.
Don't forget to send in your nominations!
Today, April 30, is the last day to get them in.
So, if you haven't yet sent in yours, quit slackin' and do it, people! :)
You don't have to have someone in mind for each and every category but, please do send in at least one or two of your faves:
Mouse & Trowel Nominations
.
.
In all the years I've been blogging, I've come across some very interesting blog names.
Some make you think. Some make you chuckle. Some make you nod your head in agreement that it was the perfect name for a garden blog and you wish you'd thought of it first.
And some make you really wonder.
Mine is pretty easy to figure out - I have tons of hobbies, which have become more habit than hobby, and they make me happy.
For instance, I can't sit and watch tv without a sewing needle, quilt piece, book or yarn in my fingers. If I'm outside I'm messing with plants, soil or fish. If my hands aren't moving I'm wasting time. Of course, it could just be the result of my Grandmother's constant conditioning - "Idle hands are the devils tools." Happy Hobby Habit fit my blog perfectly.
Take Amy's blog, for example: Go Away I'm Gardening!
Now, seriously, I must think that 5 times a day in the summer! Perfect blog name.
Or, how about David's: Leave me Alone, I'm Digging.
Exactly! Perfect.
Kerri's Colors Of The Garden is rather self explanatory, yet very creative, don't you think? You know what you're going to read about before you even click. (although I secretly covet her container design skill. Shhh! Don't tell!)
How did those three decide on those interesting names for their garden blogs? Did they think long and hard or did those just pop into their heads?
Now, something like Herself's Houston Garden makes you wonder. Who's Herself? She's obviously gardening in Houston, but why use Herself? Intrigue!
Or, Lisa's Millertime. Why did she pick that? Is there some secret meaning we're all not privy to? Don't keep us in the dark!
Then there's Benjamin's Deep Middle. Interesting. Deep middle of what? Life, country, education, mountains? Do tell!
And Hanna's This Garden Is Illegal. It is? Cool! Why did she choose that name for her blog? Hmmmm . . . makes you wonder!
Occasionally, I think about a name change, but then I let the thought fall by the wayside. I like it and it fits for now. Maybe it'll be something to worry about in the future.
So, how did you decide on the name for your blog? Did you think about it for a while or was it just a spur-of-the moment thing? Did you want it to be something easy for people to remember? Have you come across one and wish you'd chosen something like it?
If you thought of something you liked better, would you be willing to change it? If you started a new one, would you think more about what it's name should be?
Maybe do a post on your own blog and tell us all about why it's named what it is - We want to know!
Well, at least I do. I'm a nosy gardener :)
Happy (naming) Growing!
.
.
For those of you that are still wondering about Blotanical and what Stuart has been up to, he has a new post up at the 'News' tab - just go to the front page and click on the tab or click here.
Some appreciative comments (which also don't seem to be working at the moment - just maybe keep it in the back of your mind for a future date) might be nice since he's managed to tip-toe through quite a mess recently and still kept trying to keep everyone happy.
.
.
At least for . . right this second.
:)
.
I'm expecting there might still be a few more bumps.
Happy reading!
.
Rather, he tweets!
For those of you who don't do the tweet thing and want to be kept up-to-date:
(5 hours ago) "Finally into the backend of Blotanical. Should hopefully see the lists back up by the end of the day.
(3 hours ago) Blotanical lists are now up in temp mode. I shall continue watching them to ensure they stay up. Will let you know when they are A-Ok
(2 hours ago) It looks as though I'm going to need to split the lists again. With 50+ new blogs waiting to be added the lists are too demanding on space
(30 minutes ago) Obvious memory problems with Blotanical lists. Bear with me people, I'll get to it tomorrow night. Off to bed soon. Enuff for today - soz."
It looks like things are moving along (I'm getting a 404 for the lists right now). We just need to be patient a while longer.
Moving all that info to new servers is quite a technical challenge, to say the least, and bumps along the way are to be expected.
.
.
Colleen Vanderlinden, of In The Garden Online, Mouse & Trowel Awards and book (plus numerous articles) fame, has an interesting new article up at her About.com site - Colleen's Organic gardening Blog - "Reusing items For Seed Starting".
