Is it One Year Already??


One year ago today, I hit the publish button for the first time.  It was a tense moment for me - I'm not sure what I thought was going to happen, but let me tell you, it took me a good couple of hours before I built up the courage to click on that button.  And boy am I ever glad I did.

I've "met" so many wonderful gardeners.  Having the opportunity to share and listen to gardening stories and advice with so many like-minded people has been nothing short of amazing.  I have learned so much...much more than I could have from any book, magazine or website.

I think I've mentioned before that I don't really know many people (well, none actually) that are as crazy about gardening as I am.  I know people that enjoy doing a bit of gardening here and there but their interest lies primarily in their enjoyment of the end product rather than the process.  Tending to their plants is a tedious process rather than a pleasure.  Plant purchases are usually limited to common (or no-name) varieties and growing anything from seed is a rarity.  We may have a two or three minute chat about the garden, but that's about it.

I, on the other hand, truly enjoy simply wandering through a garden, any garden, and chatting about this flower & that veg.  I could spend several blissful hours comparing notes on different varieties, seed starting and soil preparation.  Remember that 80's Depeche Mode song "I Just Can't Get Enough" (boy, am I dating myself here ;) )?  Well, when it comes to gardening, that's me in a nutshell.

As it so happened, today was also my first time volunteering at a local farm that provides organic produce for the community.  I have been meaning to do some volunteering for quite some time and, now that the kids are a bit older, the timing seemed right.

I spent my morning shoveling compost, filling seed trays and seeding parsley & broccoli.  I would have loved to take a bunch of photos but, being new and not really knowing anyone, I felt a bit odd doing that.  As I was leaving, however, I took a quick shot of the greenhouse we had been working in.

Greenhouse at the Farm
 
It was fantastic and the people I met, well, let me just say we were all speaking the same language ;)  How fitting, that my first day was precisely one year after I started this blog.

So to everyone that has taken time out of their day to read one of my posts, share their experiences and simply made me feel so welcome...

Thank You!

Comments

  1. Happy Blogiversary! It seems like longer than a year. I guess that's because I am used to reading end enjoying your posts in my feed. The farm sounds like a wonderful place to volunteer and mingle with like minded folks.

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    1. Thank you Rachel! Writing this blog is one of those weird things that feels both like I just started it the other day & that I have been doing it forever - I'm sure you know exactly what I mean ;) And the farm definitely was wonderful...if I could, I'd go there every day!

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  2. Happy Blogiversary! I've learned a lot by blogging too. And met a lot of wonderful people. You being one of them. Of course you remind me a bit of myself. You like to experiment and don't mind crunching numbers. I have friends that garden, but not like I do. I can count the gardening conversations I've had with them over a year on one hand.

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    1. Thanks Daphne! You obviously know exactly how I feel. Do you know, when I first found your blog, long before I actually started blogging, I enjoyed it so much that I spent days going back and reading every single one of your old posts. Very few things feel as good as sharing a passion for gardening with others who feel the same way!

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  3. Congratulations. I sure have enjoyed all your posts and the experiences you've shared.

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    1. Thanks...and right back atcha! Your posts have made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion (...early retirement, here I come...hilarious!)

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  4. Happy one year anniversary and here's to many more. I'm in exactly the same boat, none of my friends are in to gardening at all so blogging is a great way to meet like minded people. The farm project sounds brilliant, how wonderful to be able to get involved in that, I'm sure you'll find it very enjoyable.

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    1. Thanks so much, Jo! Nothing beats sharing an interest with someone that enjoys it as much as you do, both online and in person. And if it hadn't been for your blog anniversary post a couple of days ago, I likely would have missed mine altogether - so thank you for the inadvertent reminder!

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  5. I for one am so glad you started blogging - Happy Anniversary! And I know what you mean about being crazy about gardening. I have not found that many people who are that passionate about growing things. I was lucky to work with a couple of guys who gardened like I do, and I miss our chats now that I am retired. We get together occasionally for lunch and usually the first thing someone says is "how's your garden doing?"

