CatieJayBee, in a word, YES! MEN DOES have many "country" articles, but there is enough organic gardening advice that I feel I can ignore the articles that are of no use to me (there are articles on raising goats in the new issue---interesting reading for some, I'm sure, but my city council would probably take issue with my allowing goats to roam my yard!)and STILL feel like I'm getting my money's worth. And the articles are TIMELY (I got to read the article on Edamame 6 days before planting the seeds I had ordered!) and VERY informative (not just a bunch of pretty pictures & drawings). I've been gardening for about 15 years now, am certainly no "expert", but feel I have not learned ANYTHING from OG since the departure of Mike McGrath. With Mother Earth News, I have learned so many new things. Not to mention that it's just better written.

To Catie Jay Bee and any others needing encouragement to subscribe to Mother Earth News;I couldn't agree more with "contrms" that MEN can easily replace OG in your life.I canned OG eons ago.Same old articles issue after issue, on the same old subjects. Been a MEN fan for many years now.I'm a serious " back to the land enthusiast" but,at this moment,living a pretty mainstream life.I've noticed that MEN,and Country Journal,for that matter,have become, in recent years, quite "yuppiefied".Nothing wrong with that,except if you can remember,as I can,how good and basic, those magazines used to be in their earlier years.MEN has been spewing out some rather irrelevent articles lately.So for modern city folks, like you appear to be,if I'm not mistaking you,I reckon you'd like it.MEN has really gotten away from the "back to the land movement" that was its foundation.For the most part anyway.After all,most of us have reached the age where doing our business in an outhouse is more like "roughing it",and a premium is placed on "creature comforts" on account of our aching and aging bodies!It's more an individual movement today,rather than the cultural movement it was 30 years ago.Magazines need to change with the times,just like everything else,to stay in business and to attract a new generation of readers.Both magazines are still my favorites! "Countryside" magazine is a good alternative for those who remember how MEN and Country Journal were in their infancy.I wish you all good reading!

I agree with you completely about "Countryside" magazine. I posted info about them a few weeks ago in another spot on this forum. They have a pretty nice website and should impress anyone who checks them out.

I really don't have any desire to have a good magazine which has focused on an earth-friendly way to live and farm in the country. I think that's fantastic. But let's face it, it's not for me. All I'm looking for is a good magazine that would help teach us city-folk to garden without using chemicals, as well as introduce me to the new products and plants each year.

I am indeed a city dweller, and not ashamed of it. I happen to believe strongly that suburbanization leads to a infrastructure that gobbles up good land that would be better used for farming or wildlife, not to mention requiring gobs of government money to keep up scads of good highways to lead these folks back to their jobs in the city, and requires a lot of oil for them to drive their humungous SUVs to work every day. That requirement for oil, in turn, makes our Prez think about drilling in wild-life areas, as well as making our country side with countries with dubious backgrounds. I'm quite happy with my teeny tiny little yard (all dug up and planted with veggies and fragrant flowers and not a chem in site) which is located within walking distance from work. Unfortunately, my coworkers don't feel the same way. They travel 2 hours by car every day to get to work, dump Scotts turf-builder all over their yard and then complain when the grass grows too quickly or the weeds in the lake they live on are taking over.

Anyhow, I'm looking for an intelligent magazine that plainly and frankly states the scientific reasons why chems are bad to help me convince co-workers and provides city dwellers (and suburbanites) viable alternatives. 10 years ago, OG used to be that mag. Now I can't even get them to deliver that rag to me for the remainder of my subscription. (They still have me in limbo land after being switched to Organic Style 10 months ago. Princes among men they are, this new sexually discriminant OG.)

I would enjoy such a magazine as well!

Up until a couple months ago, I did not even know about OG magazine. Even though you veterans were lucky enough to know the old OG, the new one is still pretty nice to a beginner like myself. Way better than what I had before (nothing!).

So maybe there is a magazine out there for your needs as well, this forum would be the place to find it!

