Greetings from the Staff!

Our web master, site designer, writer, proof reader, editor, publisher, graphics artist, site reviewer, 'Simply Success' judge and jury, marketing specialist, traffic analyst; chief cook, bottle washer and keyboard duster; single mother to three lively teenagers all welcome you to our little corner of the sustainable organic gardening World Wide Web.

OK, I confess.. I, Jodi, am 'us'... and did I mention 'head research assistant'? You can see my entire list of projects below

This has been an ongoing project since I was twelve when my mother let me dig up a ten by twenty foot section of the backyard to put in what was to be my first gardening failure er, learning experience. Mom knew more about composting than I did and I had no idea I was going to have to 'save' all that icky stuff in the kitchen for that nasty 'pile' in the backyard!

But I watched my mom dig and putz around in her flower bed. And I was proud of our yard. It was colorful, beautiful and it came back year after year. I watched my dad come inside with the most beautiful vegetables I had ever seen... from a spot where there had been nothing just weeks before. (I guess burying the fish heads where the tomato plants were going to go next spring DID help.) I was always awed by what happened in a garden.

I can't say I've always been a good gardener. I can't say I was an avid gardener. I just knew that somewhere inside, I was A gardener. I've often been mediocre at best. But I've planted things no matter where I've been. I've watched the way people do things; asked a LOT of questions. I haven't always followed suit... I mean planting beans under the moon light naked in June just really is not my thing. But everyone has a little gardener in them. And this site is built for those of you who know that without a garden we are just somehow, more vulnerable.

I feel stronger when I garden. I feel more accomplished when I garden. I feel more peaceful when I garden. I feel more comfortable in my own skin in the garden. (Just not naked! ha ha ha!!) How do you feel? Does something always nag at you, urge you? ...to go out there and DO something but you're just not sure where to begin? or how to do something maybe better somehow?

I KNOW that feeling. And I've tried to harness it here on GardenSimply.com. There is a reason you feel that way... it's up to you to decipher exactly what it is that compels YOU, but there IS a reason. Some of it is very tangible. Our food supply is in peril. Pesticides are damaging us in ways we are only beginning to understand. People die every single day by the thousands of diet induced disease. This begs the question, "Is it our food supply?" or "Is it the irresponsible way we put anything down our throat without fear of consequence?"

I think it's a lot of both.

I was at a garage sale the other day and spoke with a woman 50+ and she made a comment that has stuck with me for a while... she said, "I think people were healthier when they all had their own gardens..." I couldn't agree more.

Years have improved my knowledge and my skill has followed suit. I have recently moved into a very small house with a very big yard. Although there is room for the dogs to share it with the garden. I've moved many times in my 44 years and I've started garden after garden. If I'm not an expert on anything, I AM an expert on how to get it going, ammending bad soil, etc! I've lived in apartments and done a LOT of container gardening. I've been very poor (was that past tense? ha ha!) and I've made due with what I found in the dump on the side of a hill out behind the house. My point is, I've covered a lot of ground and hopefully some of you can benefit from my experience.

I now have a goal for a Masters in Biology. It was SO hard deciding! I initially wanted to get my degree in Horticulture Science (what else?) But there is SO much research being done in Cellular Biology, Ecology, Soil Managment, Environmental stuff, you name it, and it's like, so many majors, so little time! And put that together with being a single mom (two have flown the coop hence the smaller house!), and well.... I guess I'll settle for ONE. Biology seems to cover it all well.

 Our Purpose

Our goal at Garden Simply is to make your organic garden work sustainable; be more productive, and ultimately more fun.

We hope to do this by...

• Providing education about sustainability in the garden and home.
• Providing education about enhancing you and your family's health through good eating, organic gardening techniques, organic gardening tips, and an all around sustainable lifestyle.
• Providing detailed information about home composting to improve the soil and resources for additional information.
• Providing helpful organic pest control tips (Integrated Pest Managment or IPM) to help you make the most of your effort!
And....
• Remaining in operation, which means we have to make a profit! We encourage you to patronize our advertisers, subscribe to our newsletter and purchase the various publications and materials which are available in our Reading Room, through our partners and our Plant Nursery.

We also believe in the partnership of gardening and computers. I am truly an organic gardener and I know the time constraints people are under these days. You like to garden, but can't seem to find the time. Perhaps you work in an office and have a long commute home. When you are home, you've got to make dinner or shuttle the kids around to all the things our children are involved in. (maybe they should be gardening too!)

Maybe you live in an apartment in the city and travel to your home in the country each weekend. You love the satisfaction that comes from growing things, or perhaps you realize that a good landscape can add a significant amount to t he value of your home AND the quality of your lives. How can you have it all?

This is where I hope to help people just like you. By helping you remember the purpose in gardening the way you do, teaching you techniques to make you more effective, choosing the right plants, tools, and by breaking up activities into manageable, monthly tasks. You can enjoy a nice garden and even have time to relax in it!~   One step toward our goal is our Monthly Reminders, which will help you plan your organic gardening activities.

We invite you to browse around our web site. Be proud of the achievements you have reached thus far and the goals you have set for yourself. You deserve to come home to your own beautiful garden; eat from it, learn from it, grow in it.

Never underestimate the value of what you are doing.
Life is short, so

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