Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi everyone. I've noticed that a lot of you have 'blog's on the go, documenting your allotment/veg gardens, and I think they're a great idea - if you've started with a nasty weedy scrap-heap, it's good to remind yourself how far you've come, and encourage other people to have a go. So, i thought I'd take the plunge into unknown territory, and have a go myself... I've just done the first post, which took ages, would any of you mind having a look and give me a few tips? I know there's no 'right' or 'wrong', but is there anything you wished you'd put in at the beginning and forgot? Or put in and wished you hadn't?

http://wixypixies.blogspot.com/

Cheers
Sarah

__________________
Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

Very good..the wixy pixies on plot thirtysixy!

Handy to look back on for planting times and harvest times and to see what worked and what didn't! etc

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Sarah you have done a nice job ...I am enjoying reading all of the blogs that I run across here on the Grapevine..I have so many bookmarked, I will be reading forever....keep up the good work and keep us posted how the plot is coming along...I admire all of you that love gardening so much that you take on a plot away from your home.

Nice Blog Sarzwix. Enjoyed looking at it. For me, less is more. Less words and more pictures. BUT that is just me.
My blog is just a place to post pics - and I know it. You can look if you like.
http://wwwaliceinwonderland-alice.blogspot.com/

__________________

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Love the blog, Sarah - and the shed (jealous, moi?) - as far as tips for blogs go:

• I find that I'm inclined to 'go on a bit' on each post, so my advice would be to keep each entry fairly short, and include a couple of pics with each one.
• Do a post (and photos!) each week/each time you go to the plot - it's easier to remember what you've done today rather than racking your brains and charting your progress is a real boost when you think you are getting nowhere fast!
• If it is your only record of what you're doing, defo put down 'today I sowed/planted out/cropped'
• If you have an ego thing like me, put a counter on so you can say to yourself - 'ooh, x people were interested enough in me to look at my blog!'
• Put down successes and failures - pat yourself on the back! and if you have problems, put 'em down - you don't know who's reading who can help!
• Get the family roped in to post their own entries - it's a family allotment after all, and it'll be the equivalent of a 'scrap book' for the future!

Hope this gives you an idea or two - of course your best bet is to cruise around and nick ideas from those blogs that you like the look of. Personally I'd not only nick Wellie's blog, but her whole garden.

__________________
Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Tues 02/12/2008......End of year report!.....

I use mine as a veg gardening diary. You can have one pic per post and so far I'm using one per week, just adding days with the edit button. When I start harvesting big time I know I shall want more pictures! Then I'll have one post per pic. I started it partly because I was so fired up by the others on here, partly because my diary was too small in March/April to fit in all the sowings each day!
I like your start - keep it up. Remember to document what you planted and when - you'll want to know if the season is earlier or later next year. And put in pics of the buckets of potaotes and baskets of beans etc because you will be SO proud of them - and we can all share it with you. Well done kid!

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

Thank you very much everyone. Just need the kids back to school now - can't get near the computer til they've all gone to bed at the moment!
Lucky that I can go back to all my posts on the Vine, so I can remember what I've done, when!

__________________
Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

Nice work.

Just had an idea. I'm a web developer and can make my websites do almost anything, hope that doesn't sound too arrogant. It does explain why I'm such a newbie at gardening. I'm constantly programming rather than growing.

If people want to PM me with their blog addresses I'll make a directory of them on my site as a quick link.

As a pet project later this year I'm going to convert the natural history of Selborn by gilbert white into a fully searchable section of my site as there's so much useful information in there. I consider it a blog of the 16th century. He was fascinating and made such discoveries. There was a great programme on BBC about it too.

Now that's how to blog.

Here's the text I'm going to be working from in case anyones interested in. It's not rally about growing things but it's interesting anyway.

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1408

__________________
Newbie gardener in Cumbria.
Just started my own website on gardening:

http://angie.weblobe.net/Gardening/

Best advice is don't start - you become obsesive if your not careful Mine is just an Aide Memoir as I'm nearly as old as LJ so I ... er...what were you saying



No they are good but piccies and a few words is a lot better than Blethering on like I do sometimes

__________________
ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Sarah

Your blog looks great to me. Just the right blend of pic / text. It has a real family scrapbook feel. I am sure there are little wixies who will get their hands on the blog in time. My 10 year old son, Olly, is a squillion times better/faste at it than me.

Keep it up.

Johnty

__________________
it's written in the wind that we're two, carved out in the sand that we're real,
it's lit up in the stars that we're true, we're destined in the sky to be glad
Paul Weller
http://johntygreentoes.blogspot.com/