Lady Thor’s, Jungle/Food Forest. I’ve got about a quarter acre of this kind of crazy gardening experiment.

I consider my gardening a delusional adventure. I always think I have more time, space and strength than I actually do.

I garden for some very good reasons: it’s therapeutic, meditative and completely addictive. My gardening habit frequently exceeds my physical abilities but it also heals me and focuses my attention on something greater than what limits me.

I grew up gardening beside my mother across the South and the Midwest. On my own, I’ve gardened in dry mountains and now in South Texas. My family is from the central plains area and both my grandmother‘s always had at least a quarter acre garden. I had one grandfather who was a farmer and and my other grandfather was a Midwestern school professor and administrator with two PhD’s, one of which was in biology. I grew up knowing the Latin names for most of what I planted, loving the direction that my insatiable questioning took me and having an idea of what I was doing (because gardeners with greater skills than I had, took the time to teach me.) I am now solid in my South Texas gardening skills, after a little longer than a decade down here. I also have about three decades of daily gardening experience. I hope I can help pass down some of the practical knowledge I have and showcase some of my gardening experiments (I am always trying out something new.)

Enjoying the garden in the beginning of this blog.

image

Crazygreenthumbs somewhere in the middle.

 

 

Your 50+ year old host of Crazy Green Thumbs. (I am slowly running out of Thor energy! Shhh! Don’t tell my husband!)

386 thoughts on “About”

  1. Can’t be a good gardener without being at least a *little* crazy! I will undoubtedly enjoy getting a look at your adventures here now that you’ve stopped by my blog and led me back here!
    Cheers,
    Kathryn

    Reply

  2. Hi thank for liking a post .Gardening can cause nuttiest ha ha I am not much of a gardener my dad was and it was cool o see his garden when he had it. I do try to garden but doesn’t anyways work that way for me:)

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    1. Yes! The addiction lies silent through winter, but spring stirs it back up and I find my hands in the dirt and my head in the clouds. Thank you for sharing your experience with gardening nuttiness!

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  5. Thanks for deciding to follow my blog. I hope you find something interesting in my future blogs and they manage to bring you a smile, chuckle or a laugh.

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  6. As a gardener who loves dirt under her fingernails, I’m glad I found you! Since I live in an apartment 😦 my whole garden is in containers and wherever I can eek out a space around the building! Thanks for stopping by my blog and liking Tony!

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  7. I volunteer at a thrift store and boy am I hooked!!! I get a 50% discount and use it much more than I should! Once you’ve worked at one you can never (well I can never anyway) go back to buying anything (well except underwear-ewwww!) retail!

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  10. Thanks for liking my post. I love the photo on your about page; there is nothing more sensual than gardenia blossoms floating in a bowl of water.

    Reply

    1. I may try your mackerel recipe! It looks fantastic. Thank you for coming by and commenting. I appreciate it! I agree gardenia is a sensuous flower. Texture, intoxicating scent and romance all in one blossom. I had them at my wedding and grow them down here even though my soil won’t support them. I keep the finicky plants in pots but the blossoms are so worth the trouble.

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  11. You probably have access to citrus leaves in South Texas to use in our Mackerel recipe. We do grow gardenias in our garden in Dallas, but they blossom year round at our place in Hawaii. You might be able to grow an exotic shrub called Surinam Cherry (Eugenia uniflora L.) which I describe in this article:
    http://www.chabernet.com/pitanga-flavored-vodka/
    The cherry is also used to make jelly, wine, and we will try it in a chutney.
    Thank you for stopping by as well

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    1. I’m sorry you got a bad book. I’d have been suckered in by the cover too. Thanks for sharing that you are against rock as well, I appreciate that you took the time to comment.

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  13. Thanks for dropping by! I’m a hopeless gardener, but know that I shouldn’t pass my prejudices to my children. As part of our Friday activities, I’m hoping to introduce some gardening to the boys. All tips welcome.

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    1. We all start off with black thumbs. That is a very normal self-assessment when you are still learning. I am working on a post to get kids interested in growing. Stay tuned!

