You might be a gardening geek if…
1. You get to the grocery store and realize you’re wearing a pair of garden clogs instead of regular shoes. Bonus points if you own more than one pair of clogs for gardening.
2. You have at least ten empty clay pots in your garage or shed right now. Bonus points if you always have potting soil on hand, “just in case”.
3. You go to baseball games primarily to admire the grass in the outfield. Bonus points if the only version of Monopoly you own is Garden-opoly.
4. Your friends are always telling you, “I was at the hardware store and saw a hoe and thought of you and wondered if you had one like it.” Bonus points if you have more than one hoe.
5. You always visit the garden department whenever you go to a store that has one, regardless of why you went to the store in the first place. Bonus points if you visit garden centers in other cities when you are on vacation. And even more bonus points if you’ve ever helped another customer in a garden center or garden department just because there was no one around to help them.
6. You would consider canceling an overnight business trip because it looks like your night blooming cereus might bloom while you are gone. Bonus points if you have at least one houseplant in a container that measures at least 18 inches across.
7. You purchased your watch from your favorite garden tool company. Bonus points if you have a label pin, brooch, or tie tac that looks like a watering can or other gardening tool.
8. You’ve spent more than $10, $20, $30 on one trowel. Bonus points if you bought the matching hand cultivator.
9. Your front right jean pocket is frayed on nearly every pair of jeans you own because you wear a clip-on holster to hold your Felco pruners. Bonus points if you have ever realized you were still wearing the holster hours after you had come in from the garden.
10. You own more than one copy of a Rodale book on Organic Gardening. Bonus points if they are just different editions of the same book.
How do you measure up? Give yourself one point for each question that you found yourself nodding and saying “yes, that’s me”. If you score 1 – 5 points, you’re on your way to becoming a true gardening geek; 5 or more points, you are definitely a gardening geek (or is it “garden geek”?)
If you got any of the bonus points, you are automatically a gardening geek, don’t deny it!
Still not convinced that you are a gardening geek? Look right now. Do you have grass stains on your pants?
I rest my case.
And no, not all of these apply to me. I’ve never worn my garden clogs to the grocery store. Really!
Are there any other signs that someone might be a gardening geek? (Other than “you might be a gardening geek if you write a blog post about signs of a gardening geek”?)
Update: See this post for 15 more signs!
You’re a gardening geek if you have more pictures of plants on your digital camera than you do of your children.
Oh my. There’s no doubt about my status! A garden geek for sure.
I own 11 pairs of Crocs, all in different colors, and as ugly as they are, I’ve taken to wearing them whenever I’m going to do a lot of walking. I don’t care what anyone thinks because they are so darn comfortable.
Aiyana
Haha Awesome list!
I am not a garden geek yet, but i want to be!
Some of your favorite books to read are garden essays about other people’s gardens. Bonus points if you own more than three.
And most of these things seem like normal behavior to me, although I hadn’t heard of Gardenopoly…I can start my Christmas list now!
hey carol! cute post! im not there yet but im definately on my way to garden geekdom.
Carol, I bet you inherited those Rodale books. Could you tell us more about them, such as who were the original owners, copyright dates, etc.
Yes to all of the above and adding one…You are a garden geek if your idea of fun is to spend an hour or more reading others blogs about their gardens! Happy to be a garden geek and in good company!
Okay, how can I have only 2 regular points and 3 bonus points? I think it’s a given that if we’re blogging about our gardens we’re garden geeks. Carol, you come up with the best stuff!
Man, Carol – I scored kind of low on this one! Garden clogs left on, yes. Hitting every garden department, yes. I’ve been gifted with jewelry resembling tiny garden tools. And until it was contaminated by poison ivy my Felco holster was a basic accessory. Three and one bonus point, I guess.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Yes I think I am.
And along with what Mr. McGregor’s Daughter said I have more digital photos of my plants than my kids- thats me. And Layanee comment I am guilty also.
I’ll add one, All of your Organic gardening magazines are falling apart due being constantly read.
Hopelessly geeky–especially when I started adding on the extra bonus points from fellow commentors. The only reason there were no grass stains on my knees today is that we took the day off for family activities elsewhere–but yesterday it was grass stains, wet butt (from sitting in shaded area to weed) thorns in fingers, dirt in footwear…and happy tired muscles!
