• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Speaking
    • Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Hortothesis: Seeds and Snow

February 6, 2010 By Carol Michel 14 Comments

The Institute for Gardenetics Research and Other Works (iGROW)* would like to conduct a study to determine if the quantity of vegetable and flower seeds purchased by gardeners goes up when there is snow on the ground.

The hypothesis, or rather hortothesis*, which is what we call a hypothesis related to gardening, is that when their gardens are buried under snow and activities of gardening are severely limited, gardeners will order more seeds to satisfy their need to feel connected to their gardens.

To research this hortothesis, I will of course need money to pay for my time and effort. I would use this money to survey gardeners and gather data from seed companies to compare to various weather records. Then I’d ponder on the data while I was gardening in my own garden, to see if I can prove the hortothesis.

If I could prove it, then seed companies could use the information to adjust staffing and sales projections based on the amount of snowfall. If I can not prove it, then that would be okay, too. I would have at least had the opportunity to garden while being paid to ponder on it.

I suspect, however, that most seed companies have limited funds to invest in this type of research, so I will have to rely on free resources, such as blog posts like this one, to gather gardeners’ feedback via comments. And I will have to ponder on my own time in the garden as well. That’s okay, too. I’d do it for the good of all gardeners everywhere.

Do you believe my hortothesis is correct? Is there snow on the ground where you are and will it cause you to buy more seeds?

*I made up iGROW.
**I made up hortothesis, too.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: humor, seeds

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    February 6, 2010 at 5:20 pm

    I don't know, but I suspect your theory is correct. There is snow on the ground here and I did buy seeds yesterday. Draw your own conclusions.

    Reply
  2. JJ Cedar Glader says

    February 6, 2010 at 5:22 pm

    I know while there was snow on the ground this past week i buried my face in garden pictures online, looked through the plants and seeds at the market, and tended more often
    to my own houseplants and terrariums.
    didnt have the money for seeds or plants though the economy is too tough in this house at the moment!

    Reply
  3. Meredith says

    February 6, 2010 at 5:58 pm

    No snow on the ground here… but while we were in the midst of a deluge here yesterday (which prevented outdoor activities just as effectively), I placed a small* seed order.

    Your research proposal sounds brilliant. Hope you win a grant that allows you to garden and get paid for pondering. 😉

    *I told myself it had to be "small" because I have way too many seeds already. And so I am choosing to define the order as "small" even if some would disagree — like my husband when the package arrives.

    Reply
  4. Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog says

    February 6, 2010 at 8:28 pm

    I'd say you could expand your hortothesis to include cold, damp, rainy, soaked soil winters. Then you could include mine and I'd say yes you're right. I spent over $100 just yesterday on a plant order. And possibly more orders to come.

    Reply
  5. Dee/reddirtramblings says

    February 6, 2010 at 8:40 pm

    Too funny! I think it also makes them search for items to turn into terrariums, or anything garden related.~~Dee

    Reply
  6. Annie in Austin says

    February 6, 2010 at 10:43 pm

    Not sure if it fits into the hortothesis, Carol – but I sure bought a lot more seeds when we had a bigger lot in Illinois where snow could fall on it and winter was time for garden dreams.
    Still remember ordering Asparagus peas after becoming entranced with the catalog description but don't have experimental space down here!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

    Reply
  7. Jayne says

    February 7, 2010 at 12:31 am

    I do believe there is merit to your hortothesis, lol!

    Reply
  8. Kathy says

    February 7, 2010 at 2:08 am

    I plan to put this hortothesis to the test!

    Reply
  9. Blossom says

    February 7, 2010 at 8:50 am

    No snow on the ground here … never is anyway!

    Reply
  10. Nutty Gnome says

    February 7, 2010 at 11:21 am

    Hi. I wandered into here via Blotanical and I've had a jolly amusing half hour loosing myself in your posts! …..that was all well and good, but I'd actually put the computer on to order some seeds!!!
    (it's not snowing here, but it is chucking it down with rain – does that count?)

    Reply
  11. Amy says

    February 7, 2010 at 3:16 pm

    I bet you are correct in your hortothesis. Gardeners stuck in their houses looking through all the seed catalogues and dreaming of their gardens to be…:) Also, the amount of posts about this topic! Where are most of the gardeners from who post about seeds? hmmmm

    Reply
  12. hydroponics says

    February 8, 2010 at 6:58 am

    Many people really enjoy gardening.In this post, i am sure that they will learn new things that they can apply on their garden.

    Reply
  13. Sandy says

    February 10, 2010 at 5:50 pm

    I have bought quite a few seed packets in the last few days….

    Reply
  14. Plant Mad Nige says

    January 24, 2011 at 11:45 am

    Brilliant post. I can see a whole industry, here, and surely the big seed companies will invest millions to fund your hortothetical researches.

    What I'd love to know is what proportion of enthusiastically purchased seed ever gets sown? Don't well all buy dreams, when we order seeds, but then find we'd need a square mile to grow them all in??

    Going to follow your blog, if I may. It's brilliant!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,048)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT