All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

Author:Mel Bartholomew
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Cool Springs Press
Published: 2011-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

By now, you might feel that the 80 percent reduction in size, the no fertilizer needed, the growing in only 6 inches of Mel’s Mix, or even the no digging of your existing soil ever again are all that you could ask from your All New Square Foot Garden.

In addition, you might say that most people would think that all of the above is amazing and earth-shattering (well, okay, how about just impressive), but this topic, “Vertical Gardening,” is downright spectacular.

How It Happened

Here’s a quick flashback to 1976 when this retired engineer took up gardening. I developed SFG but as I looked at tomato plants growing in pots on decks and in single-row gardens, I knew my work wasn’t complete. Tomatoes are not only America’s favorite vegetable to grow, but they also take up the most room and cause quite an unsightly mess by the end of the season if they are allowed to sprawl all over the ground. There are also the complaints of slugs getting in and ruining all of the tomatoes as well as gardeners stepping all over the vines and crushing them when trying to harvest the fruit. The whole idea of growing tomatoes this way seems very non-productive. At the time, the only cages available were too short and too weak to solve the problem.

I said, “This is no way to treat a tomato. We can’t let it lie down and sprawl all over the ground. It should be allowed to stand up straight and tall so that it can be proud of itself and a benefit and credit to the community.”

Six months later my vertical frame was designed, tested, and put into operation. It was an All-American model made from rigid German steel conduit and Japanese twine. It was so strong that it held up through rain, sleet, snow, and heavy September storms when the tomato plant filled the entire frame and was loaded with red, ripe tomatoes.

After growing tomatoes this unique and attractive way for several years, I began thinking about the other vine crops that spread all over the garden. Could they be grown the same way? First I tried pole beans (a no-brainer), then cucumbers and peas. Then even winter and summer squash. They all worked and grew well, and they looked just great growing on a vertical frame. And I was so pleased with the results of growing vine crops this new way that I said, “This is a good thing,” and included the method in my first book on SFG.

“I couldn’t believe the amount of vegetables it raised.”

—Dan from Texas

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