Sunday 26 February 2006

Daughter of the Soil



OK, so why start another blog when there's masses of information for gardeners on the net already? Why start another blog at all, since I've already got one for my musical activities, which I post to most days?

Well, I grow a lot of unusual stuff in my garden - rare herbs and Victorian vegetables - and I do a bit of experimentation with growing methods and plant breeding. So there's just a chance that somebody, somewhere, might find it useful and interesting.

The other day I bought some heritage apple trees from a specialist grower. I hadn't been able to find out much about these varieties on the internet, so I asked him about them ... and he shrugged and explained that some of them are so rare nobody knows anything about them yet. It's only when a few interested individuals have taken the trouble to grow them and share their experiences that any info will become available. And that made me realise that even small-scale ill-disciplined amateurs like me have an important role to play in building up this specialist knowledge.

I've been making written notes for two years already, because I always forget things if I don't. So I may as well make my notes publicly available.

I have to thank my husband Ian for supporting me while I indulge my interests and spend his money on plants, and my esteemed friend William Shaw for calling me a horny-handed daughter of the soil in the first place.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm I love the idea behind this website, very unique.
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longtallokie said...

This is a very unique, informative, and entertaining site. I, too, have an interest in WWI, as well as gardening, and poetry. To combine WWI and poetry, one MUST read Robert W. Service!