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  14. Thanks for stopping by and liking my post. I can’t get enough of thrift shops and I’m always up for a good rummage but the gems are becoming few and far between now!
    I occasionally write about my garden but I’m very much a stick it in the ground, talk to it, water it then let it fend for itself kind of girl and I know what I like! We are very fortunate to have inherited a well established garden with lots of lovely planting from the previous owners of our house. Zoë x

    Reply

    1. I love thrift shops. You found some amazing deals! I’m not into needy plants either. I would much rather tend a large garden of easy growing plants than fight mother nature and grow things that need way more attention! Thank you for coming by and commenting. I appreciate it!

      Reply

  15. Thank you for stopping by Find Your Middle ground! I am an avid gardener as well. As I grow into the growing spaces available I get so excited … and now I am 6 years on, and there is little space left without (EEK!) letting go of some of the plants. I love the building and creative part the most with all the anticipation 🙂

    Reply

    1. We’re hoping this is our last home. Starting over every few years has gotten old. I’m excited to see my fruit trees get to an age where they bear fruit! Thank you so much for coming by and commenting! I appreciate it.

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  16. Thank you for liking my post. You have hit the nail on the proverbial head when it comes to the simple things in life. The journey really is about nurturing something with your whole soul, whether it wins you an award or not. Oftentimes, the lessons you learn through the nurturing is worth more than any award. Keep enjoying the adventure and the accompanying mental trips–they like medications that you would otherwise need, are great for the soul.

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  17. I like your attitude (delusional adventure)! I’ve often thought that in April, anything seems possible gardenwise. But August, reality has set in. Thanks for checking out WordSisters!

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    1. Haha! Yes. Spring fever is definitely real. Heading out into the garden with crazy ideas about my gardening limits is a yearly issue. Thank you so much for coming by!

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  18. “A delusional adventure”–I love it! Such wonderful posts I’ve read so far and I can’t wait to read more.

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      1. Very true! I have a Money Tree and 2 Orchids. Very soon my orchids should be in full bloom. I’ll post pictures.

  22. Hi! Thanks for liking my blog post. Truth to tell, I’m not a gardener. The last thing I tried to grow was an Evergreen tree, in grade 5, It died. I LOVE your cover banner though. Rhubarb?

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    1. It’s okra, it’s a pretty plant! Thank you for coming by. I don’t think you should judge your gardening potential from a 5th grade failure! I hope you give it another shot. I appreciate that you took the time to comment!

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  28. LOVE your blog! Makes me remember I need to get back to my own garden blog very soon. Neglected too long! Thanks for stopping by Bookin’ It today, and liking my poem. Have a great day, and I’m 100% behind you with the NO rocks approach. I’m not crazy about lawn, especially since it’s water & fertilizer intensive, but there are so many beautiful ways to landscape without rocks everywhere. Larger beds, for one thing, with paths between them. You get color, flowers, fruit, vegetables…all sorts of good stuff, and no lawn or rocks. Or if you don’t garden, you just go with easy care, native plants and shrubs. Works for me. Thanks for a great article. I’ll be back.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for the support! I agree, there are a million ways to do a yard and out of those million: rock is my least favorite! A monoculture grass lawn comes in right behind rock. Grass is also something I don’t recommend but it takes some thought and research to move away from it. Saving water is a noble cause, but creating more problems by removing native areas and replacing them with rock or concrete is certainly not the answer. Thank you for coming by. I appreciate it!

      Reply

  29. thanks for liking my blog post. my grandfather kept a vegetable garden and i think it made him a more patient and happier man (then again, i never ever saw him lose his temper; he always had a great sense of humor and an easy-going disposition despite my grandmother’s incessant whinging and nagging). i hope to have a garden of my own some day–or at least be buried in one.

    Reply

    1. I think my favorite idea for my grave would be near a concrete picnic table so I could be a part of my family gatherings long after I’m gone. My family tends to visit and tend all of the family graves though, so I imagine I’d get visitors either way. Thanks for coming by and commenting. Gardening does put many things in perspective. It may very well have been an vital ingredient of your grandfather’s personality.

