Five years on and I've moved to a new allotment site and taken on a new plot. The blog remains as useful now as it was then for documenting what's happening at both the allotment and in the garden.
In the five years I've been writing the blog I've made many friends. It's great to connect with like minded people who share the same hobbies as I do as not many of my friends in real life enjoy gardening, so I'd like to thank everyone who stops by to read my ramblings, especially those who leave comments as it really is nice to have that interaction with people who have a similar hobby.
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As has now become tradition on my blog anniversaries, I'm having a little giveaway. I'm hoping to be harvesting lots of fruit from my new plot and if all goes to plan, I shall be busy preserving some so that it doesn't go to waste. I thought for this giveaway, I would offer a preserving kit as well as a few extras which any gardener would find useful.
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The preserving kit contains a 64 page book, tags, self-adhesive labels, ribbons, elastic bands, templates and decorative cloth lid covers.
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I'm also including some twine, some little envelopes in which to store saved seed with room to write in all the particulars and some plant labels with a pencil, though I would advise you to use something a little more permanent than a pencil to write on them, I once made the mistake of using pencil and I ended up not knowing what was what after the writing rubbed off.
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If you'd like to be in with a chance of winning this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post by twelve noon on Sunday the 13th of April 2014. A name will be drawn at random from all the entries.
Thank you, once again, to everyone who stops by. It really does make this blogging lark more enjoyable when you're actually connecting with people. It wouldn't be half as much fun without you all here along the way.
Congratulations on your 5 year anniversary, quite an achievement to keep blogging so regularly for so long, well done :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't think I'd keep it going for so long, but I enjoy blogging enough to keep two blogs going.
DeleteHappy blogging and of course happy gardening
ReplyDeleteTwo great hobbies.
DeleteHappy blogiversary! I've always enjoyed reading your posts and look forward to many more. I also agree wholeheartedly with your last paragraph.
ReplyDeletePlease don't include me in the draw as I'm not into preserving, and as you know I've just been sent some seed packets and labels. Flighty xx
It's great to have so many online friends who share my love of gardening. I think Blogland would be lonely without you all. I must admit that I thought of your gift from Glo when I picked up the seed envelopes.
DeleteCongratulations on your blogaversary Jo, I bet that 5 years has whizzed by faster than you thought it would! Hope that you keep on enjoying your blog, I look forward to keeping on reading more! xx
ReplyDeleteTime passes by so quickly these days, a side effect of getting older I suppose. I do wish it would slow down.
DeleteHi Jo, Looks like a lovely give-away - count me in! xxx
ReplyDeleteI haven't opened the preserving kit so I do hope it's ok. It sounds nice enough. I've popped your name in the hat.
DeleteI would love to win this. Congratulations Jo on reaching 5 years.
ReplyDeleteDonna
I should have really bought a kit for myself. I'm hoping that I'll be harvesting enough fruit from my plot this year to have some which needs preserving. Time will tell.
DeleteIt's a pleasure to stop by, Jo and happy blogiversary.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Five years on, I'm still happy every time I get a comment on my blog.
DeleteHow exciting & congratulations, lots of lovely goodies you are giving away. I'm planning a blog anniversary give away myself in a couple of months. I just need to check if it is June or July. xx
ReplyDeleteI figured not everyone preserves food but most gardeners will use the other bits and pieces on offer. It's amazing how quickly these blog anniversaries come round.
DeleteCongratulations on your five year blogaversery. I am only a newbie so can't even think of 5 years hence!!! Fingers crossed to win - I may even pluck up the courage to start my preserving journey as am a little nervous to give it a go!
ReplyDeleteFive years will come around in no time, believe me. I haven't done much preserving so far, just jam really, but I've taken on a plot with quite a bit of fruit on it so I'm hoping to have some to preserve this year.
DeleteI'm not very good at labelling my rows of seeds and it's always exciting when the seedlings start to grow and I have to identify the plants.
ReplyDeleteLove from Mum
xx
I shouldn't think there'd be too much problem identifying a tomato seedling against a leek, much more difficult if you've got several different brassicas on the go.
Delete5 years.. Happy Blogaversary Jo.. I love reading your blog. What a lovely giveaway for someone to win :o)
ReplyDeleteMost gardeners preserve some of their produce so I thought it would be a handy prize.
DeleteCongratulations Jo on 5 years blogging!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe I've kept it up for so long, I thought I'd have run out of things to blog about long ago but there's always something different to talk about where gardens are concerned.
DeleteCongratulations Jo on your anniversary!!! Even though I may not win the giveaway, I wanted to say, that I find your blog very inspiring and love catching up with the progress on your allotment. Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely to know that so many people enjoy popping by to read what I have to say, I still love to receive comments, I think we all do.
DeleteHappy blogiversary Jo, I'm so glad I found your lovely blog. I also find that there aren't many people around here with the same interests as me, so it's always good to find online friends who do. Thanks for the giveaway, and I hope you're having a good week.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, it's nice to have online friends who share the same interests. Most of my real life friends think I'm strange having an allotment and growing my own food, but here I'm amongst like minded people and it's a great community who are happy to share in the trials and tribulations of gardening.
DeleteMany, many congratulations on your fifth blogaversary Jo and here's to many more! It's been a pleasure visiting you over the years. Please do not enter me into the draw as I'm the world's most reluctant jam makers.
ReplyDeleteI'd never made jam before I had my allotment. I'm hoping to have plenty of things to preserve this year though after all the fruit which has been left on the plot.
