Sunday, August 17, 2014

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.

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