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  33. Thank you for popping by my post/blog. Your garden writes for you humour inspiration and a confidence to smile at yourself at the same time really enjoy the fruits of your labour. Look forward to more .

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  34. You have a great site, and you know what you are talking about!
    I was raised on a ranch, and my mothers garden looked like a jungle, but it was cool and beautiful. My Dad grew vegetables in the field and had a bigger garden than was needed for us and the neighbors, but during WW2 my family used the ranch like a USO and fed and entertained hundreds of troops. Several acres of corn, watermelon, and fresh fruit helped to make that possible. A lot of food was rationed during that war, but nobody ever went away from our
    ranch hungry.
    http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Botts/e/B003XVIALE

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for the compliment! My family always took in drifters and put them to work as farm hands in the depression. My grandmother always had to feed the guys that would come in across Kansas during harvest time. Having half acre gardens were a necessary part of being able to feed that many mouths. I don’t have a garden that large but I’d be in heaven if I did! Thank you for coming by and commenting! I appreciate it.

      Reply

  35. As a smudgy brown thumb, I love this. And I’m glad you stopped by my site so I’d discover yours. Go for it! PS… I’m really good with the pot of geraniums on my balcony.

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      1. Pleasure is mine that first you find me…! 🙂
        now i am following you 😉

  38. I would garden if, 1. I had a yard, balcony, or piece of the outside. 2. Worms are frightening to me more than anything else in this world. I will continue to follow you though, because knowledge can’t ever hurt and one day, I might have dirt at my disposal! Cheers and Alohas!

    Reply

  42. Thanks for your like… I am a novice gardener.. Have been for about forty years now…xx

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  44. Thank you for visiting my blog yesterday. I have just had a look at your blogs. Very interesting! You appear to have so much experience with gardening. I live in the UK. I don’t know a lot about gardening and only grow herbs at the front of the house where there is plenty of sunshine. I use these all the time in cooking. They give food so much flavour. I have considered trying to grow some vegetables in raised beds but haven’t had the confidence or time to take this on.

    Reply

    1. Herbs are a fantastic way to learn to garden! I hope you gain some confidence! The tab at the top of the page “gardening basics” will walk you through what you need to know. The links are for US gardening but the basic pieces of information you need to accumulate are the same worldwide. Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate it.

      Reply

  45. Thanks for stopping by my blog and checking out the “spring projects” post! PS– I think that this gardening blog is awesome! Right now all we have for a garden is a handful of potted plants on a deck (oh the joys of living in an apartment).

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  46. Thank you for liking my Open Studio blog post. It’s a fun weekend that motivates us to explore places we might not normally go. Great information on your blog! I too have been an avid gardener for many years, and find the differences between gardening in South Texas and Northern Vermont most intriguing.

    Reply

    1. Thanks for coming by! I imagine if I were to move to Northern Vermont I would have to re-learn everything I use in the garden down here. We’re subtropical and I do not miss the cold from the two decades I lived in Colorado! I appreciate the visit!

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  49. Thanks for following my blog. When I’m not travelling I try to spend some time in my garden, so I’m sure I’ll be able to take some advice from your blog.
    Karl

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  50. I don’t even want to TALK about delusional gardening! You just don’t know!

    But, thank you for visiting my online writing studio and reading/reacting to What does it even mean? It means a lot to me.

    Skip

    Reply

      2. Well…peanuts are legumes. Tree Nuts are a broad family and are loosely termed as a hard shelled kernel. I understand your drift though! Botany is a beautiful subject. My very favorite plant family is slime mold. It is a fungus and can actually move in groups like a slug here’s a great article on them: http://www.microbeworld.org/types-of-microbes/protista/Slime-molds My other favorite plant is a weed that responds to touch. It’s all over San Antonio and I frequently stop to interact with them! You can purchase one here http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1998-4 but I don’t think they’d do well as a house plant. They love full sun, clay soil and the heat and drought down here! I’m so glad you are sharing on my blog. Plant taxonomy is one of my favorite subjects!

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