DeleteI would be hard pressed to decide which I enjoy more, growing the food or preserving it. I make far too many jars of everything, it is good that I have so many friends who eat jam, marmalade and chutneys. No one gets the piccalilli as I could (and do) eat it by the spoonful. 5 years is a milestone, I am almost up to 200 posts and find that staggering enough.
ReplyDeleteFive years is a bit of a milestone, I've got nearly eighteen months to go on my other blog to get to five years. I've never done very much preserving but I'm hoping to change that this year.
DeleteCongratulations on your milestone anniversary - I think I may have missed mine :-(
ReplyDeleteI only remembered mine at the last minute, it's hard to keep track of these things, especially at as it comes round at at a busy time of year.
DeleteHi Jo,
ReplyDeletePlease count me in. I've got some preserving stuff, but so far have only tried green tomato chutney (I always end up with very few red tomatoes, but plenty of green ones at the end of the season) and blackcurrant jam.
You've tried more than I have, only jam so far for me. I don't do too bad with my tomatoes, even if they're green at the end of the season, they tend to ripen on the windowsills.
DeleteWow, Five years eh? How wonderful. Congratulations to you, and I'm so glad I found you. I totally agree, it's lovely having interaction with like-minded people, who wants to talk to themselves....now that does sound a rather special giveaway!xxx
ReplyDeleteI think my family are pleased that I've found friends to interact with online, they got fed up of hearing everything that was happening in the garden or on the plot. I think we all learn so much from each other too. There's so many benefits to blogging.
DeleteHappy blogaversary Jo! I admire your commitment to regular blogging and wish I could post as frequently as you do. The giveaway gift looks fab! I shall keep my fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteI've surprised myself how long I've kept it up for. I suppose it helps that I don't work, I've got more time than most to devote to blogging.
DeleteHappy blog anniversary!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great giveaway!
:) x
Zoe
zoe.may1@yahoo.co.uk
Glad you like the giveaway. It's hard to think of something which will appeal to the majority.
DeleteHappy anniversary and congrats for keeping up with the blog. So many good ones fall by the wayside.
ReplyDeleteIn an increasingly fractured world it is a wonderful way to connect with like-minded souls :}
I've seen lots of people give up on their blogs over the five years I've been blogging, as you say, some of the blogs are really good and it's such a shame they haven't been kept up to. The blogging community is great, I've never met such a lovely bunch of people before.
DeleteHi Jo thanks for the reminder. I've been following both of your blogs for some time now. Keep up the good work always a good read x Amanda x
ReplyDeleteGlad you didn't miss the deadline. I've no idea how I've kept two blogs going for so long, but it's enjoyable and I intend to keep them going.
DeleteHappy blogging anniversary!! And thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteI've popped your name in the hat. Good luck.
DeleteHappy blogging anniversary!
ReplyDeleteYour name has been added to the hat. Good luck.
Delete5 years is a long time! Congratulations :)
ReplyDeleteI never thought I'd still be blogging five years on when I started this blog but I'm still enjoying writing it and it's great to look back on when I need some information.
DeleteHappy Blog Anniversary! Thanks for the chance to win some nice prizes :)
ReplyDeleteI've popped your name in the hat. Good luck.
DeleteHappy Anniversary! Five years is impressive. I didn't even know blogs existed until about three years ago!
ReplyDeleteGill
I read lots of blogs before I decided to take the plunge myself. I started blogging as I thought it would be a good way of recording what I was doing on the allotment I'd just taken on, it's become a way of life now.
DeleteHappy birthday to your Blog Jo, I for one am very glad that you started writing and that I stumbled across you one day although I can't for the life of me remember how. Anyway, it's a great little giveaway prize...isn't amazing how many more people comment on these types of posts..lol
ReplyDeleteIt's very hard, thinking back, how I found the blogs I follow. Most of the ones I follow have been found after a comment was left on my blog or from blog hopping. I usually have a very nice response to my giveaways.
DeleteCongrats on your 5th year blog anniversary. I've enjoyed reading your blog posts and find I am always interested in seeing what you are up to. I also think blogging is a great diary of sorts. Hope you continue with many more blog posts! All the best, Kelli, Northern Ireland.
ReplyDeleteI've lost count the number of times I've used my blog to check the date of when I did something. I used to write everything down but found I ended up missing something or I just couldn't be bothered to write that day's events in, the blog is so much better for recording things.
Delete5 years wow! Congratulations hun. I feel like I've missed out on a few years, think I might need to catch up.
ReplyDeleteX x
I've really enjoyed the last five years of blogging, so much so that I started a second blog, though that one hasn't been going for quite as long.
DeleteI have only just found your blog today and looking forward to getting some words of wisdom. I am a complete novice and been search the net for advice. Congratulations and hope to read a bit more in the future.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting and leaving a comment. I don't know about getting words of wisdom from my blog, but I hope you'll enjoy reading.
DeleteCongratulations on achieving 5 years of blogging Jo!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a generous giveaway, so many useful goodies! I would love to be included please!
I have a very thick spiral bound notebook that I keep all my seed sowing data in, what varieties and dates I sow seeds, what the weather is, when they germinate etc - i like to look back and compare year on year. Your idea of having it online is good, and works for you, but i know i wouldnt be able to sustain it like i do with my muddy notebook in the greenhouse!
Gill xx
I used to use a lovely gardening diary from Paperchase to record all my sowings and harvests, but it got to the point where I couldn't be bothered noting everything down. My blog works much better for me, but I do still love stationery and use pads and notebooks, as well as my Filofax for most other things.
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