• 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
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Pinning up a vegetable garden

March 19, 2012 By Carol Michel 13 Comments

My vegetable garden at its peak a few years ago.

By golly, it finally clicked for me what the value of a site like Pinterest is.

Like many others, I received an invitation to join Pinterest, dutifully signed up and then timidly “pinned” a few items on a board.

I wasn’t sure what I was doing and I wasn’t sure if this was going to turn into a giant rabbit hole, sucking in the last few precious minutes of the day. I looked at the site occasionally, but still couldn’t decide how it would be useful to me.

What value was there in sharing images?  And what about those concerns that pinning images of others might violate copyrights?

Then three things happened.

First, I read several articles about the founder, Ben Silbermann, and his vision for Pinterest. I read about how he used to collect insects and pin them to a board to display them.  I also read that Pinterest gained a lot of momentum when he shared it with interior designers, who immediately took to it to pin up boards of decorating ideas.

Second, the boards around the raised beds in my vegetable garden had been slowing rotting over the years and were no longer holding in the dirt, so I had a crew tear them out last year and haul the rotted wood away, leaving me with a blank slate. I proceeded to plant the vegetable garden without the raised beds, primarily because I didn’t have time to build new frames but partly because I couldn’t decide what to frame them with. Wood again? Brick? Stone? Nothing at all?

Third, and finally, I walked out to my vegetable garden yesterday morning and found it overrun with deadnettle.  Oh, the horror.  I immediately decided that I need to re-install the raised beds, and do it soon.   But this time, I’ve decided I’m going to do it with something more permanent than the wood I used before. In ten more years, when I am ten years older, I don’t want to be faced with re-doing them again.

And that’s when the “click” came regarding Pinterest.  I need a place to collect ideas for my new raised bed vegetable garden to share with others who are going to help me build it. Why not do it on a site that is built to share images?

Ta da!  Click.

I’ve created a new board on Pinterest called “Vegetable Garden” and started pinning. I’m starting to search through Pinterest to find images of vegetable gardens that I like and re-pinning them to my board. I’m searching the web, too, but that is slow going. I could use some help, your help.  If you know of an image online or already on Pinterest of a pretty, cool, neat-o vegetable garden, let me know. I can pin it to my board and see if it fits with my overall vision.

Pinterest. It turns out to be a little bit of a rabbit hole, but a very useful one for someone who is re-doing her vegetable garden, all over again.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: vegetable garden

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Charlotte says

    March 19, 2012 at 3:11 am

    I've found Pinterest to be such a great place to keep my garden ideas together — we moved into a new house this year and the entire yard is a blank slate. I found it all a bit overwhelming and had trouble visualizing what might work in each zone — Pinterest to the rescue! I've got my garden boards at pinterest.com/charlotte/gardens and pinterest.com/charlotte/landscaping_ideas and I can't wait to see what you pin for the vegetable garden. I need to get mine started and need some… pinspiration?

    Reply
  2. Libby says

    March 19, 2012 at 9:37 am

    Just went to your Pinterest board – very nice! I feel inspired. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Lisa at Greenbow says

    March 19, 2012 at 11:59 am

    I haven't ventured into that rabbit hole. Best of luck on your veggie garden. CAn't wait to see what you do.

    Reply
  4. Cherry Lane says

    March 19, 2012 at 2:01 pm

    I've been using Pinterest a little bit. Not so much the social aspect of looking at what other people pinned, but as a personal bulletin board. I don't know if you get notified when people pin photos from your blog, but I pinned your "Green Arrow" label from yesterday's post, to remind me to look for that variety of peas. But I'm not really expecting anyone else to look at the photo of a plant tag and say, "That must be a variety of pea. I should give it a try, too."

    That said, I also need to redo my garden beds, as the weird slanty brick a previous owner installed is crumbling away. So maybe I'll check out your board. Here I go down the rabbit hole ….

    Reply
  5. Jill-O says

    March 19, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    I'm a big Pinterest fan as well, though I mostly use it to collect art ideas. My current garden boards have mostly to do with garden sheds and greenhouses, as well as fairy gardens – since I am presenting a program next September on the subject and need some ideas.

    Reply
  6. Mary Schier says

    March 19, 2012 at 2:38 pm

    I've been using pinterest as a good place to keep track of ideas, too. One thing I like about it is that, unlike facebook or twitter, you do not feel compelled (at least I don't) to go there every day. It's the less social form of social media — great for introverts like me.

    Reply
  7. Amy Andrychowicz says

    March 19, 2012 at 5:05 pm

    I love pinterest for the very same reason. I love the inspiration I'm getting out there. Funny, I am also build a raised bed vegetable garden this year. I have pinned a few on my garden ideas board, but not much yet. I'm going to check out your pins and follow you there.

    Amy

    Reply
  8. Unknown says

    March 19, 2012 at 5:14 pm

    I'm afraid Pinterest is my guilty pleasure–and I don't have time for guilty pleasures during the crazy planting season! 😉 I, like you, am contemplating raised beds. Our large veggie garden is one big, messy area–and I want to "prettify" it, especially since we're part of a tour this summer. I use the site to record ideas for garden design, primarily–and I think it's been incredibly helpful. Currently, I'm coveting a garden I pinned. Now, I just have to convince the hubby to help me make it happen! Enjoy your new rabbit hole! 😉

    Reply
  9. Unknown says

    March 19, 2012 at 7:20 pm

    I have yet to pin although I do spend quite a bit of time looking at other people's boards…you have some very unique veggie beds pinned.

    Reply
  10. africanaussie says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:33 am

    I think I came too late to the party – I tried to get onto pintrest and they said they now have a waiting list…. anyway I use cedar blocks along the side of my vegetable bed and they have worked very well – you can fill the holes with plants – I have aloe vera and garlic chives in mine as they are not at all fussy. http://africanaussie.blogspot.com.au/search/label/vegetable%20garden.
    They take up a bit of room, but never need to be replaced which is nice.

    Reply
  11. PJ Girl says

    March 20, 2012 at 9:13 pm

    Your vegetable garden board is lovely! I've not ventured into Pinterest myself but you have made me interested. Thanks.

    Reply
  12. Jocelyn from The Garden Corner says

    March 24, 2012 at 2:43 pm

    Oh, I love pinning ideas for my future gardens. If I can accomplish even a tenth of the ideas that I've pinned my garden will be amazing! I followed your board too, you've got some really great things pinned!

    Reply
  13. Eve says

    March 24, 2012 at 11:19 pm

    Am pinning on a semi-regular basis! I'm here from Dirt Therapy. I love your raised beds and would like to see what you come up with. I've got a few raised beds but I seem to be growing more mushrooms than veggies. That really wasn't the plan. Keep pinning! I think of it as having cut the photos out of all my favorite magazines instead of saving the whole thing!!! Year after year!!!

    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 (3,053)
  • 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