Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 125
 good info, too proud July 17, 2006
davis
32 out of 46 found this review helpful
i appreciated the author's gardening experience and am looking forward to trying the method. however, it was tough to wade through his self congratulatory tone and repetitive self praise for developing the concept. i found the charts very useful for spacing and planting dates. his website is also full of testimonials without any balanced critique of his book and method. if you can stomach the arrogant tone of the book, there is some good garden wisdom to be gained.
Other methods are better December 22, 2007
R. Brinkerhoff (San Luis Obispo, CA United States)
29 out of 31 found this review helpful
I'm an advanced gardener and have been gardening for many years. I came across this book last year and decided to take it for a spin. I already used raised beds, but I built more using his methods. I followed the book to a "T"
I had the worst harvest this past year. We have just two people and we planted three 8'x4' and one 12'x4' and still didn't produce enough food to meet our needs. The previous year I used the techniques from The Vegetable Gardener's Bible and we had a fantastic harvest.
I also noticed that this year, besides being less fruitful, the plants weren't as healthy and it was the first time we had major insect infestations. This was most likely due to the plants being planted way to close to each other and the soil being deficient in nutrients. I will definitely not use this book again and will be going back to the Vegetable Gardener's Bible.
I'm giving it an extra star because I like the planting schedules in the back and the construction methods for row covers and trellises.
 Worth buying even if you own an older edition March 26, 2006
gardengirl (SLC, UT)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
I LOVE this new, updated version of the classic Square Foot Gardening book. Lots of pictures, charts, and visuals. This version has suggestions for protecting the plants from critters of all kinds as well as ideas for hoop houses to extend the gardening season. The book is full color and much easier to read than the older version. Even if you already have the original book, the new one is worth buying. He's added some updated information based on 25 years of sqft gardening experience from around the globe. The website is also interesting as it contains photos and such of square foot gardens from all over the world.
I LOVE IT! February 23, 2006
malinate (North Ogden, Utah United States)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
I started my first square foot garden last year with the help of Mel's original book. I made raised bed boxes using information from his website and loved the results. I was so excited about his new book that I pre-ordered and counted the days until it arrived. The new book is amazing! I love the colored photos, diagrams and just the overall readability. The omission of all the information about soil improvement, etc is welcome since those steps are no longer necessary. Our soil is exceptionally rocky, so using Mel's mix makes gardening possible without hours of backbreaking labor.
My only complaint about the new book is that the information about growing, harvesting, and preparing specific vegetables from the first book was not included. New information was added for some herbs, flowers, and strawberries, but the profiles for zucchini, carrots, beans, etc. were left out this time. This was the part of the book that I had found most helpful. As a rookie gardener, I need all the help I can get. Even though this omission makes this book less than perfect, it is excellent in every other way. Their website is an excellent resource to use in combination with the book and they actually answer your emails! It is nice to know that if you have a question, you can get an answer straight from the author.
Overall, I love this new and improved version of Mel's book and highly recommend it.
Great charts, poor book January 17, 2008
Buceri (Tampa, FL)
20 out of 25 found this review helpful
The 2 stars I give this book are for the charts in the appendix. This 200+ book could be a 10 page brochure found in the gardening section of Lowes or HD. The author repeats himself to the point it sounds like an infomercial. The continuous self-glorification and put downs to anyone that does not garden his way, keeps distracting the reader. One feels like the author is nominating himself for a Nobel Prize; no, not for literature, but for Peace. You are almost lead to believe he solved world hunger. Anyone who has traveled through the developing world knows how important natural resources are; where in the world would these people get peat moss, and vermiculite??. Then, he makes it sound like he invented raised beds. His Mel's Mix is as revolutionary as anyone else's mix that you see on HGTV.
Summary: Raised beds, 6" tall, 4'x4', 1/3 of each, vermiculite, compost, peat moss.
Now, save your money and buy yourself something else.
|
