Do you find that dozens of ideas for your blog pop into your head when you are doing something that keeps you from writing them down? I thought I had the solution to that with a hand held tape recorder. I could use it in the office, or in the car. But there are times when your hands are full, or you're in the middle of shaping hamburgers, or in the shower, when that won't work for you.
So, we're relying on my incredibly inept memory today. Let's see....
I wanted to tell you about what has been keeping me away from my blog.
I moderate a YahooGroup for herb growers. The editor at Yahoo featured us as one of his weekly picks last week, and we have now added more than 400 members to our group, not quite doubling it in size. We moderate the posts of new members, so that has added to the work, as they get settled and ask questions. Many of them are just starting out, and have a lot of basic information to learn, and we keep directing them to the files. But, a little personal contact is nice, too. We do our best to encourage them, and learn a lot in the process.
For instance, most of you probably know that the USDA (United States Dept. of Agriculture) has created a map of plant hardiness zones. This map helps us to determine which plants will withstand the winter cold in our area. What you might not know, and I didn't (until yesterday), is that the American Gardening Society has also created a map of Heat Zones. I learned that 86 degrees F. is the temperature at which a plant begins to suffer. Of course, that made me wonder how the plants in the tropics deal with heat.
At any rate, we will start seeing plants labled with two numbers. One will be the zones in which it can reasonably be expected to winter over, and the second will be the heat zone in which the plant can grow unstressed in terms of heat.
This is one of the reasons I continue to work with this group. I never know what I'm going to learn. We have members from around the world, but primarily we address herb questions for those in the US, Canada and Great Britain, and their questions can be thought provoking.
Okay.....I didn't mean for this to get so windy. Time to change pages.
Comments (3)
Interesting sounding group... but, I mustn't join any more forums!
Posted by Blue Witch | May 13, 2004 11:54 AM
Posted on May 13, 2004 11:54
And you taught many of us a thing or two, today. Thanks!
Posted by Cop Car | May 13, 2004 8:36 PM
Posted on May 13, 2004 20:36
Lately I have found some plants with the heat zone info on them. I tend to ignore that since I really need stuff that will tolerate the cold and we rarely have extended periods of hot days.
I think that some plants can be grown in warmer weather than their heat zones indicate by planting them in shady areas, even if they like full sun. The tropical plants are either heat lovers (those that will only grow in zones 9-10) or they grow in shade where it is cooler. That's my theory anyway.
Posted by bogie | May 14, 2004 7:54 AM
Posted on May 14, 2004 07:54