We grieve today for our friend and mentor Mel Bartholomew

I am sorry to hear this.

I will collect these wonderful tributes and forward them on to his sons.

sfg4uKim wrote:I will collect these wonderful tributes and forward them on to his sons.

Since I heard this news you have been on my mind.
To you and all the people who knew Mel personally, my heart felt condolences.

trolleydriver wrote:I am surprised and saddened to hear about Mel's passing. He has left a tremendous legacy to the gardening world. My condolences to his family and friends.

A Great Legacy. +1

This is sad news. I had no idea he was ill. May his brilliant legacy live on forever...

Oh, what a shock!  My heart sunk when I saw this.  To Mel's family, my thoughts and prayers are with you.  Also, I want to express that I am very thankful for a man who made gardening possible for a man (me) with limited health.  Again, I am so sorry for your loss.

Rest assured, we will honor Mel by keeping his dream alive. We're counting on everyone here to help us.

MEL'S LEGACY

Very nice. We are up to this! Absolute converts! SFG Lives on!

I have been living in my own little cave lately and am just hearing about Mel's passing.  My thoughts and prayers are with Mel's family.  Mel has been an inspiration to me and his simple methods have helped me regain peace and calm in my life one trowelful at a time.  Gardening is so much more than growing plants.  Thank you Mel, for everything!

Goosegirl wrote:I have been living in my own little cave lately and am just hearing about Mel's passing.  My thoughts and prayers are with Mel's family.  Mel has been an inspiration to me and his simple methods have helped me regain peace and calm in my life one trowelful at a time.  Gardening is so much more than growing plants.  Thank you Mel, for everything!

Hey, GG!

llama momma wrote:Oh God, No! 

 Made such a difference in my life beginning almost 6 years ago.  We exchanged a few lovely emails since then.   Such a terrific person.

I'm gutted but pray knowing his suffering is over and believe he is whole again.   

Job well done,  All my respectful affection to you, Sir Mel.

Me too, llama.  Many of us who are old could never have a garden the old way anymore.  I so appreciate his gift.  I too want to say that having a sister-in-law pass this morning with cancer has made me realize that the suffering is over and so is Mel's.  It is hard to lose someone but...

Greatgranny
So sorry for your loss  I know it's never easy. Peace and Hugs.

I read his first book in the 80's.  I wish I kept it to see the changes he made to SFGing ....

Greatgranny, When someone is suffering, it is almost a relief for their suffering to be over. May you and family have Peace.

sanderson wrote:Greatgranny,  When someone is suffering, it is almost a relief for their suffering to be over.  May you and family have Peace.

Thank you.

llama momma wrote:Greatgranny
So sorry for your loss  I know it's never easy. Peace and Hugs.

Thank you.

I had no idea...prayers for his family and friends.  He has truly left a legacy; not everyone has that gift.

has55 wrote:

trolleydriver wrote:I am surprised and saddened to hear about Mel's passing. He has left a tremendous legacy to the gardening world. My condolences to his family and friends.

A Great Legacy. +1

I must add my great big +1 to these thoughts.  


Kay

My good friend took me to a library event probably 18-20 years ago where Mel was teaching his sfg method.  I bought a book on the spot and he autographed it.  It was the first sfg book.  It is very worn but I will keep it forever even though I have the ansfg book!

What an amazing man to not only create this way of gardening but to also spread it around the World!  What a legacy to leave!  We will all miss you!

For his family, I am so sorry for your loss!

going to miss him.

Very sad news, but at least Mel has planned ahead (would we expect anything less) and his SFG Foundation and this forum will preserve his legacy and educate new generations of gardeners in his methods. I was first influenced by him around 1988 when I was building raised beds on the pile of ledge I call my back yard and looking for advice on what to do with them. His first book seemed to offer a method, dividing the beds into squares. Then Mel published his ANSFG book that included his invention of Mel's Mix, far superior to what I put in my beds. Now my new garden in the town's community garden is based on Mel's ANSFG and Mel's Mix and it has inspired 3 other gardeners to try it out. His huge contribution to gardening will not be forgotten.

Today, I want to honor Mel Bartholomew. The new book was a great leap in improvement in SFGing. He made 10 Major new improvements that are wonderful. 
They are a new location, new direction, new soil-Mel's mix, new depth-6 inches, not 12", No fertilizer, new boxes, new aisles. new grids , new idea-don't waste seeds and new opportunities-tabletop gardening.

When he did the first book he explained a gardener primarily did single row gardens like myself. When he asked why? their response was, " Because that's the way we've always done it!" Something didn't sit right with Mel, a fire was burning in his bosom to find a better way. He began researching, ignored the naysayers and developed Square Foot gardening. 
But during the 25 years before announcing the new "All New Square Foot Gardening" Book, another fire was ignited in his bosom.  Has SFG arrived,? Is that all there is to it or could he keep improving on it? He began more research and had many breaks thru, but the greatest accomplishment, in my opinion, was a new invention/product called "Mel's Mix" for growing your plants without soil. 
It took ten years of experimenting before announcing to the world we can do SFG better and not say " Because that's the way we've always done it!" and allowed SFG to continue on it same path from inception in 1981 and keeping his new ideas to himself and his close friends.
 This is a sign of the character of greatness and integrity, not self-centeredness or pride.
My hat goes off to you Mel Bartholomew. Integrity, progressive creative thinking, and humility are very obvious in your life. You went out with a bang! Wear that Halo well.

The improvement that affected me the most was that one did not have to dig up the ground, but could lay the bed on almost any surface.  Especially good for people like me who have mainly rocky ground with little soil depth.