Best Raised Bed Gardening Book: My #1 Pick
Table of Contents
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Today I want to do a quick review on a book me and my wife purchased a few years ago on recommendation from one of our friends.
What is the best raised bed gardening book?
All New Square FOOT Gardening
New and experienced gardeners will love the charts, photos, illustrations, and how-to tips in All New Square Foot Gardening, 3rd Edition—including 42 veggie-specific planting, growing, and harvesting guides—that make growing your own food fun, easy, and productive.
✅✅✅✅✅Pros
- ✅Efficient Use of Space: Square Foot Gardening allows you to grow more veggies in less space compared to traditional row gardens, maximizing your garden’s productivity.
- ✅Reduced Workload: This method eliminates the need for digging, tilling, and excessive weeding, making gardening less physically demanding.
- ✅Water Conservation: With its grid system and Mel’s Mix™, this approach requires less watering, promoting water conservation.
- ✅Beginner-Friendly: Ideal for novice gardeners, it simplifies the gardening process with clear instructions and tips.
- ✅Variety and Guidance: The book offers 42 veggie-specific guides, helping you choose, plant, and care for various vegetables successfully.
- ✅Diverse Techniques: Provides information on installing trellises, automatic watering systems, and urban gardening, catering to different gardening needs.
- ✅Organic Gardening: Emphasizes organic methods and the use of Mel’s Mix™ for soil, promoting eco-friendly practices.
- ✅Educational Value: Encourages STEM education for kids through gardening, making it a fun and educational family activity.
- ✅Season Extension: Offers advice on protecting plants from harsh weather conditions, such as shade and frost covers.
- ✅Natural Pest Management: Provides solutions for pest control using natural methods, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.
❌❌❌❌❌Cons
- ❌Initial Cost: Building the raised bed and purchasing materials like Mel’s Mix™ may require an upfront investment.
- ❌Limited Plant Size: Some large plants may not be suitable for square foot gardening due to space constraints.
- ❌Grid Maintenance: The grid system can require occasional maintenance, especially in areas with harsh weather conditions.
- ❌Crop Rotation: It may be challenging to implement crop rotation effectively in small square foot gardens.
- ❌Soil Mix Availability: Availability of Mel’s Mix™ or similar soil mixes may vary by location, affecting accessibility for some gardeners.
The book is called Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew.
We live in town on about a quarter of an acre. We wanted to do a couple raised beds so we purchased this book and followed the instructions laid out in this book.
The instructions were very easy to follow and we had good success following this method. We purchased two raised gardening beds and put together the special blend they recommend for the soil in the book.
We were able to purchase all the materials for the beds and the soil at our local big box store. We were able to grow a ton of green beans, broccoli, and carrots.
This was fun to do with the kids. They were able to see the plants grow from seeds and were able to help with the up keep of the garden.
If you don’t have a lot of space or want to have a garden in a smaller or more urban place then check out this post I wrote called: The Best Urban Garden Ideas: Unlock the Potential of Your Small Space
Product Description
This updated third edition of the best-selling gardening book in North America continues to inspire with planting charts, growing tips, and the know-how you need to grow more veggies than ever before.
Since Square Foot Gardening was first introduced by Mel Bartholomew in 1981, this revolutionary way to grow vegetables has helped millions of home gardeners enjoy their own organic, fresh produce in less space and with less work than traditional row gardens.
Perfect for experienced gardeners or beginners, you’ll learn the three simple steps to Square Foot Gardening: build a box; fill it with Mel’s Mix™; add a grid. No digging, no tilling, no fertilizing, no guesswork—less watering, waste, and weeding!
There’s so much more packed in this 272-page instructional book—boost your organic vegetable harvest with inspiring how-tos such as:
- Adding trellises and archways to grow up and maximize your space
- Installing automatic watering systems
- Growing vegetables in dense urban areas with little or no yard
- Feeding your veggies the organic way with Mel’s Mix™
- Teaching STEM to kids with Square Foot Gardening—perfect for little hands
- Protecting your plants with shade and frost covers
- Managing pests in the garden with natural methods
Join the millions of gardeners around the world who grow their own organic, fresh produce with Square Foot Gardening, and make next season your best veggie harvest ever.
For another lower maintenance strategy for your garden, check out the article below….
F.A.Q.
What is “All New Square Foot Gardening” by Mel Bartholomew?
“All New Square Foot Gardening” is a gardening method introduced by Mel Bartholomew. It focuses on maximizing yields and minimizing space and effort through a systematic approach of planting in raised beds divided into one-foot squares.
How is this book different from the original Square Foot Gardening book?
The “All New Square Foot Gardening” book is an updated version of the original book by Mel Bartholomew. It incorporates new insights, techniques, and improvements to the gardening method based on years of experience and feedback from gardeners.
What are the key principles of Square Foot Gardening?
The key principles of Square Foot Gardening include creating raised beds, dividing them into square-foot sections, using a specific soil mix, planting a variety of crops in each square, and practicing intensive gardening techniques. This approach helps maximize space, reduce weeds, and increase yields.
How does this method save space compared to traditional gardening?
The traditional row gardening technique wastes a lot of space with paths between rows. Square Foot Gardening eliminates the need for wide paths by densely planting different crops within individual squares, making use of every inch of the garden bed.
What is the recommended soil mix for Square Foot Gardening?
The recommended soil mix consists of one-third vermiculite, one-third peat moss, and one-third compost. This mix provides a balanced and nutrient-rich environment for plants to thrive.
Can I practice Square Foot Gardening in small spaces like balconies or patios?
Yes, one of the advantages of Square Foot Gardening is its adaptability to small spaces. You can create raised beds or containers on balconies, patios, or even rooftops, making it ideal for urban gardening.
Is Square Foot Gardening suitable for beginners?
Absolutely! “All New Square Foot Gardening” is beginner-friendly. The method’s systematic approach, detailed guidelines, and step-by-step instructions make it easy for gardeners of all skill levels to follow and succeed.
How does companion planting work in Square Foot Gardening?
Companion planting is a technique where certain plants are grown together to provide mutual benefits. In Square Foot Gardening, you can mix compatible crops within the same square to enhance growth, deter pests, and improve overall garden health.
Does Square Foot Gardening require less maintenance than traditional gardening?
Yes, Square Foot Gardening generally requires less maintenance due to its organized layout, reduced weed growth, and efficient space utilization. However, regular watering, pest management, and soil monitoring are still necessary for optimal results.
In Conclusion……
I would recommend adding this book to your arsenal. It is very thorough and easy to follow. This can be another layer of your food preparation plan.
It was very nice to be able to go out back and pick fresh vegetables and if you are into canning, freeze drying, or vacuum sealing you can store them for later use.
Once you start growing all this food check out my post labeled Harvest Right Food Freeze Dyer Review to see a good way to store all this produce.
Since you have found a great way to grow your produce, now all you need is some seeds to get started. Check out the article below to take care of that need.
