This new review of a gardening classic book has been a gardening and horticultural best-seller on Amazon for quite some time. It has a 4.5 out of 5 star rating and is currently selling for about $ 12 on Amazon, which is not that bad.
However, while Mr. Bartholomew’s square foot gardening plan reviews are usually very positive, there are still a fair amount of critical reviews, making the general consensus a bit scattered. Therefore, since many of my website visitors are very interested in gardening in the most efficient way possible, it seemed reasonable to review the book “All New About Square Foot Gardening” for those who might be considering buying it. .
Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
In his YouTube video promoting the book, Mr. Bartholomew introduces his new book and introduces some of the changes between the previous version and this new edition. Frankly, while the “square foot gardening” method is helpful, Bartholomew is not really the “inventor” of the method, as the video suggests, as many people were using similar gardening methods long before his first book. came along.
So what do I think of the book?
Well, this book seems to be an attempt to “simplify” the square foot gardening approach for less experienced gardeners. The previous book was more detailed and provided more background information. This newer book is less detailed and attempts to simplify the explanation of the method for “newbies.”
Either way, both books are helpful and will definitely help you grow a large number of produce in a very small space compared to more traditional methods. However, before you buy, there are probably a few things to keep in mind:
New Soil Mix for Square Foot Landscaping
Since the square foot gardening method is based on “raised beds,” you must fill those beds with some type of growing medium. In the previous book, the recommended gardening soil mix in square footage was more complex than Mr. Bartholomew currently recommends in the new book, but I’m not sure if I’m a firm believer that any of the soil mixes it was completely what it should be. searching.
The current recommendation creates soil that can easily become “too hot” for good plant growth, which is not a good thing. Also, one of the three recommended components for mixing this new culture medium can be quite difficult to find. Lastly, many readers have been frustrated by how expensive it can be to create this “perfect soil” for their new square foot garden beds.
In contrast, the previous soil mix recommendations were a somewhat better option, but did not retain moisture very well. For one thing, that “feature” helped prevent overwatering your plants. But it also meant that he had to water very frequently to make sure the plants didn’t get dehydrated. I’ll let you decide how big the positive or the negative is.
Large plants may not do well
If you’re going to grow smaller plants and / or plants that don’t normally “spread” very much (like watermelon), the square foot garden design is great. However, for larger plants, you really want to “spread things out” a bit more to allow a bit of breathing room between the plants.
Also, to “spread out” the plants, using the square foot gardening plan can be a bit tedious, as you have to grow ABOVE rather than OUTSIDE. In other words trellises and such would probably be necessary for plants / vines to “climb” and plants that produce larger products (such as watermelons) may struggle with such a scenario, unless you choose hybrids that produce more fruits / vegetables little.
Despite the drawbacks Square Feet Gardening gets 4/5
I think the method is excellent, and Mel Bartholomew has spent a lot of time and effort helping people implement the method in an efficient and productive way. That being said, I can’t give any of the books 5 stars simply because I don’t think the recommended soil mixes are the best or the cheapest.
Learn more about a better soil medium
This square foot gardening review can also be found on my blog, along with a short but VERY useful section related to how you can create the best possible soil to put in your raised square foot gardening bed design. Using this “mystery growing medium” is the best way to get the most out of ANY garden, raised, square foot or otherwise.