DEDICATED TO MEL BARTHOLOMEW
(1931–2016)

THE BASIC PREMISE behind Square Foot Gardening seems simple today, but when Mel Bartholomew created it more than thirty years ago, it truly revolutionized the way home gardeners grow vegetables. Before Mel came along, most vegetable gardens looked pretty much the same: crops arranged in long rows separated by wide swaths of unplanted ground that consumed vast amounts of water and resources only to support the growth of weeds. His solution? Mel probably put it best:

“Build a box. Fill it with Mel’s Mix. Add a grid… and start planting.”

Today, with more than 2.5 million copies of his Square Foot Gardening books in print, Mel has created a legacy dedicated to efficient, productive gardening and it has spread across the world. This new book, Square Foot Gardening: Growing Perfect Vegetables, is an extension of that legacy and is dedicated to his sincere efforts to bring fresh food into the lives of just about everyone on the planet. It is also a good example of how the SFG movement has grown and how its legions of dedicated followers are taking up the mantle to continue teaching the many benefits of planting food in Square Foot Garden boxes.

The Mel Bartholomew Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation based in New York created to carry on Mel’s work. And even though he was a born optimist and a tireless champion of his method, Mel would have been the first person to point out that there is plenty of work left to be done.

—The Mel Bartholomew Foundation