As an owner of a previous version of Square Foot Gardening, 357 pages (1981) by Mel Bartholomew I was excited to read the newest version, Square Foot Gardening: Growing Perfect Vegetables, 160 pages (2017). Although it is the same concept, it is definitely updated for this generation. Not only are the photographs much better, the content is slimmed down. I was disappointed in the lack of true growing instructions because this short version addresses how perfect vegetables look, not really how to make sure you are starting them out perfectly. Seed starting information is readily available at a number of sites and through catalog companies, so I am sure this version of Square Foot Gardening will be useful to the beginner and those wanting to try something new with their garden. Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

What a great gardening book. It is so practical and such a blessing. It shows you so many things that are helpful to know. I really enjoyed the companion planting that helps things to flourish well. It tells you when things are not yet ripe, ripe and over ripe with full color pictures. This is helpful when you’re in the produce section of the store shopping as well as in your own garden. As fall is upon us and the garden is coming to an end for this year, this book is full of encouragement for me as I make plans for next summer. Happy gardening 
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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I've always been a fan of Mel Bartholemew's "Square Foot Gardening" (SFG) methods, so was intrigued by this new book that carries on his legacy. This book focuses not on the "how to" of setting up a square foot garden. That's already been done by Mel himself many years ago. This one focuses on the harvesting aspect of SFG: how to tell when your produce is ready to be harvested, harvesting tips, and ways to extend the harvest. Particularly helpful are the perfect photos that illustrate clearly when the vegetable is not ripe, ripe and over-ripe.

I really think this book should be entitled "Harvesting the Square Foot Garden," as it's not really about how to grow (as title implies). I also think this book should be a staple on every beginning gardener's shelf. It contains valuable information that isn't easily learned just by doing.

A book that every beginning gardener should own! In fact, anyone who eats fruits and vegetables, whether your grow them or not, would benefit from the information in this book. The title is part of a series that started with All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew and has since grown to be so much more. That said, the title of this edition – Square Foot Gardening: Growing Perfect Vegetables – is a little misleading. While it touches on the square foot gardening approach, it is generally about how and when to plant certain species, and the process of ripening. So, if you don’t have a square foot garden, if you don’t have a garden at all, this book will still be of great benefit if you are in the position of selecting ripe fruits and vegetables – even if it’s only at the grocery store or farmer’s market.

The greatest strengths of this book are its simplicity and clarity. It is full of bright, clear pictures depicting each type of fruit and vegetable in ripe and unripe stages. It explains which fruits and vegetables are done ripening the minute you pick them and which either continue to ripen on their own after picking or can be cajoled into ripening through simple methods (like placing them in a paper bag alone or with another species that puts off pheromones that cause ripening). It also tells you which vegetables and fruits to keep separate.

Storage is another part of the equation, right? We don’t just want produce that is at its peak when we consume it, but we want to know how long it will keep for, and what is the best way to keep it for as long as possible. Should it be in a plastic bag? Open or closed? With or without paper towels? In the fridge or on the counter? That information is in here, too. And a lot more.

And it isn’t just your basic produce like tomatoes and carrots. Exotic fruits are included as well. Don’t know how to tell if a pineapple is ripe when you buy it at the store? This book will tell you. Guava? Mango? Starfruit? Even Lychee (yummy!).

For those who are growing their own produce, there is very useful information about knowing when to harvest, how to store, even what to do with extras. There are clear and simple charts that show when you should plant (based on last frost – so it’s applicable to all hardiness zones!), whether you should start outside from seed, inside from seed, and at what stage of growth to transplant. The very same chart shows you when harvesting is likely to begin and how long harvest will last, as well as whether or not the plant is suitable for succession planting (if you don’t know what that is, this book will tell you!).

That sounds like a lot of information – and it is – but the genius of this book is that it is visual and straightforward. There aren’t seven typed pages about blueberries. A few brief paragraphs, some great pictures for clarity, and a simple chart about planting). I blew through it and immediately wondered why I had to wait until now to have it.

Normally, I don’t review non-fiction books, but this is the year of the vegetable garden for me. My first year planting and I’ve fallen in love hard. There is nothing like serving a salad made of produce you grew yourself or sautéing fresh summer squash in homegrown garlic with butter and salt and pepper. When I saw this book, I had to have it. Had. To. And it is so much more than what I expected. Even if you purchase all of your produce, this book will be immensely helpful. Everyone who eats fruits and vegetables should have a copy on hand.

