Offered: Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew was a construction engineer who turned lattice into lettuce by popularizing a grid-like framework for what he called square foot gardening . This was a new system of laying out, planting, and maintaining a productive, attractive garden in any space . Copyright 1981 . Paperback . Measures: 9.25 x 6.25 x 1.25 . 347 Pages .