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    1. Oh, thanks so much Dave! It sure does seem like gardening nuts like us are few and far between. I actually have a hard time understanding how people don't love it - I don't get it at all...which is probably what these people are saying about me ;)

      It wasn't that long ago where the only exposure we had to other peoples gardens was only locally or through books and magazines. What a wonderful world we live in where "real" people can easily share their "real" garden and experience with others that are thousands of miles or even an ocean away!

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  6. Happy Anniversary!
    So nice to have found your blog and read your wonderfully detailed notes! Though I've gardened for a long time, I always learn new things here.
    That greenhouse looks like an awesome place to spend the day.

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    1. Thanks Sue! I remember a comment you made a while back that gardeners have the BEST hobby in the world...you are SO right - and all us gardeners know it!!

      But you know what the best part about starting this blog was? Getting to know wonderful, light-hearted & down to earth people like you!

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  7. Happy Blogoversary and totally understand the need to "live" in the garden - tending, seeding and all of the above you mentioned. And now you know why I do CSA and Community garden - to be able to talk to others with the same mind-set!

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    1. Thanks Jenny! I MORE than understood when you said you were going to change things up and get much more involved in the gardening community. I always had it in the back of my mind that I was going to do the same when I had the opportunity, so I'm quite excited that the time has finally come.

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  8. Only a year and already a year! Congratulations. It seems like I've been reading about your garden much longer than that. I agree with you about the fun of finding other passionate vegetable gardeners through blogging. I haven't found anyone as crazy for it as myself locally either. When I lived in the San Francisco bay area I volunteered with the local Master Gardeners and found a lot of like minded gardeners there. The volunteers maintained a few different demonstration gardens that prominently featured edibles so we got lots of hands on practical experience. They have an annual plant sale featuring veggies, herbs, and flowers all grown from seed, which was always a great learning experience as well. But the MG program where I live now is more focused on ornamental gardening and so far as I know doesn't maintain a demonstratioon garden of any sort. So now I volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium instead. The one big thing that a virtual garden community lacks in my opinion is the ability to swap fresh veggies, fruit, and plants, although I have made some great seed swaps. But one big advantage that I love about an online community is the chance to see gardens, real gardens and not some momentary snapshot of perfection, and in all sorts of climates and places. It's such an eye opener and has certainly made me appreciate the forgiving mild climate where I get to garden.

    Keep up the great work!

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    1. Thanks Michelle! You are so fortunate to have been involved in a MG group that included edibles as part of their program. I checked out the local Master Gardeners group and, like the group in your current area, their focus is solely on ornamentals. It's really too bad, especially in this day and age where the importance of organic, locally grown produce is finally being recognized. You can't get more local than your own backyard.

      Oh, can you imagine if it were possible to swap veggies, etc....now THAT would be something. And there's also something to be said for face to face interaction and the endless garden chatter that would ensue. You hit the nail right on the head about the online community. I like learning from the experts, reading their books, articles, etc., but what I really enjoy is seeing REAL gardens and hearing from people that are just like me. There's a big difference between what you find in a book and actual experience. Books and magazine are often so anesthetized - this is how you grow things....You have this problem? Here is the solution. Real life is rarely that cut and dry.

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  9. Congratulations on your one year blogiversary! Wow, you seem like such a seasoned and well-connected blogger, I'm surprised it's only been one year.

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  10. Congratulations on your Blog Anniversary! Your comments about feeling apprehensive at the start certainly ring true. I was like that too. You have made big progress in a year, haven't you? I bet you find the volunteering work very rewarding.

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    1. Thank you Mark! Yup, I had a big case of the jitters that first time - I think I actually held my breath! I am loving the volunteering and am hoping to get much more involved in the months to come.

