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
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!
Comments
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
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!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
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.
I think Rodale has published a gardening book for any situation that will pop up!!
Great post!
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
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 :-D
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.
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 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.
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)
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? :-)
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!
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
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
I love the humor in your blog!