Whew! She's a busy girl.
She's included links in the article for some wonderful posts by some fellow bloggers, including me (yay!) who reuse ordinary items for seed starting.
The amount of waste that we humans generate is astonishing.
Any little bit we can do to reduce it deserves a kudos. I saw a picture of some large aluminum cans painted, planted and attached to a wall that was gorgeous and something I might try this year. You wouldn't think something like that would look too nice, but it looked much like carefully arranged attractive garden art.
We have to start somewhere, why not with starting seeds this spring?
If you get a second, check out the article and see if there's something listed that you might like to give a try.
What are you going to reuse for your garden/gardening this year?
Happy (reusable) Growing!
.
.
Alrighty, since everyone seems to be going through major pick withdrawl because they can't do it the usual way on Blotanical, here's an alternative that should work while Stuart is busy kicking the servers :)
Sign in to Blotanical
Go to 'My Plot'
On the left, 'visit a blotanist' or 'visit a blogger' - pick whoever you're looking for.
When you get to their plot, click on 'MyBlogs'
The latest post will be at the bottom in blue.
If you right click on the blue link and open in new tab/window (whichever you prefer) you can just close it out after picking (or not) and go back to the left list of 'visit a blotanist' or 'visit a blogger' without losing where you were.
Sounds complicated, but it really isn't. Besides, it's a really good way to discover some new blogs you wouldn't have known about otherwise!
:)
Oh, and you can always click on the person (upper left in blue under how many picks for that post) that picked that post before you and see if you'd like to pick their post. A nice circle!
Happy (picking) Growing!
.
.
Yay!
Blotanical is back up and running!
Now, that didn't hurt too bad, did it? ;)
Happy browsing.
.
.
Just thought it was about time I mentioned it!
Whether you're an expert plant geek, or just a beginner geek, this is the blog for you.
Trust me. ;)
Just . . . make sure you have a few free hours to waste before you click the link and start browsing. You'll need them all!
I've been reading his blog for a few years now and always learn something new or cool from each post, most often with a twisted bit of humor thrown in. Some of you may already be reading it . . .
Plants Are The Strangest People.
Kudos for such a fantastic blog, Mr. Subjunctive. Huge kudos!
.
.
When I first joined Blog Catalog in 2007, there were 5 blogs listed under gardening.
Now =
What a deal, eh?
I think I'm nauseous. Nope, I know I am.
From Matt Mattus at Growing With Plants: (seriously, you have to go read it)
"Grand total for proper supplies to grow disease resistant tomatoes is
$1285.10. $5.14 per tomato."
Ummmm...
Seriously, what is there to say to that except, "Man, I wish I had that kind of money to blow on growing a vegetable!"
Does he really think that's what it takes to grow a disease resistant tomato?
God, I hope not or us poor people, who actually grow gardens to SAVE money (or not eat all winter) are doomed to starve!
OK, let's see - here's my price list from last summer (or at least close).
Tom seeds (I think we had 10 varieties not counting the weirdo volunteers we also grew out and harvested from): 10 cents per pack = $1.00.
And no, they weren't any special expensive, disease resistant variety, but they were still damn healthy and tasted good!
Soil for 20 plants, 2 of each variety (I mixed my own from peat, turkey grit and the cheapest potting soil I could find - which most of went for WSing and plants I grew for others) = approx $3 - and that's estimated on the high side.
Containers, recycled = free.
Transplanted outside to one year old hay bales = free.
Stakes = free.
Fert, homemade = free
Organic preventative spray, homemade = Although I know it's much less, ingredients, we'll say, a whole $1.00
So, that adds up to a whopping five bucks.
If I go by his figures of 15 toms per plant, times my 20 plants, it equals 300 tomatoes.
Drum roll....
0.016666666 cents per (disease free) tomato.
I think I win! Oh, yeah, and bonus - I get to eat this winter and still not lose the house.
It blows my mind what people are willing to spend growing a few veg. If people would really like to throw their money away, they can just hand it to me and I'll put it to good use, like paying for some freaking heating fuel.
Ack! I need to go play with some seedlings before my brain explodes from thinking about it.
