Tiny Flowers for Fairies?
Realization of the Day:
I need to get my original garden blog attitude - and pronto.
Back in the spring of 2006, I started this blog with a simple goal - to help me keep better records of what goes on each year in my Missouri kitchen garden. I made it a separate entity from Farmgirl Fare, my main food and farm blog, so I wouldn't bore non-gardeners with obsessive ramblings about sheep manure, seedling woes, the joys of growing 19 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, and the unbelievable destruction wreaked by blister beetles.
At first things went really well. I put up a short but newsy post nearly every single day, beginning most of them with a personal Realization of the Day, then babbling on from there. I was helping my gardening efforts and having fun.
But as more and more kitchen gardeners (and would-be kitchen gardeners) discovered my little blog, I decided I needed to offer more helpful hints and how-to advice. Posts became longer and exceedingly more complicated. I began to hear from happy people all over the world whom I had helped or inspired to expand or create their gardens. It was wonderful.
Then somewhere along the lines all those quick little posts and daily realizations dried up. I continued taking all kinds of photos, but I stopped making notes. Part of it was a simple matter of not having enough time to do everything I wanted to do (should I sit down and write something about the garden or actually go out and work in it?). But the idea of putting up a blog post that discussed nothing more than which flowers were blooming that day, or what I'd finally got around to planting, or even what I'd picked and enjoyed for dinner that night suddenly didn't seem like enough. And the longer I waited between posts, the more it felt like I needed to write a long article about something really substantial. Because this kind of daily detail stuff wasn't really going to help anyone become a better gardener.
Except me. Which brings me back to the whole reason I started this blog in the first place - my need for a garden journal.
I love being able to look back and find out what was going on in previous years. Because sometimes it's all those tiny, seemingly inconsequential details that really mean the most. Even just a photo can, well, be worth a thousand words - or simply be nice to look at.
So I'm officially starting over. From here on out, I'm going to try to post something every day - or at least every other day. I have the photos, I have the realizations, I have lots of stuff going on in the garden (even when it feels like I'm so behind there's nothing planted out there - which in itself needs to be noted), and I have a strong desire to get back into that garden blogging groove. Wish me luck.
In the meantime, here's a photo of the tiny white flowers that pop up in our front lawn each spring when I remind the Head Mower (actually, the only mower) to please steer clear of the stuff that doesn't look like grass because one day it'll be covered with charming little blossoms. And even though I have no idea what these plants are (which means I can't even impart a name, let alone any helpful knowledge, to you about them), posting this photo, which was taken back on May 13th, lets me know that yet one more flowering plant is behind its blooming schedule this year due to our cold and crazy winter.
In 2007 I didn't bother to write about these fairy-like flowers, but I know that in 2006 they had already popped up on April 23rd - and on that same day I ate the first two stalks of asparagus (while standing in the garden), saw the first hummingbird of the season, and had some very happy Aconcagua pepper plants finally in the ground.
Phew. Done. Now that wasn't too bad.
Do you have a garden blog or blog about gardening? How has it affected your garden/gardening?
© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where it just started to rain - but I'm still going to try and finally get some really pathetic looking (and purchased!) tomato plants in the ground.
Realization of the Day:
I need to get my original garden blog attitude - and pronto.
Back in the spring of 2006, I started this blog with a simple goal - to help me keep better records of what goes on each year in my Missouri kitchen garden. I made it a separate entity from Farmgirl Fare, my main food and farm blog, so I wouldn't bore non-gardeners with obsessive ramblings about sheep manure, seedling woes, the joys of growing 19 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, and the unbelievable destruction wreaked by blister beetles.
At first things went really well. I put up a short but newsy post nearly every single day, beginning most of them with a personal Realization of the Day, then babbling on from there. I was helping my gardening efforts and having fun.
But as more and more kitchen gardeners (and would-be kitchen gardeners) discovered my little blog, I decided I needed to offer more helpful hints and how-to advice. Posts became longer and exceedingly more complicated. I began to hear from happy people all over the world whom I had helped or inspired to expand or create their gardens. It was wonderful.
