Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

I finished reading Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. It is a good book with lots of information. It talks not only about organic gardening methods but also conventional gardening using the square foot method. His method is to space out vegetables perfectly to fit within 12" by 12" squares. The method is usually used for raised beds but it can be converted to just in ground, digging out or tilling up 4' by 4' foot squares to plant in.
The book brought up things like building soil, choosing the proper seed for your climate, and different watering methods for different climates. It also discussed vertical gardening, using and making compost, pest control, and specialized gardens for those with special needs (like a garden lifted off the ground.
I like that it discussed specialized gardens for children, ones that are smaller, grow fast, and require less attention.
I like how it introduced the idea without talking down to the reader like other books I've read. One of the neat things it included was the maps in the back that had the average first and last frost dates. Also the final chapter was a list of common plants and how much spacing they would need.
I enjoyed reading and really do want to try to implement this method in my garden next year, maybe then I might get a better harvest.

Toddler Pictures

My toddler got a hold of the camera here's some of the wonderful pictures she took.

168lbs

That's what I weighed this morning. I was really surprised. I haven't been eating well or drinking my water but I'm down over 15lbs. This is the lowest I've seen the scale since Claire was born. I wanted to cry when I saw it, even though it is not my goal weight it means I've progressed. I hope that me working plus breastfeeding will lead to even more weight loss.

August Garden Update (2014)

Well, yeah, this isn't going to be much. My garden is at the failure point again. The squash have been devoured by bugs. The only thing I have left is a few tomatoes and one cantaloupe that I hope will ripen. The blackberry did well and I got quite a few blackberries this year, usually just a handful a day. The peach tree did produce peaches but they got eaten, I didn't expect the peaches to get as big as they did but my tree surprised me. Also I discovered my grape plant is not a grape plant, it is a muscadine vine, I love muscadines so it doesn't bother me. Maybe next year, since I'm starting over my seeds, will be better, and maybe I'll bet my raised beds built. I'm currently trying to find cheap wood chips for a back to Eden garden. Maybe next year will be better since the babies will be older and much easier to take outside.
Happy gardening.