If you find yourself wondering what to do this coming weekend, then I encourage you to stop on by the RIPE! Festval being held at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. Lots of fresh and local food plus talks on how you can tap into the local fresh foods here in Cleveland.

Oh, yeah, and I will be there too! Stop by my talk on Sunday the 25th at 12:00pm. I will be talking about Heirloom Tomatoes (what else!) and will be passing out samples for all to try.

Hope to see you there!

I know. I am not nearly as witty in person. It is my husband’s shame (he is constantly telling people I am funnier in blog than in person). But, I do get the occassional TV appearance, like today. I was on New Day Cleveland. If you care to watch, here you go:

http://youtu.be/EdXuoCMYjaI

*.P.S
Tell them you like me and that I should do trcnks like standing on my head over a cactus or something like that. When they launch the Gardening Network, I want to be the judge of Iron Gardener! (Hanna now goes off to a therapist to re-enter the real world)

Come join me at the Hudson Garden Club tomorrow night for a talk about Vertical Gardening: Growing UP In The Garden.  Learn about the different ways you can incorporate vertical gardening into your garden and how it can make your garden RISE above the rest.

Arrive at 7PM for social time with fellow gardeners and the talk will begin at 7:30PM.

Where: Laurel Lake Retirement Center
200 Laurel Lake Drive (off Boston Mills Rd.)
Hudson, OH 44236

When: 3/17/11 7:30PM

Visitors are welcome!

My darn camera broke, which makes it hard to take pictures for tomato reviews. I am hoping to fix the issue this week, so be patient.

In the meantime, start planning for your weekend (9/24-9/26)! And plan to attend the RIPE! Festival in University Circle.

I will be there (no autographs please) Saturday night giving a talk about heirloom tomatoes that have a story, but there is lots and lots of other things happening at the festival as well.

Eating good and local food is not hard to buy or grow, and you will learn just how easy it is here. So pack the kids, pack the car and get your booty on down there.

Here is more information on the festival.

Catch me live talking about Starting Tomatoes on That’s Life With Robin Swoboda (10AM Fox 8 in Cleveland). I will be talking about starting tomatoes from seed and how to care for your seedlings.

BTW, if you like the “I (HEART) Dirt” tee shirt I am wearing, you can sign up to win your own from This Garden is Illegal and Troy-Bilt.

Hey Kids! I am going to be doing an interview later today on “On The Home Stretch with Debbie Alan.” If you get time, tune in or download the podcast and listen in as Debbie and I chat about gardening. The interview will be at 10:30 and will be available for download in about 24 hours after that.

I was in the media again, mentioned along side such greats as You Grow Girl, Garden Rant, Cold Climate Gardening, Gardening Tips N’ Ideas, May Dreams Gardens and Doug Green’s Garden. It was in an article in The American Gardener about how to start a garden blog (written by Doug Green). As always, I am flattered (and a bit bewildered) that anyone feels my blog is worth mentioning.

It appears that this article has touched off a bit of a discussion on Cold Climate Gardening about blogging, gardening and generational clashes. Kathy Purdy asked:

I’d especially like to know what would make blogging more appealing to older gardeners. (Older meaning old enough to be my parent, and I’m almost fifty.) They have a wealth of experience to share, but are the least likely to share it online.

Then, in response, Katie at Garden Punks

Why aren’t people in younger generations interested in gardening?!

I mention both of these comments because I think they are related, mostly in that I think there is a lot of misconception about them.

In response to Kathy’s question, many people replied that old people simply are not online. Having managed a site for a company that is targeted to senior citizens, I know for a fact that this is not the case. Senior citizens are the rapidly growing group online. So they are on the computer, they just choose not to blog. That doesn’t actually answer Kathy’s question, but it at least eliminates the most common answer.

In response to Katie’s question. I think younger generations do garden. I do see it. I know plenty of young people (25 – 35)who keep a vegetable garden or at least a few plants for pleasure. No, they are not as deeply involved in it as I am, they can’t go on and on for hours about it like I can, but they do enjoy plants and the act of growing something. They garden, as far as I am concerned.

There are many young (under 35) people who grow things and demure from calling themselves gardeners because they either feel they don’t have the right to or don’t want to be associated with the title.  Which worries me, because that means they consider gardening on the same level as stamp collecting or… air sickness bags collecting. That is a problem.

If this keeps up, I might start thinking I am a professional or something.

I have an article in Cleveland Magazine this month in the “Rating the Suburbs”. I would like to thank Jim Vickers and company for thinking of me.

If you get the chance and you live in Cleveland (and all parts surrounding), pick up a copy. Lots of fun info about the local area.

I promise next week, I will start posting more than I have. School’s out this week and my time frees up quite a bit after that.

Summer vacation isn’t just for children.

If you have ever wondered what the elusive Hanna really looks like, I would suggest that you run on out and buy the latest (June/July) issue of Organic Gardening. There is a picture of me right there on page 33.

I was contacted a few months ago by Willi Evans Galloway who is an editor over at Organic Gardening. She wanted to run a short interview about me and my tomatoes. I agreed and it was a blast. (She confirmed during that interview that stringing up tomatoes is a great way to go)

A little while later, they had Ben Chodroff, a local Renaissance man of many talents, take my picture for the magazine. Ben is a great guy, and if you have the need for some photography work based here in Cleveland, I would highly recommend him.

So, this constitutes my very first official media mention. It has been a fun experience and thank to everyone who thought that my wayward ramblings were worth the mention.

BTW, Organic Gardening magazine is packed with lots of helpful tips that go beyond just being organic. Even if you are not the organic type, there is plenty to learn inside this magazine.

Don’t worry, I have a Tomato Tasting planned for this evening. I just wanted to drop a quick note to let everybody know that I wrote a guest “rant” over at gardenrant.com. You can read it here:

Municipal Weed Inspectors: Lawn and Order