Then somewhere along the lines all those quick little posts and daily realizations dried up. I continued taking all kinds of photos, but I stopped making notes. Part of it was a simple matter of not having enough time to do everything I wanted to do (should I sit down and write something about the garden or actually go out and work in it?). But the idea of putting up a blog post that discussed nothing more than which flowers were blooming that day, or what I'd finally got around to planting, or even what I'd picked and enjoyed for dinner that night suddenly didn't seem like enough. And the longer I waited between posts, the more it felt like I needed to write a long article about something really substantial. Because this kind of daily detail stuff wasn't really going to help anyone become a better gardener.
Except me. Which brings me back to the whole reason I started this blog in the first place - my need for a garden journal.
I love being able to look back and find out what was going on in previous years. Because sometimes it's all those tiny, seemingly inconsequential details that really mean the most. Even just a photo can, well, be worth a thousand words - or simply be nice to look at.
So I'm officially starting over. From here on out, I'm going to try to post something every day - or at least every other day. I have the photos, I have the realizations, I have lots of stuff going on in the garden (even when it feels like I'm so behind there's nothing planted out there - which in itself needs to be noted), and I have a strong desire to get back into that garden blogging groove. Wish me luck.
In the meantime, here's a photo of the tiny white flowers that pop up in our front lawn each spring when I remind the Head Mower (actually, the only mower) to please steer clear of the stuff that doesn't look like grass because one day it'll be covered with charming little blossoms. And even though I have no idea what these plants are (which means I can't even impart a name, let alone any helpful knowledge, to you about them), posting this photo, which was taken back on May 13th, lets me know that yet one more flowering plant is behind its blooming schedule this year due to our cold and crazy winter.
In 2007 I didn't bother to write about these fairy-like flowers, but I know that in 2006 they had already popped up on April 23rd - and on that same day I ate the first two stalks of asparagus (while standing in the garden), saw the first hummingbird of the season, and had some very happy Aconcagua pepper plants finally in the ground.
Phew. Done. Now that wasn't too bad.
Do you have a garden blog or blog about gardening? How has it affected your garden/gardening?
© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where it just started to rain - but I'm still going to try and finally get some really pathetic looking (and purchased!) tomato plants in the ground.
I blog fairly often about my garden, usually including some pretty photos. It helps me to see from year to year how things have changed (or not).
ReplyDeleteI'm not super-diligent about recording everything, I just write about whatever catches my eye at the time. Of course I usually do write about my first blackberries, first tomatoes, first peaches, etc. so it does create a nice record for me :)
Gretchen from the Happiness Project (www.happiness-project.com) has a lovely phrase "don't let better be the enemy of good"
ReplyDeleteI'll be really happy to see your lovely photo's again, especially as in Australia we are heading into winter. I like hearing about the little rhythm's of the garden. Enjoy your blogging and be happy with good, ok, or even "well at least something got up this week"
Naomi
I'm starting a specific blog for our new house and garden as we're moving in, so the blog has to some extent predated the garden.
ReplyDeleteI intend to take photographs (at which I'm currently rather bad), make notes of when things were planted, and generally keep it as a resource for myself, as well as for others.
One of the topics on my blog (which is a little miscellaneous generally) is my garden. We started with a big patch of grass and not much money for plants, so it's been occasionally depressingly bare. It's been really good to look at how much has changed, how much better it looks, and keep track of what's 'normal'.
ReplyDeleteI believe your flower is Star of Bethlehem - I have a million in my yard!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to see you back garden-blogging again! I want to start my own as soon as I get a digital camera. This year, because of you, I grew Bright Lights swiss chard. It's beautiful! But my husband thinks it tastes like dirt. sigh...
I don't really write about my garden much, I guess. I'll probably do so more when things are growing bigger and I can post some good pictures. I think you're right though that you should be out working in the garden instead of writing about it. Even though I love to read about your garden. Did I ever tell you I found you last year when I was looking for a recipe for fresh pizza sauce to can? And I will probably need more tomato recipes this year, as I think we have planted far too many tomato plants. If such a thing is possible.