I’m happy to say I’m a bona fide “Garden Geek” – 5 regular points and 3 bonus. A Garden Geek also subscribes to at least 2 – possibly 3 gardening type magazines. Or a Garden Geek ALWAYS gets at least one garden calendar as a Christmas present from relatives.
I think Rodale has published a gardening book for any situation that will pop up!!
Great post!
Mr. McGregor’s Daughter… Good addition to the list, about having more plant than kid pictures. Bonus points if your garden journal is more complete than a scrapbook about your kids.
No Rain… 11 pairs of Crocs? Hmmmm…
Moe… Thanks for the compliment!
Claire… Good for you, since you want to be one, you’ll soon become a gardening geek!
Leslie… Another good addition to the list and I’m happy to help with your Christmas list.
Gina… I’ve been reading your blog. You are there already, you just don’t realize it.
Kathy… Yep, one book came from an uncle, one I bought used and one I bought new. Sounds like I should write a post with the “rest of the story” on those books.
Layanee… Yes, we are in good company in “garden geekdom”.
Heather… Yes, if you are blogging about your garden, that ought to be worth a few points
Annie in Austin… Your not going to get off that easy. You are a shoe-in for gardening geek. Let’s see… writing and recording songs about gardening, speaking botanical nomenclature fluently, and having too much fun looking under rocks to see what lives under there, just for starters. I rest my case.
Curtis… you “think” you are one? Sounds like a for sure thing to me.
Jodi… I had no doubts about you. I like the sign of wet (or dirty) “bum” from sitting in the grass or mud to do weeding.
Alyssa… Nice addition, at least two gardening magazines. Hey, would you like to buy a hoe calendar for 2008?
Thanks all for having fun with me and leaving such nice comments!
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Carol, didn’t you forget the one about spending a lot of time just looking at your garden? 🙂
You are definately a gardening geek when all family activities must be planned around peak gardening hours/days. LOL!
Howdy garden neighbour, it’s good to be back!
Oh a test, I like doing those. Let’s see:
1) Nope, but then I’m fabulously fashionable so I’m sure you didn’t expect me to score on this one. 😉
2) Yessirree and yes to the potting soil too. So that’s 2 points already.
3) Nope. Going to baseball games, huh? They’re not all that big over here, and before you ask I don’t go to soccer games either. 😉
4) Again with the nope as my friends do not associate me with hoes (for some reason or other ;-)) and I don’t even own 1 hoe, maybe half a one. So no points here either. This test is getting me nowhere.
5) Ah, that’s more like it. Yes to always visiting the garden department, yes to visiting them in other cities and even yes to visiting them in other countries and yes again to helping other customers too. So that’s 3 point!
6) I don’t have a night blooming cereus but I’m sure that I would stay at home to watch it flower. Does that count too? And yes I have several plants that measure at least 18 inches across. Another 2 points pour moi!
7) I’m sadly lacking in the garden jewelry department but not for want of trying. So far I haven’t found any yet. Snif!
8) Yes and yes, mixing and matching is so me. 😉
9) Wearing clip-on holsters? Really Carol, that is so last season. 😉
10) Again with the huh, cause Rodale????? How about giving me some bonus points for having 121 books (in 4 different languages) on gardening right now and 4 more books are on their merry way as we speak?
All in all a grand total score of 10 points. Does this make me an ueber- gardening geek? 😉
cheerio,
your friendly neighbourhood gardening geek 😀
Thanks for the fun post, Carol! I scored low in numbers but my score would be a lot higher if I can agree with the spirt instead of the letter of the items in your list.
For example, with #9, I don’t have a holster for my felcos… but I do have holes in the back pocket of nearly every pair of gardening pants I wear. Because I put jam said felcos and/or a scissors used for deadheading and such into that pocket so I have it handy while I walk around. I often forget they are there until I sit down… instead of poking me in the cheek, however, they seem to just rip tiny holes in my old jeans. lol.
LostRoses… Absolutely you are a gardening geek if you spend a lot of time just looking at your garden and planning and dreaming about it.
Sister with the Homestead… Not all family activities revolve around my garden, (do they?)
Yolanda Elizabeth… you are a very geeky gardener, indeed, but always with an eye on fashion. I did not know that pruner holsters were “so last year”. What’s a gardener to do trying to keep up? And gardening books in four languages? That’s amazing. (You can check out my library of books over on the sidebar to see what I have that you might have).
Blackswamp_Girl… spirit of it works for me. I don’t think you need a test to tell you that you are a gardening geek like the rest of us. (And you do need to get a holster for those pruners, regardless of what Yolanda says!)
