Book Review: All New! Square Foot Gardening

Reviewed by Brett Kerley

Square Foot Gardening Foundation.  All New! Square Foot Gardening. 4th Edition. Cool Springs Press, 2025 ISBN: 9780760388938 Pages: 272

If you want to grow your own vegetables in Edmonton’s short (but intense!) growing season but feel short on space, time, or experience, the newly updated edition of All New! Square Foot Gardening might be exactly what you need. First introduced by Mel Bartholomew in the 1980s, the Square Foot Gardening method has stood the test of time. The 2025 fourth edition features updated visuals, expanded crop guides, and practical solutions for today’s gardening challenges.

The good news? You don’t even need to buy a copy to give it a try. You can borrow it from the Edmonton Public Library, which carries a variety of titles on small-space and sustainable gardening.

In Edmonton, we battle a compressed growing season, cool spring nights, and increasingly erratic weather. This method’s efficiency and space-saving design make it especially relevant for us. During this year’s EHS Garden Tour, we were excited to see several examples of square foot gardening in action. Some were by first-time growers, others beautifully integrated into established landscapes. What stood out most was how productive and tidy these raised beds looked, packed with a surprising diversity of vegetables and herbs, all within a few square feet.

This edition has been fully overhauled visually and structurally. With more than 200 new full-colour photographs and over 30 clean, informative illustrations, it’s easier than ever to follow the method. The new layout guides you from initial planning through building, planting, and harvesting, all with clarity and encouragement.

Expanded crop-specific guides now include updated planting schedules, spacing, succession planning, and pest/disease tips. While the charts are generally designed for American climate zones, they’re flexible enough to adapt for Zone 3b–4a conditions like ours. Edmonton gardeners can adjust seeding and transplanting times slightly, but the square foot model still works seamlessly with our seasonal rhythm—especially when paired with row covers or cold frames to stretch the season.

What really makes this edition stand out is its focus on adaptability. The book now includes guidance on how to:

• Deter deer and rabbits (an issue even in some Edmonton neighbourhoods)
• Deal with extreme weather, including hailstorms and heat domes
• Substitute ingredients in the classic “Mel’s Mix” soil blend with more locally available or sustainable options
• Add accessories like “top hats,” hoop tunnels, and trellises to extend the season and grow up to save space

The raised bed approach is also ideal for Edmonton’s heavy clay soils, especially in newer subdivisions. Rather than struggle to amend poor soil, this method has you build above it, with soil that drains well and warms up quickly in the spring.

One of the book’s best features is the expanded section on bed construction. It walks readers through how to build standard 4×4 boxes, deeper beds, container-style setups, and vertical supports—all using materials that can be sourced locally. No power tools or specialized equipment are required. Many of the beds we saw on the EHS tour used exactly these designs: simple, efficient, and often built in an afternoon.

The method’s hallmark simplicity—dividing a garden box into 1-foot squares and planting just one type of crop per square—makes crop rotation, watering, and harvesting far more manageable. For Edmonton growers balancing busy lives, this kind of structure can help prevent common pitfalls like overcrowding or forgetting when (and where) you planted what.

This edition is a great fit for:

• New gardeners looking for a clear, tested system that minimizes mistakes
• Small-space growers, including condo or townhouse residents with patios
• Families and educators who want to involve children in gardening
• Anyone with mobility concerns who appreciates the ease of raised beds
• Time-strapped Edmontonians who want a productive garden without full-time upkeep

Whether you’re a weekend gardener or someone trying to reduce your grocery bill, the book provides a low-stress path to success. That’s especially important in a climate where the margin for error is small.

If you already own the third edition, you’ll find much of the foundational material familiar. However, the refreshed photos, updated crop guides, and problem-solving sections specific to today’s environmental realities make this edition well worth the upgrade.

The book keeps its focus firmly on practical, high-yield gardening. It doesn’t delve deeply into more advanced soil biology or permaculture techniques, but instead remains grounded in hands-on, results-based advice.

All New! Square Foot Gardening, 4th Edition is a timely refresh of one of a classic. It’s easy to follow, encouraging, and well suited to Edmonton’s gardening conditions. The method saves space, conserves water, and simplifies planting, without compromising productivity. And as we saw on the EHS Garden Tour, it’s a technique that works beautifully in our own backyards.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your garden setup, this book is a smart and worthwhile addition to your shelf—or borrow it from the Edmonton Public Library.

You can find it to buy at my favourite bookstore, Audreys Books located downtown, in other local bookstores, online, or directly from the publisher at Cool Springs Press.