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  11. Congratulations on your anniversary, Margaret! Your blogs are so well written and entertaining that I assumed you had been doing this much longer (I guess you are just a natural)! I'm so glad to have connected with you online. I also have few friends who garden and so it is nice to have someone in a nearby "zone". Looking forward to seeing what you get up to this season!

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    1. Oh, thanks Susie! I feel the exact same way - it's lovely to be able to connect with a fellow Ontarian and share experiences. And as Canadians, we also have our own set of challenges; just figuring out where to get specific gardening related items, plants or seed varieties can be frustrating.

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  12. Congratulations, Margaret, seems like much longer. Blogging takes a lot of personal time and effort and I appreciate your sharing your experiences, I've learned a lot from you and your "experiments" are fascinating. Not many people are so dedicated to gardening. I'm the coordinator of our community garden and started a blog for it, but I stopped contributing to it because I couldn't get anyone else to contribute or even read it. I figured I'll spend that time writing for my own blog. At the garden kickoff meeting in January, I couldn't even get them to discuss their gardens and what worked or didn't work for them. They don't even show up to harvest their crops. I'm not sure why they bother to garden. So it's a pleasure to read and interact with a virtual community of dedicated gardeners like yourself.

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    1. Thanks so much, David! That has got to be the strangest group of "gardeners" I have ever heard of...I would have originally thought that they may have been more interested in the end product and not overly enthusiastic about the work involved - but then they don't even bother to harvest their crops? How frustrating that must be for you! Hopefully, there were one or two new people at the meeting that were perhaps a bit shy about sharing their experiences at the start and will open up once the season really kicks in.

      The internet has definitely opened up a whole new world for us - it wasn't too long ago that our interactions were limited by geographical distance. We are all so fortunate to now be able to connect with other people that are as enthusiastic about their gardens as we are, regardless of distance.

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  13. Congrats on your first year of gardening blogging, may there be many more with many new bloggers coming your way, inc me 😃

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  14. Congrats on your bloggiversary, has it been only a year, I thought we've met long ago :)
    I enjoy our online garden community, I've learned so much from other gardeners, sadly I couldn't find any local vege gardener to exchange ideas and swap seeds, people seem so surprise that I even bother to grow veggies in the desert, of course the conversation goes not where.

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    1. Thanks Mac! Sadly, it seems that the lack of true gardening enthusiasts, and specifically those that enjoy vegetable gardening, is not limited to challenging locations - from what everyone has been saying, it seems like this is fairly common, no matter where you live.

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  15. Happy blog anniversary. I have enjoyed your posts and learned from you as well. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to volunteer at Locust Grove's Heritage Veg Garden and meet a number of like minded gardeners like myself. You will enjoy volunteering at the farm, nothing like been with people who speak the same language.

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    1. Thank you Norma - I've only been at the farm once so far, but am so looking forward to going again in a couple of days. You are indeed fortunate to be involved with a community garden where others share the love as much as you do.

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  16. Hi Margaret, Congratulations on your one year blogging anniversary!!! You are a wonderful gardener and now it is so nice that you can volunteer and share that love! May your garden thrive this coming year! Nancy

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    1. Thanks Nancy! And I'm sending some thriving garden wishes right back to you!

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  17. Hey congratulations Margaret! I only found your blog in late summer through Daphne's Dandelions, (which I found through Sue at Green Lane Allotments) and had also assumed you'd been blogging a long time. Your attention to detail in your posts is incredible, and also makes me chuckle too.
    It's great you've started volunteering, I'm sure you'll get along famously with the gang there. We have a Farmshare here in Norwich that I'd like to get involved with sometime.

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    1. Thanks Lou! I'll tell you, if it weren't for Daphne's blog, I would likely be missing out on a ton of great blogs, including yours! I did my 2nd day at the farm yesterday and it was just as great as the first...I'm quite happy as you never know when you get involved with something new - sometimes the experience doesn't live up to expectations.

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