Southeast gardening -- your online source for gardening help
Discover the joys of gardening
A home gardening blog offers garden help for new and experienced gardeners
Welcome to Tom Oder's HOME gardening website
Gardening
Garden writing
Garden writing
This site is designed to offer garden help that inspires an interest in gardening and enhances the awareness of home gardening as a way to provide nutrition and refuge for resident and migratory pollinators.
Garden writing
Garden writing
Garden writing
I am a global garden writer who shares home gardening observations and who has been published internationally. The government of Taiwan invited me there twice to write about their orchid industry.
My audience
Garden writing
My audience
My followers range from casual to serious gardeners to Gen-X farmers. They include academics, authors, publishers, directors of horticultural associations and public sector leaders in the US, Europe and Asia.
Tom Oder: A global voice in garden writing
Books/ United Kingdom: Islands in a Common Sea/Jenny Jefferies
A look at a fascinating new book by a talented British author that features stories of farming, fishing, and food from around the world. Jenny Jefferies' gift for story telling brings together the remarkable lives of 25 next-generation farmers and fishermen/fisherwomen and their traditions and cultures all linked by a universal quest to feed a hungry world. One of those pioneering farmers is a friend from Paris who took an unlikely path to becoming an olive and almond farmer in rural Spain. Read her story in my blog above and in Chapter Two in the book. A portion of the sales of this beautifully illustrated book will be donated to the World Food Program (WFP) through Share the Meal.
Online sites/Treehugger: FrogLog saves wildlife and keeps your pool clean
If you have an in-ground pool, there's a good chance you've found a dead animal floating on the surface of the water or in the skimmer basket. Frogs, toads, rodents, and insects such as bees, beetles, or spiders seem to be the most common victims. "But, literally anything that might happen to be in someone's backyard will possibly get trapped in a pool," says Rich Mason, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Annapolis, Maryland, field office where he restores wetlands, streams, and other wildlife habitats. Mason loves wildlife, and invented a solution to help keep creatures from drowning in an in-ground pool. Its genius is in its simpliocity. Check it out at:
https://www.treehugger.com/pool-owners-froglog-device-save-animals-4863821
Magazines/Mother Earth News: Mossin' Annie: An Appalachian folk hero
-The ancient Latin writer who authored the proverb “A rolling stone gathers no moss” surely never met anyone like Annie Martin. Rescuing an obscure plant group (with permission! of course ... ) drives the spirit of this Appalachian folk hero.
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/how-does-moss-grow-zm0z22onzawar/
Audio link available on the Mother Earth News site
State governments/GA Department of Agriculture: Connecting people with food
A story that touched me most deeply is a cooking piece about two sisters who connected family, friends and even strangers through food. Sadly, one sister has passed unexpectedly. I now think of this piece as a tribute to a lovely person whose legacy leaves lessons for us all. https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/gemc/georgia_202402/index.php#/p/30
You may not know: Orchid nothogenus Oderara is named for me
Career highlights/Tom Oder
- Produced historic newspaper with It's Atlanta! headline when Atlanta won the 1996 Olympics
- Phoenix award: Metro Atlanta Chamber export project
- Invited to Taiwan twice as a visiting journalist
- Founded international orchid journal
- Service awards: Atlanta, American orchid societies
- 3 plant society boards, Atlanta Press Club