GIY Ireland, Together We Grow

So here I am once again checking in to GIY international .org to see if my fellow GIY’ers have come out of hibernation yet. But apart from the odd “ask the expert” post there’s precious little happening.
I’m curious to know how many others also visit on a regular basis to see if there’s anything interesting going on in these forums and leave with a slight sense of disappointment. Admittedly my visits are becoming less and less frequent and I find my online time has shifted to other website forums that are a lot more active.
It’s a pity really, as I recall many great discussions and “chats” among like-minded gardeners, experienced and newbies alike, which served to inform and encourage.  There were evenings where dozens of comments were being posted night after night, photos were praised and acknowledged and blogs would attract a string of comments and observations.
So, out of a sense of curiosity and a small degree of boredom, having already done a stock-take on my seed box, can I suggest that if you visit and read this post, don’t go without leaving a comment – just to see if there are many more ‘out there’ who come, who look, and who go without leaving a trace.
Apparently, Red Squirrels don’t actually hibernate over winter, they just slow down ... a bit like me.

Hi conn, feeling a bit like yourself. I think when they last changed the website the forums seemed to lose something, maybe it’s the fact that you don’t see the conversations straight away. The lisburn group recently set up a Facebook page and already is generating a lot of the old style forum chat, there are a few other giy Facebook pages but I have to say that I am enjoying the chat on the lisburn page. We don’t have a lot of people on the group page (30 ish) but there are quite a few who are willing to engage, including some new people who we hope will come to some of the giy events. There are also a couple from other giy groups. I was not a Facebook user and was dragged kicking and screaming onto the page but I am enjoying it. I had tried to encourage lisburn members onto the giyinternational forums but for some reason they are keener to engage via Facebook. So if your on Facebook why not look up giy lisburn and join in for a bit of craic

Hi Conn & Heather,
Good to see that the period of hibernation is coming to an end. I’ve been trying hard to shake myself out of my winter slumber, with little success to date. I’ve just put a few cloches together earlier today (Santa presents!) which probably indicates my changing mood. The cleaning down of the greenhouse is on my jobs list for tomorrow. Slowly, I’m cranking up the gears! I read Mark Keenan’s book, “Plot 34” last week ( another Santa present, of course) and very much enjoyed it. The soil is still very wet and the temperatures are low, so maybe I’ll get a little more reading tim before I have to seriously role up my sleeves.

I looked at your Facebook page, Hazel, after reading your post above, and I see that the Lisburn GIY group are a very active group. I’ll keep an eye on your activities for a while to get a few tips, if I may.
Looking forward to the new season. Hopefully, we won’t have a cold spring like last year and hope you both, Conn & Heather, enjoy much growing success during 2014.

Hi Heather, yes I’ve seen Aine’s Lisburn page and we in Newbridge also have a FB page https://www.facebook.com/groups/255076401241711/ and there are quite a few others as you say. I think all these were born out of the lack of activity here and also because of the heavy emphasis HQ place on using FB and Twitter themselves. Great as individual FB pages are, in my opinion, it has tended to dilute and divide the GIY community.

Hello Willie, Plot 34 is a good read, reminds me so much of all the ups and downs of my own initial foray into the whole allotment thing. My own Plot 28 is still going strong and only yesterday offered up a fine crop of carrots and beetroots!

Hi conn just had a look at the newbridge page, good chat there as well. I agree that all the individual pages dilute the overall chat. At a couple of meetings we discussed a lisburn Facebook page and not being a Facebook user aine kindly offered to set this up. Do you think there’s any merit in setting up a Facebook page not affiliated to any particular group and encouraging people from all the different groups to join in and we could share posts onto that general page

Not sure Heather, the activity on the GIY International page itself https://www.facebook.com/GIYInternational which is not group specific, doesn’t seem to attract that much discussion either. There are probably some who shy away from FB no matter what.
p.s. if you’re ‘kicking and scremin’ I just sent you a friend request, if not, I’ve just sent someone else a friend request !

