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My gardening dates back to my childhood in Brooklyn with my grandfather, who couldnt get enough of it. Helping him, and picking figs from a second story window overlooking his garden, was among the pleasures of visiting. In addition to the abundance in his yard he and a piasan claimed a vacant lot, grew even more food and gave it away after church each Sunday. My grandmother influenced the Italian cook in me and learning to preserve the harvest. When I was in college and without land of my own, I developed an interest in houseplants, and later worked professionally as a grower, wholesaler/retailer and buyer. My experiences also include working at a formal garden, the Boston Flower Show, and on a large farm. When I bought my house, almost 20 years ago, it was nestled in the woods on a dead end and the yard was 80% shade, so I grew perennials. Recently, the land next door was developed and I now find myself in 80% sun and have finally returned to vegetables and my roots, though I miss the greenspace and privacy. Ive started small and Im only growing tomatoes this year. If successful with eliminating the groundhogs (Ive discovered), Ill do some expansion next year. I joined the GW for the first time in the mid 90s, when there wasnt a site for New England Gardening and I joined the NY Forum where my screen name was transplanted. A group of us New England interlopers, who were visiting the NY Forum, began to correspond with the webmaster, for a forum of our own, and after what seemed like forever (probably most of a fall and winter) the New England Forum began. I'm not suprised about the GW's popularity and subsequent growth since then.

I live in: United States

My zone is: 6/Essex

My favorite forum 1 is Perennials.

My favorite forum 2 is Vegetable Gardening.

First registered on April 12,2006.