Thanks all for being gardening geeks with me!
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
I most definitely am a gardening geek. I got six regular points and six bonus points. I also have more digital pictures of my garden than of my child and my pets put together, so I hit on that one too.
I think you qualify as a gardening geek if you have ever been to the out of state garden center while on a road trip and also bought plants there that had to be transported across state lines to bring home. I definitely qualify on that one. Reminds me of a story, which I must tell immediately. Thanks for the blog entry idea.
Okay, Carol! You inspired me and I have posted a tale about The Adventures of a Gardening Geek. Thanks for the inspiration! You can find it here: http://healingmagichands.wordpress.com/2007/09/03/adventures-of-a-gardening-geek/
Thank Goodness!! I’m not the only one who visits the garden department of every store and helps the customers. I only have one pair of garden clogs, but I also have garden sandals and garden sneakers. I have earrings in the shape of watering cans that I bought at Longwood Gardens. Does that count as double points? And frog earrings to wear when I garden in the rain. Grass stains – check! I have to be careful not to wear my “good” jeans in the garden. Can’t have grass stains on every pair of jeans I own. And I have a matching trowel and cultivator! With padded handles. Yup! I’m a gardening geek.
Guilty as charged. You mean not everyone has extra potting soil around, just in case?
Here’s one my family knows…You know you’re a gardening geek when the weekend means you get to catch up on your garden work–rather than relaxing.
–Robin (Bumblebee)
Seven points, but I knew that, the fact that I am blogging and watching college football at the same time makes me a big time garden geek.
Thirteen points, counting bonus points here.
And I’m sure I’ll get even more bonus points for this… You DO know my personal e-mail address actually contains the words ‘Garden Geek’ don’t you? 🙂
Carol,
Yes of course we schedule things around your gardening schedule! BTW, thanks for taking a break from the gardening festivities to have lunch with us – we know it was a major sacrifice considering the gorgeous day that it was!
Finally a test I pass with flying colors. I am definitely a garden geek. I don’t have so many repeats of individual books in my book collection but I have a designated cabinet just for garden books. I have many books I’ve had for years and still peruse them often.
Another difference is that I wear my Felcos on my back pocket so I don’t dump them out of the holster when I bend over to pull weeds…errr tend the plants. 🙂
Lisa at Greenbow
Funny! I only got 2 points plus two bonus points for multiple pairs of clogs and always having potting soil on hand. My other points were for wearing garden clogs to the grocery store (and/or bookstore), and more than 10 clay pots in the garage (I really don’t know how many more than 10, but it’s a lot). I might qualify on the >$30 trowel, but I don’t remember what I paid for it. You may be an OLD garden geek…if you can’t remember where you purchased your tools or how much you paid for them. 😉
Carol, I am for sure a gardening geek becaused I recognized myself is many of your items. You got me right away at the number of garden clogs I have. The digital photos would give me away for sure. Great post as usual.
Healingmagichands… That’s a pretty good score, you are definitely a gardening geek.
OldRoses… Frog earrings for gardening in the rain? Double points on that one!
Robin (Bumblebee)… Absolutely you are a gardening geek if weekends are reserved for gardening!
Kylee… Thirteen points is pretty high, and we’ll give you two more for the email address, but I still scored higher!
Sister with the Homestead.. Do not! I’m happy you got to have lunch with me, too!
Lisa at Greenbow… I’ll have to try putting the holster on a back pocket because I have dumped the pruners out a few times myself.
Entangled… Wearing garden clogs to the grocery store were the only points I didn’t qualify for. (And by garden clogs, I don’t mean Crocs, which are actually fashionable right now).
Bev… Yes, you didn’t need a quiz to know you were a gardening geek, now didya!
Thanks all for the comments. I’m in some mighty fine company with all the gardening geeks. I think there are 21 possible points in my original posting. Guess how many I got?
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Good one LOL! I am definitely No 2, and the “visit garden centers in other cities” one!
Funny list! I admit I’m too new to be a geek yet. How about (this is one of my geek-doms) “Can’t walk from the car to the front door (and vice-versa)without pruning or picking off any dead buds.”
Oboy! I got bonus points on the first question (two pairs, one green and one pink, and I wear them all over the place… are there extra points if they’re covered with hardened mud? or maybe duck poop? (Actually, I went to work with that on my leather pumps once…didn’t realize it till i was in the elevator…)
I love the humor in your blog!