I lived in the city and had a small lot much like you describe, so I can relate to both worlds. But like my signature says, I am sure glad I had the chance to move to the country! We bought an existing house, one that had been on the site since around 1900. Now I am hoping to run for town board and do what I can to discourage further development in our relatively pristine area.

Now here is someone who talks good common sense. I agree with you 100% as that's what us guys need too. As a new lad on the pile, I want to learn how I can grow veggies without all this muck that is around today. CatieJayBee I'm proud of you and you talk and think like a good Canadian. Keep up the good work.
:x Ken John.

Try "Fine Gardening" by Taunton's Press.

I subscribed to Mother Earth News up until about 1975 and then started buying it from time to time on the newstands when an issue looked interesting. Does anybody know what happened to the original publishers? I remember they began to offer lifetime subscriptions for a few hundred dollars. It seemed as if a lot of this money went to build the big 'Eco-Village' in North Carolina, then suddenly the magazine disapeared! It resurfaced again a few years later as a pale and bland imitation of what the original magazine was. I have always been curious as to whether the lifetime subscriptions were honored. Am I just a cynical old man or did the original publishers use the money to build themselves an elaborate retirement home and then just fold the magazine and walk away with the farm so to speak? Does anybody who had a lifetime subscription know what the facts are?
Just a little curious, (and perhaps too nosy for my own good).
David Chisholm

Only today did I finally sign up for Organic Gardening Magazine once again. I was a faithful OG subscriber for many years but when I moved I neglected to fix up my subscription. I did not see anything on the OG website to indicate that a change was taking place in the OG magazine publication. I believe that this should be made known on your website as it will impact potential readership.
Brenda

Anyone have any good/bad comments about Horticulture magazine? (http://www.hortmag.com/) I was thinking of switching to that one. I too long for the McGee OG days. I get both OG and Organic Style, the latter was my choice to try it out and to support the movement. I've been with OG for 15+ yrs. My dad gave it to me when I moved into my first house. Luckily I was not forcibly switched to OS or I would have dropped both.

I used to subscribe to Horticulture many years ago. But cancelled my subscription when I began to find it a bit too...uh "frou-frou" or yuppified. Too many gardens in Tuscany and Mrs. Astor's 1,000 acre backyard (tended not by Mrs. Astor, but by her staff of- probably underpaid - gardeners!) X-(

However, I've been getting material from them in the mail saying they've "updated" and made their mag (I quote) "More user friendly". Now, that may be politically correct for "dumb-downed"....but if they mean they're now seeking to target the average, down-in-the-dirt, everyday gardener and NOT Mrs. Astor....then I might give them a try again.
Bearing in mind, of course, that not being a designated organic gardening magazine, they're bound to hawk the Miracle Gros and Scott's Weed N Feed and Sevin and such. Which I usually overlook in most other mags anyway.

gardenz

I had subscribed to the old-old OG. a few months after McGrath took over health caused me to decide to stop my subscription. When I began again the magazine was a mere shadow of itself, both in size and content.
Where did McGrath go? Maybe we should follow him.

Funny, Gardenz.
I used to have a subscription to 'Horticulture', about ten years ago I cancelled. I told them it was way over my head and pocket book to have such gardens. Great featured gardens in the magazine to dream over,though. I'll have to check out some recent ones from the library .

Mike is the current editor of "People, Places & Plants" magazine. They put out two editions: One for the Northeast (all N.E. states) and the other for Mid-Atlantic regions(from New York - the Carolinas).
http://www.ppplants.com/magazine/toc/toc_ma/issue6.html

Being in N.J., I subscribe to the Mid-Atlantic edition.
He's also has a weekly column in the Philadelphia Enquirer and does a nationally syndicated radio show on PBS every Saturday morning at 11:00EST, called "You Bet Your Garden". http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/index.html

gardenz

Thanks for the link, gardenz. I just subscribed to the midlantic edition. I'll be glad to be in Mike's company again!