Amazon.com Review
All New Square Foot Gardening offers ten new major improvements to the original SFG method. Now, with these improvements, anyone can be a successful gardener.
TEN MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ORIGINAL SQUARE FOOT GARDEN METHOD 1. Location—Close to the House 2. Direction—Up, Not Down 3. Soil—Mel’s Mix 4. Box Depth—Only 6 Inches Deep 5. No Fertilizer—You Don’t Need It 6. Easy Access—Above the Ground 7. The Aisles—Comfortable Width 8. The Grids—Prominent and Permanent 9. Novel Idea—Don’t Waste Seeds 10. Expanded Opportunities—Tabletop Gardens
Yes, it’s true; this improved gardening method makes gardening even easier than before. You’re going to love every one of these improvements. You will now be able to reduce the size of your SFG so much that you can locate it close to your house for better care and more enjoyment. You’ll never have to dig up your existing soil anymore as you now build your new garden on top of it. No more hard work or heavy-duty tools needed. All you’ll need is 6 inches of a perfect soil mix from three common ingredients available everywhere. This mix never needs changing and no fertilizer is ever needed using this natural, organic method. You’ll use bottomless boxes made from common lumber, have aisles that are wide enough to comfortably move about in, and each box will have a permanent grid for that unique SFG look and use. You’ll use a minimum of seeds, so you won’t have to buy new packets every year. Best of all, some of your boxes can have bottoms so you can move them or place them at tabletop or railing heights for easier care and unique locations.
Review
"Bartholomew, author of the popular Square Foot Gardening (1981), has refined his original square-foot gardening concept by adding ten improvements, including a new location for the garden that is closer to the house, a special soil mix, and six-inch deep, 4' x 4' above-ground boxes with grids. His techniques do not require heavy digging or fertilizers and feature advice on using vertical gardening to save space. He clearly explains the square-foot concept, from the rationale behind it (the square-foot garden takes up much less space than traditional row gardening and saves time, money, and aggravation) to how to plan the garden, build the boxes and vertical supports, and employ his planting and cultural techniques. There are also helpful charts for succession planting and spacing plants and a schedule for starting seeds indoors. Despite its somewhat annoying tendency to read like an infomercial, this attractive, easy-to-understand, and well-organized book for both novice and experienced gardeners is recommended for all libraries." — Library Journal
