He is a godsend to gardeners who have struggled to create and maintain their traditional gardens, offering a more simple and unique method.

World-renowned gardening expert, Mel Bartholomew, took up gardening as a hobby over 15 years ago and, in the process, developed a method of creating a small, productive, well-kept garden that looks more like a landscaped area.

His method, creating a square-foot garden, has received world-wide recognition for its simplicity and uniqueness and has been written up in every major newspaper and gardening magazine.

"It is a method I developed when I tried to learn gardening. I am actually a civil engineer and retired from my engineering business when I was 42, I then took up gardening as a hobby,'' Mr. Bartholomew said.

"I joined the local garden club -- in Old Field, New York -- and volunteered to start a new community garden for them.

"As I watched people garden and studied all the books, I began to ask some questions like why do we garden in single rows? And if the plants can be six or 12 inches apart in the rows, why do the rows have to be three feet apart? And why do we till the soil to loosen it up then walk all over it packing it down? "And most importantly why do we plant a whole row of lettuce or cabbage when we only want two or three plants? I asked all the experts and they all told me the same answer which was `that's the way we have always done it'.

"So being an engineer, I decided to create a new system that is efficient and works. Square-foot gardening takes 20 percent of the space of a regular garden and produces just as much. This has become quite common.'' Mr. Bartholomew said after developing this method he then wrote a book called `A Square Foot Garden' which has become the largest selling gardening book in the United States.

It has sold over a million copies, landing the author on his own PBS gardening show for six years where he pushes his message and method of gardening -- and all the advantages. "People are now using this all over the world''.

In addition to making the talk-show circuit, his programme was picked up by the Discovery network and the Learning Channel.

Then he retired again.

"I have now come of out retirement to start a not-for-profit foundation called the Square Foot Gardening Foundation.

"Our primary purpose is to start gardening in schools, to bring the joy of gardening into schools and I am in Bermuda to do just that. We are also prepared to give a free garden -- developing and starting the garden -- to every school that is interested,'' Mr. Bartholomew said.

He added that when having a square foot garden "it is a good idea to plant flowers because they are pretty and if your garden is pretty you will go to it more often, if you go to it more often you will take better care of it and if you take better care of it everything will grow -- end result you have a better garden.

"It is more than just a spacing method; it is really the philosophy of gardening. This teaches you how to grow less but have more by taking better care of what you do have.

"Basically the plants need to have a perfect environment. They are not crowded, they are growing in a perfect soil mix that you are not stepping into or pack down because now you reach into the garden, and you have a continual harvest.

"As one square foot matures you replant just that one square foot with a new and different crop.'' Mr. Bartholomew also said this one block with a vertical frame can feed one person a salad every single day.

He also went on to say that his new way of gardening has been adopted in many emerging countries, such as India and Haiti.

"I have been teaching the people of these countries to raise their own crops and be self-sufficient,'' Mr. Bartholomew said.

"In India, the farmers are now selling more crops. They used to just raise two crops six months out of the year but now they are gardening 12 months and raising 22 different crops earning more in a month than they use to do in an entire year. That is a big accomplishment.'' Right now, Mr. Bartholomew says he's spending one month in 12 in his favourite places in the US, aside from Bermuda, before settling in California and dedicating himself to the foundation.

Asked what makes Bermuda second on his most favourite list Mr. Bertholomew responded: "Bermuda is one of my favourite places because of the people. I first came here in 1991 and have been coming ever since.

"I also enjoy the atmosphere and the year around gardening and climate.'' This Saturday he will be having a reception hoping to find volunteers to help start the square foot gardens in schools if the programme can be successfully organised here.

"The reception will be held at Aberfeldy Nurseries at 4 p.m. for anyone who is interested in learning how to create a square foot garden, being a volunteer or just wants to meet the author.'' Columnist Malcom D. Griffiths also looks at small gardens, Page 47