I’ve heard Square Foot Gardening is great! And I’m a first time gardener, so I’m looking for the basics. Would you recommend it for a first-timer?
First of all let me say, I am no gardening expert. In fact, this year’s garden will be my first garden I plant as an adult. Okay, I’ve tried every year, but it was always me planting a handful of vegetables in a plot that was originally intended to be a flower garden. My expertise is simply this–I’ve read a lot of books about gardening. I guess you could say I am almost an expert on gardening books!
What I love about the Square Foot Gardening book is the simplicity. Most of the gardening books that I have read, at the end of the book I feel like “I could never do this.” I get bogged down in the details: types of soil, pH of soil for different crops, plant varieties, how much water, N-P-K ratios in fertilizers… When I read Square Foot Gardening, I get to the end and I’m energized. I could do this, and it won’t even take that much space.
There is enough information to get a first-time gardener started. I would call it “Gardening for Dummies,” but I think the system is a lot smarter, and more practical, not to mention more space efficient than traditional row-planted, back-breaking weed and hoe gardening!
At some point, all the details will be important for me to be a better gardener, but right now all I need is a little dirt to dig in and a few seeds to push into the ground. I’ll worry about soil testing in another 10 or 100 years. 
Don’t forget to sign up for my Square Foot Gardening Giveaway–ends Feb 28, 2009.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh how you’ve made me want to get gardening again! If only the snow were gone.
I absolutely understand how you feel. We are still deep in snow, but I saw a patch of dirt where there used to be a footprint in the snow. Hang in there…spring is one day closer today than it was yesterday.
I have been gardening for many years — and this technique is the very best for those of us with poor soil or water conservation issues. It is also easy to weed and my garden always looks tidy.
Enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of your labor!