foot gardeners on the other side of the world!

This Book is "The Bible" of Gardening.

Reviewer: A reader from the United States   -   May 3, 1999.

11)  I read this book and now use it as a "workbook guide" for my gardening. His ideas are very good and easy to implement. He makes gardening so easy with instructions that are easy to follow. If you don't want to till your garden anymore, this method is for you. This is the only way for me!

This is a No-Nonsense Guide for Small Yards and Decks.

Reviewer: Pookie the Clown (pookietheclown@hotmail.com) from Norristown, PA   -   April 6, 1999.

10)  I highly recommend this book to anyone who is tired at the end of the day, just from weeding. Anyone can benefit from this book. Young, old, wheelchair bound or experienced gardeners. It is one of my favorite gardening books and would highly recommend it to everyone. This is a great gift to give to kids to get them started in their own garden.

A No-Fail Way to Garden.

Reviewer: A reader from California   -   March 5, 1999.

9)  If you've ever stood at the end of a huge garden and lamented the weeds and all that DIDN'T grow, buy this book. Square Foot Gardening will help you grow what you need, while conserving on space, time, effort, and SEEDS. You will feel like a successful gardener instead of a flop, and you'll get allot more of what you're gardening for. You'll wonder, "Why isn't EVERYBODY gardening this way?"

Do Yourself a Favor and Buy This Book !

Reviewer: A reader from Washington State   -   January 1, 1999.

8)  Mel, Great Book! It's getting me past a lot of my earlier gardening problems such as having all my crops come in at the same time (you really *can* strain friendships trying to give away zucchini). Could you include more on potatoes in the next edition with such details as "Is it safe to grow them in old tires?", etc. Thanks for this book!!

Now Anyone Can Garden ! Too Good to Be True; But it Is.

Reviewer: Tom Murray (murrayrn@aol.com) from Delaware   -   September 29, 1998.

7)  I've had this book for years. I also recommend "Cash from Square Foot Gardening" If it's still in print. It's a realistic and practical method to not only enjoy fresh produce but earn honest income while you’re at it.

Thank you Mel.

A Great Book for City Gardeners !

Reviewer: avmeter@voicenet.com from Philadelphia, PA   -   July 23, 1998.

6)  I've just recommended this book to a friend starting in a small yard. It is absolutely the *best* way to grow everything you want in a very small space! Eight years ago, as a new homeowner, I was very intimidated by the spacing recommended on seed packets. Now my neighbors run when they see my tomatoes coming :-) (and my peppers, eggplant, peas, carrots, lettuce, basil, oregano...)

A Truly Fantastic Idea ... Neat & Successful Way to Garden.

Reviewer: A reader from Illinois   -   June 2, 1998.

5)  I purchased this book years ago (don't remember when) and was "talked" out of it by a dear friend who lived in England. I told him about the book and the gardening methods recommended. He was and is an avid gardener but living in England he was very limited by space. Mel Bartholomew's method of gardening (4x4 foot squares) was ideal for him and I just had to give the book to him. I recently was discussing gardening with another friend here in the States and I mentioned "Square Foot Gardening." They were also interested in the method. Just on a hunch I checked Amazon.com and sure enough here was the book. Can't wait to get my hands on it again and build a couple of squares in the back yard. This time I will keep the book ... and refer my eager friends to Amazon.com!

Terrific Book ! -- A Common-Sense Revolution in Gardening.

Reviewer: A reader from Los Angeles, CA   -   March 21, 1998.

4)  I received this book as a gift and it has been my near-constant companion ever since. I can't imagine gardening any other way now.

Mel has a gift for explaining things in a clear and entertaining manner. Join the Square Foot revolution and enjoy more produce with less work!

A Great Book Filled with Helpful Drawings and Great Ideas.

Reviewer: dcason@mhv.net from New York   -   January 25, 1998.

3)  I highly recommend this book to beginning gardeners as well as more experienced gardeners with limited space. It is packed with useful info and his ideas really make for a very tidy garden. It is one of my favorite gardening books.

I Love This Book.

Reviewer: A reader   -   March 19, 1997.

2)  This book changed the way I perceived intensive gardening. It's simple-to-follow instructions and accompanying artwork made the gardening process incredibly simple. I am now in my third year of following this methodology. The yield in my garden is a testimony to the author's knowledge on the subject and I look forward to reading other books he he has written and will write

A Great Book for a Suburban Gardener.

Reviewer: A reader   -   March 18, 1997.

1)  This is one of the 2 books that actually got me into gardening (the other being Christopher O. Bird's "Modern Vegetable Gardening"). Like most suburban dwellers, I have a back yard that does not lend itself to traditional gardening. With Mr. Bartholomew's method, I grew green and wax beans, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, sunflowers, corn, pumpkins, lettuce, swiss chard, carrots and radishes all in a garden consisting of 2 4'x8', 1 4'x4' and 1 1'x8' plots. It is an excellent book for beginners, providing basic information on where to place a garden, when in the year to start it, amending your soil (or even making soil, if necessary), etc. There is also a guide for every popular vegetable, showing how and when to plant it, how often to water, how often to fertilize, how to harvest, common problems, and other such things. In conclusion, if you are typical suburban dweller who is interested in starting a garden, this book is a "must read". Not only will you gain great knowledge about a non-traditional form of gardening, but you'll learn that it is really something that you can do, no matter what your level of expertise.