Yes conn I did give you a clue i was dragged kicking and screaming onto Facebook. I’ll keep an eye on the the Facebook groups then,  I look forward to seeing your postings, they were always very entertaining

Hi Conn, Heather and Willie
I check giy everyday, and as you said i leave dissapointed, to see no activity, i have read every blog, watched every video, read every hint and tip on every type of veg in on the site, i think it’s a shame theres not more activity on the site, i think it’s a treasure trove of info, i will continue to look in everyday as it has become a habit now
i’m going to check out the fb pages, i wasn’t aware they existed untill now,

i wish you all the best in the new growing season

Pat

Hi Pat - good to see I am not the only one who’s always checking. I suppose its up to us GIYers to get the forum back into general use. Maybe if we let each other know whats happening rather than just asking for advice then the forum might get back into more regular use by a wider range of giyers. I have just spent the evening tidying my seed box, honestly I am like a child in a sweetie shop when it comes to seeds, I am going to start sowing just a few things in a couple of weeks just to get back into the swing of things.

I’ve a bag of shallot sets begging to be planted and some purple sprouting broccoli 8 inch tall seedlings ..... Next fine day when I’v no other demands on my time ... whenever that might be!! Pat, your welcome to link up on FB, there’s a good selection of veg growing pages you might enjoy.
This one I spend most of my time on:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheGardenersCalendar/
This is also very active and I contribute now and again (not that that’s a recommendation!): https://www.facebook.com/groups/2367055872/
And here’s another: https://www.facebook.com/groups/107447489292198/

thanks for the links Conn, i joind 1 of them earlier, have sent requests to the other 2, off topic have you guys tried out the garden planner on the suttons seeds site, it’s fantastic, you get 1 free plan, i have my whole garden planned out to the last spare inch
i’m in the same frame of mind Heather, i’m setting potatoes in barrells in the conservatory tomorrow the boss aint to happy, i promised her they would be out of there before the nice weather comes lol

Haha ... Does she not realise that that’s what conservatories are for?! I did use that planner a few years back. It is good, however between one thing and another I never seemed to end up with a plot that mirrored the original plan - and that’s one of the great things I find about growing, When it boils down to actually doing it, I end up going with the heart not the plan! Same with rotation, I start out with great intentions but inevitably throw caution to the wind as the year progresses.

Great to be coming out of hibernation after 6+ weeks of physical difficulties ( 2 self inflicted!). Now have to use the no dig method. Happy enough except for the potatoes - will wait till ground dries out to experiment.
Will not start sowing until next month. I have the year planned in my head and sketched in my diary.
Very mild winter so far. No really hard frosts to kill the bugs that attack gardens and humans.
Picked spinach yesterday and found a small live green caterpillar. In the middle of January!
Visited the suggested sites - interesting but I am not really up to speed on facebook etc.I find this site the easiest to navigate.

Good to see you’re still about Francis, sad to read that you’ve had some difficulties on a physical level and hope that they get resolved for you. To look at today’s weather it’s hard to believe we did have such a mild Winter - so far! Spinach is a real stalwart in the veg patch, with the right planning it can be a keeper all year long. Maybe you’ll be tempted to try the spuds under black plastic if digging the traditional trenches is not a runner. I’ve often been tempted but I kinda like the traditional methods and being able to admire the neat rows of stalks as the summer progresses.

Lovely to hear that so many people are coming out of hibernation, but also to know that the thirst for chat and discussion is still there.

As to the forums being quiet, this is simply a sign of the times in that much more discussion now takes place through the main social media than in anything but the main few forums on the internet. We have recently began work on an approach which involves moving to where people are having their discussions already (facebook and similar) rather than trying to get people to log in to another site. People have so many logins and passwords these days that its no wonder they don’t want to be adding to the list.

Conn and Heather, you guys are already making great use of facebook for your local group and we are delighted to see people busily chatting away there. What we are hoping to do is find ways to enable people to join in wider groups as well, so that we can get back to the banter and sharing. We will give you all a shout as soon as we make some progress on this and will be very interested in getting your take on the proposals.

Meanwhile, isn’t it lovely to see the bit extra light each evening?