ReplyDeleteYou know, for me, having a garden blogs helps me always remember to get down close and observe my garden. Sometimes I really do just go out there because I need a new photo, and of course I end up noticing 900 things and messing around out there. Plus it's a way for me to inspire my friends and family to get on their garden!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of this issue just the other day. My blogs not even very old and I feel the tug between inspired and informational.
ReplyDeleteI kind of miss those first several posts that seemed so whimsical.
I try to blog 3x a week and sometimes have to keep myself from doing more because no one checks it that often. ;) And I don't want to bog down the good folks who do check on me every few weeks.
Those tiny white flowers are Sisyrinchium 'Album' sometimes called 'white-eyed grass' although common names always vary. I'm not sure on the species (there are a few). This genus is found throughout the U.S.A. and are some of my favorite little plants. In California we have the Sisyrinchium bellum 'blue-eyed grass' gets a little taller but is also adorable. They all happily re-seed and make quite the charming meadow plant! Lucky you. The fairies are sure to visit you now!
ReplyDeleteSusan, again we are in sinc. We both blogged about kohlrabi on the same day (unknowingly). I finally put up a post last night that was originally going to explain my absence on the interweb. It was going to be entitled, "Waiting to Exhale," because I've finally been able to catch my breath and slow down a bit. Slow down enough to write something, that is. Instead, I went the informational route and wrote about my tomato planting technique. Gack, I wish I could be so confident in my blogging to VOW to post everyday. It's tough to do it consistently!
ReplyDeleteI have those little white flowers, too, and I love them.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're starting this up again, I really enjoy your writing and I'm always interested in the garden process. I'm working on using my small city yard to make more food this year. I've had raspberries for years, a couple forays into growing veggies, but this year it's serious. I blog on another kind of blog where I'm one of many, so I don't talk about gardening there. I've been keeping a notebook with the dates I plant things and their progress, and I put pictures up on my Facebook profile.
I think a blog is whatever you want it to be, and for me, like you, it was a way to record my plants and gardening trips, etc. Soon I will be blogging for M-Live, a regional gardening clog, and I fear I will tempted to provide more informative information... and that that may take me away from my little everyday notes and humor. So I will try hard to stay upbeat and motivated, while at the same time sharing info, without being an entirely educational site. (If that makes sense.)
ReplyDelete~ Monica
I'm glad to see you back! I just made the same re-commitment to my blog. Not so much to post every day, but to get back to letting it be my garden journal.
ReplyDeleteHi Everybody!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for all the wonderful comments. I always love hearing about your own garden experiences, and I'm even more inspired now to get back to garden blogging. In fact I just published a new post. All that and I even learned what these little flowers are, too! You all are the best. Happy growing! : )
I don't devote any set number of posts to my garden (usually it's squeezed in the middle of other life-related ramblings), but I do blog about it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy it, although this is my first year with a proper in-ground garden. The native soil is terrible, mostly clay, and very worrying, so I've filled in with storebought garden soil and peat moss. Some things are growing, some I've replanted after apparent failures, and I'm hoping to get some decent yields :) Time will tell, and it's all one big learning experience!
I know what you mean about getting caught up in wanting to post more information, but you are right. Sometimes you have to really think about if you have time to DO it or WRITE about it. I just want you to know that you can still be a great inspiration to others by showing that you are just DOING it! It's great to be able to share information, but everybody knows that we are all squeezing all we can into each day. If you have time to give more informative, then do it sometimes, but people will get inspired from your adventures in gardening, and will maybe look up information on their own! Pictures and a few words are evening inspiring to me! Thanks and keep it up!!
ReplyDeleteYes... I do blog about my garden, and it is long and daily and filled with photos... and I have had the same experience as you have, the more people that read it, the more I get away from the reason I started it. At this point in time I type as daily as I can, but post once a week or so.. so the entries are very long. Editing and loading the photos is the part that takes the longest, but SO worth it. I have gathered so much useful info for ME by looking back at years past. It has made me a much better gardener. I think most people read my garden blog primarily for the pictures. *grin*
ReplyDeleteI post as ravensgarden at livejournal. I have other live journal accounts.. but that is the one reserved for gardening.