Happy (and cheap) growing!
.
Over at Prairie Point, they posted about a site which analyzes your blog and tells you which "Type" you are.
Typealyzer. What type is that blog?
This is what mine came up with-
ESTP - The Doers
The active and play-ful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.
The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.
Hmmm . . . yes, and no.
Why not give yours a shot?
.
.
Firefly, at Sweet Pea Chronicle, has transferred her blog over to wordpress, so has a new link.
Her always insightful posts are definitely worth a read!
According to Wired Magazine it is:
Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004
By Paul Boutin
Thinking about launching your own blog? Here's some friendly advice: Don't. And if you've already got one, pull the plug.
Scroll down Technorati's list of the top 100 blogs and you'll find personal sites have been shoved aside by professional ones. Most are essentially online magazines: The Huffington Post. Engadget. TreeHugger. A stand-alone commentator can't keep up with a team of pro writers cranking out up to 30 posts a day.
Is he serious? Puuuhleeeassse!
Well, at least I can have total faith that we 'Amateur Garden Bloggers' won't ever budge. There is much (too much) for us to babble about - and in a fun way. Plants, and the voracious appetite for the information about them, will never go away. Especially with the times sucky economy and the movement toward sustainability and Global Greenness. Blogs make new growers comfortable. They get the information in a less competitive way when communicating with another who has already grown whatever it is they're looking to try for themselves. Who wants to be preached down to by some 'professional' when you're just starting? Garden blogs are a great way to ease someone into the growing experience . . . without being made to feel stupid or ignorant. We all make mistakes - and if we're smart, we'll blog about those too!
I find that most serious gardeners are a stubborn lot. It won't be so easy to shove us off our soapboxes blogs.
I finally get time to sit down and have a nice leisurely peruse through the blogs listed on Voices at Gardenweb, and I get this:
site disabled.
~sigh~
Back to my favs list and the Power Guides.
I do it constantly - looking through my blog for last years info, that is.
And you know what? I find that nine times out of ten, I never even wrote about what I'm looking for!
I need to stop that, I really do. At the time, I always think, "So I took some cuttings. So what? It's something so small, why even document it? I'll wait until I have more than five words to do a post."
Well, how about for the simple fact that next year I'm going to want to know what I did . . . and when, for Pete sake!
It just seems so pointless to post one lousy sentence of "I took however many cuttings of whatever today." But that's the point - that there IS a point.
When I type Purple Heart into the search box, it's because I want to know what I actually did with that damn Purple Heart! Especially if I've lost them all somewhere along the line.
So, from now on, I vow to post every stupid, mindless speck of info I do with my plants whether inside or outside, seed or purchased. Period.
Wow, this is going to start becoming one long, continually updated and boring blog.
Go me!
:)
Oh, and I cut and poked 3 cuttings of Carolina Purple potato vine today. So there!
BritBlog is one of the directories I've used for quite a while to find and check out (new and old) British gardening blogs.
Now it's closed.
Big Bummer.
Well, there's still Garden voices, The Power Guides, my Favs list, My Folia, Dig In Dirt, Blog Catalog, Top 100, etc.
Ummm, ok, nevermind. There are endless lists and possibilities and I'll still be occupied by virtual gardens for... forever.
Do you ever get so mad at someone for giving out bad advice that you'd like to spit but still shut your mouth because you know they either won't listen or think their opinion on the subject is completely, utterly right and you don't want to start a row?
Grrrr...I am biting my tongue so hard right now that I can taste blood.
Breathe in...breathe out...breathe in...breathe out...repeat...
On a happier note -
I see Garden Rant has done a write-up on My Folia, but for some reason I can't get to the Rant blog. "Page cannot be displayed". Bugger. I don't know if they liked it or not. lol.
But, My Folia is an awesome site!
I joined as a member when they first started and can honestly say I think they are the cat's pajamas!
A bit confusing when you first start using it, but then anything worthwhile usually is. And no...umm...'points' stuff. Bonus!
:)
Well,
for pete sake.
I found two more sites today that are copying my content.
~sigh~
Emails have been sent (like they care), but it's pretty much impossible to stop them.