Square foot gardening complete book. A great to gift for those have passion in gardening.........

Unfortunately, I couldn't get past a certain point in the PDF file downloaded to Bluefire. What I did read was informative and the pictures beautiful.

Amazing photography and great charts! Very good for a beginning gardener.

Another excellent resource for new and intermediate gardeners. I've has a garden foe decades, but there was new information for me. Beautifully punctuated with stunning photography. This a wonderful addition to Square Foot Gardening, my go to for information. I highly recommend any learning gardener get both resources for a highly successful season.

“Growing Perfect Vegetables” is a great reference book for those who eat vegetables as well as for those who grow them. This is not a book that teaches how to grow vegetables, but instead teaches what vegetables look like when they are at the peak of flavor.
For those who grow, it also contains helpful instructions and charts about planting and growing schedules for most common vegetables. For those who eat, it has wonderful color photographs of those vegetables both when they are ripe and ready to pick or eat, and when they are not yet ready. This helps everyone select vegetables at their peak of flavor either from the garden or from the produce section of the grocery. There is also a tutorial on ripeness, including the climacteric and non-climacteric fruits and vegetables, and the proper storage and handling of fruits and vegetables.
I received a copy of “Square Foot Gardening: Growing perfect Vegetables” from Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for review, and I found it to be an excellent reference book. The photographs perfectly illustrate the stages of fruits and vegetables as they grow and what they look like when they are ready to pick, to buy, and most importantly, to eat.. I will keep this reference book handy. as I shop and garden.

What a great, informative book. Pictures show easy garden ideas and the latest information on growing vegies easily. Tips for all styles of growing, fast varieties were a new thing to me.
I now feel confident that when spring comes around, my new small garden's will be a sucess and will always have this resource available to refer to.

What a great concept. Well thought out book. I love gardening vegetables and this will certainly make me consider a different way next season.

I'm a big fan of square foot gardening and I use it in my own gardens quite a lot so I was excited to read the recently released Square Foot Gardening: Growing Perfect Vegetables.

There are lots of things I liked about this book but also some major drawbacks.

PROS:

The book is full of gorgeous, full-color photographs.

There is a lot of detailed information about how to know when produce is ripe (in the garden and in the stores) and how to keep it freshest.

I learned a few new things, even though I am an experienced gardener (for instance, that pears don't fully ripen on the tree and need time in freezing temps after picking, which I have never heard before).

There are some nifty little charts and round-ups (ten healthiest fruits and veggies, prettiest, which fruits and veggies continue ripening on their own after picking and which never will, etc.).

There are charts to tell when to plant, along with info about whether you can do succession plantings.

CONS:

The title seems misleading. It's not really about how to grow perfect vegetables but more about how to know when they're ripe and how to pick them and store them. There is no information about seed starting, soil, fertilizer, pests, watering, diseases, etc. It's not even just about vegetables, since fruits are featured as much as vegetables (including tree fruits like apples, vine fruits like grapes and exotic fruits like durian and jackfruit).

The book is rather brief -- almost more "booklet" material than book other than the many photos, even though some of it is quite helpful.

Even though this is from the Square Foot Gardening series, it really has nothing to do with SFG and does not give any information on how to do that (it even includes fruits and veggies that the authors admit will not work for SFG).

The print price seems a little high. Amazon currently has the print cost much lower than suggested retail ($17.99), but the retail price is a lot for a book of this length and value.

The Kindle price seems far too high. I read this book on my computer (through an advanced reader copy) and did so in one sitting (cover to cover). I would be disappointed if I had paid $10 for an e-book of this length, even a good one.

While it's marketed as a gardening book, half the book has to do with store-bought produce. Quite a bit of it is about how to pick out properly ripe fruits and veggies in the store, including a section on imported crops like avocados and pineapples.

Planting and harvesting information is ONLY about spring planting and summer harvesting. I was surprised and disappointed that there's no mention of fall gardening at all. So many crops can be quite successfully planted in mid- to late-summer for fall harvest (even in cold climates) and I was particularly interested in knowing ripening information for my fall crops.

I did enjoy the book and made a lot of notes for myself, but buyers may be disappointed if they expect the subject matter to be about square foot gardening or how to honestly grow perfect vegetables. The focus seems mostly on how to know when fruits, vegetables and herbs are ready to harvest and how to pick good produce in stores.

I'd encourage people to check the book out from the library or flip through it yourself in a bookstore before buying. It is certainly a beautiful and helpful book, but I think the authors could have gone farther with it.