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Get Growing with Square Foot Gardening

Published on May 2, 2019Last updated November 18, 2021 â™› By Melissa J. Will

This post contains affiliate links.
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Get ready for all new Square Foot Gardening! It’s the book that helped millions of home gardeners grow more fresh produce in less space with less work.

Now updated and packed with more projects, information, photos, and illustrations, this new 3rd edition is launching a whole new generation of food growers. Our Weekly Easy Vegetable Garden Sowing Plan can get you started today.

All New Square Foot Gardening

All New Square Foot Gardening

Image from the All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew are used with permission from The Quarto Book Group.

The Book That Inspired a Million New Gardeners

I wish I had a dollar for every time a gardener has told me that they got started in food growing after hearing about the square foot gardening method.

Since its original publication in 1981, this book has encouraged so many new gardeners—and veggie growers looking for better methods—to grow incredible amounts of delicious, fresh produce in small spaces.

The success is in the simplicity. Grab some seeds or starter plants, follow the book, mark out your squares, and grow!

Related: 10 Best Vegetables for Clay Soils

How Square Foot Gardening Works

If you’re new to Square Foot Gardening, the idea is that you can grow a good amount of produce in a small space, working in square foot (12-inch square) sections.

The book guides you through from start to finish, showing everything you need to know to grow delicious, fresh food.

You choose the veggies you want, and get growing.


Here’s a sample planting plan:

A sample Square Foot Gardening planting plan.

Related: Get a Simple Vegetable Garden Plan Here

Here’s what you can harvest:

What you can grow in a small space with Square Foot Gardening. Photo by Paul Markert.
Photo by Paul Markert.

It really is amazing how much food you can grow in a small space.

Here’s a living example of a square foot garden:

Example of a Square Foot Garden.

If you don’t have a raised garden bed, you can do the same thing in large flower pots.

Related: Seed Starting for Beginners

And it doesn’t just have to be veggies: add flowers and herbs for a beautiful checkerboard of colors and textures.

All New Square Foot Gardening with Mel Bartholomew. Photo by J. Paul Moore.
Photo by J. Paul Moore.

That’s Mel Bartholomew who started this whole revolution.

All New Square Foot Gardening

by Mel Bartholomew

See it on Amazon

This newest edition is very nicely updated with good images and information but if you own an older copy (there’s millions out there), dust it off and use it.

Read More:
Getting Started With Square Foot Gardening

If you’re new to this, the All New Square Foot Gardening is an excellent beginner resource. Or, maybe you’ve dabbled in veggie growing but want a reliable easy-to-follow system.

I love the idea of giving the book to friends who have expressed an interest in veggie gardening but do not know where to start.

The ultimate (to me) is to give it to kids at that age where they’re ready to get their hands in the soil and sow some seeds.

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~Melissa the Empress of Dirt â™›

Get Growing with Square Foot Gardening
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Melissa J. Will - Empress of DirtWelcome!
I’m Melissa J. Will a.k.a. the Empress of Dirt (Ontario, Canada).
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