New Member saying Hello from Massachusetts, USA

Hello,
I just joined, and this looks like a good group! I look forward to sharing AND learning. I am open to seed trades. I am a food gardener first, but love flowers and trees too.
Robin

 

Welcome, Robin, from mid-Norway. The Stew is a friendly, helpful community and the knowledge level is amazing. I'm positive you'll like it here.

 

Welcome Robin, from the confused Norwegian Artic. This is a great forum an i know you will love it. I'm more of an herbal and food gardener myself. Tons of info here from some very knowledgable people.

 

Hello Robin from Central Texas.I'm glad you found our Stew and will love it as I have enjoyed being here so much.I have learned so much from so many people.Everyone has so much knowledge to help each other learn more.

 

Hello Robin
Welcome to Gardenstew from southern Ontario!
I love to trade seeds too

 

Hi Robin

Welcome to the stew.
Have fun with us......And add some fun.

Barb ;o)

 

Welcome from northeast Wisconsin...did our snow make it over by you yet???

 

Hello Robin

A warm welcome to the STew from sunny South Africa.
This is a great forum and I am sure you will enjoy stewing with us.

 

Hello,
What a warm welcome. Feels good since it is chilly out just now here in February. However, it has not been a very cold winter overall. Mostly extremes have been occurring from the 70'sF in January to around zero F at other times. I winter sowed some seeds, and I worry when we have a 10 day stretch of 40'sF and it stays above freezing at night.

That's how it is here now with climate change. We always have a January thaw (40'sF), but this has been just crazy. Usually things are between 10F-30F. I have enjoyed the ability to go do some clean-up in the yard after windstorms. It has been warm enough to go out there & work. Funny, I planted things in the garden in January! The soil was as workable as it is in mid-April! I planted bulbs: shallots, garlic, flowers. My situation here is controlled by the gulf stream and jet stream, so New England is notoriously changeable as to weather. Otherwise, this far north, we should be more like southern parts of Canada.

We live on .61 acre, but I garden it intensively--pulling out lawn every chance I get. Our yard seems much larger than that though because the house is on the left of the property and there is a field on the right.

We have 2 children, 2 bunnies, 3 guinea pigs, and dozens of chickens--all with names. I have worked for veterinarians (not for some time) because of my interest & love of animals. I have been hoping to get alpaca, but it hasn't worked out yet.

My favorite hobby is gardening, and I do so much of it that I think it is past the hobby point, but I don't know what to call it. My next "hobby" is beads. I make beaded jewelry, sculpture, and more. On a lesser scale I knit, cross-stitch, and sew. I also spin wool, but have not done so this past year. I love horses and had on once, but I am not in a position to do so now.

Ideally, I would like to live on a farm. I would like to grow things for a "you-pick" situation. I would like to have animals that guests could approach and learn about--I guess you could call it a teaching far. Maybe we could even have a corn maze and give hay rides at Halloween. I would especially love to make jams. I do so now, but on a small scale for my family.

I am a veggie gardener first, and am setting up a nice edible landscape situation here now. We have been here 4 years. I have collections of things such as Rubus: rasberry, black-caps, blackberry, purple-flowering raspberry, dewberry, wineberry, tayberry, salmonberry, thimbleberry, and a few others. I have been looking to get cloudberry for over 2 years now, but do not have it as yet. I have a swath of sphagnum moss that grows in my yard. I think this area would be ideal for them. The snow (if we have it) melts last there. I like to grow things that supposedly cannot be grown here.

I do like flowers too, and have several beds of perennials that I add annuals to each year.

I like to trade seeds, and have a list available.

OK, I think that is plenty of info to get going here!
Thanks again for the great welcome!
Robin

 

Welcome from Sunny South Florida.

 

My, Robin, you sound like an energetic person! Thank you for your lovely introduction.

 

I am as energetic as my body allows. I have some medical issues that sometimes make it so that I cannot do all the things I want. My mind is the most energetic part of me, so I am always mentally ready to go! Frankly, I think it is my mind that drags my body around rather than the other way.
Robin

 

Gosh Robin you sound like you can do most anything.I love animals also .I raise a few veggies now but use to plant nothing else.Kids and animals kept me from planting flowers .I planted a big garden across the road from my house so they wouldn't be playing in it.Your place sounds very interesting.