I thought january issue was a great improvement
over most last years early spring issues.

The magazine is not what was promised some time ago. The complaint was a thin magazine with not much information in it. The information contained in the magazine is informative for some and just taking up space for others. I have a feeling that advertisers might be their problem. Unless you are promoting or selling an organic product you can't advertise in the magazine. Revenues are down so the magazine contains less information. They promised a better "Organic Gardening Magazine" but I, for one, haven't seen it yet. Of course there is always hope for the future, but don't hold your breath.

major bummer. i'm waiting....... i did subscribe for a year & was very disappointed. when i took it in the 70's/80's i couldn't wait for it to hit the mailbox. w/ the last subscription i didn't even both opening it most of the time. i'd like to support this fourm & would be glad to subscribe to an online (aka same content but less $$ becasue of saved cost of printing/mailing), but that hasn't been offered yet!

I saw glimmers of hope with this issue.

I miss the "old fashioned illustration" cover, but it is not that big of a deal. The new cover style has potential too.

I appreciated the candor of the "rating the new tomatoes and peppers" evaluations. Not everything was "the best I have ever grown"! Some of the evaluations were quite harsh -- I liked that.

"Ask Garden Girl" has potential -- (Hi Willi!)

Several of the articles appeared a bit more indepth than we are used to -- hope it keeps going in that direction.

I especially enjoyed the short piece on the winner of the "Most Beautiful Garden". The editor awhile back on these forums said they were going to start emphasizing more "here's how I do it" from successful gardeners. I wasn't sure if I'd like that or not, but based on this piece, I think I might.

I miss the old "Gardening Diary" (or whatever it was called on the last page where a certain gardener listed their journal entries for various days of the month). I guess that must not have been popular with readers.

I'm looking forward to the next issue, plus the single-month issue in March.

Hm I hope the editorial staff does read this page. While I'm happy to help at answering posts, I'd like to take the other end of this thread.

Were the content comensurate with the ad rate--I'd be an advertiser. Of at least a classified add.

If there are ten employees, let seven of them go, and put the remaining two to work helping the sole bloke who's chopping the wood and toting the water at OGF.

Going in the right direction. One thing I would like to see is never publishing a warning against using a certain type of GMO, Chemical, Machine, or even technique, without offering a comparable or superior organic or heirloom alternative. Folks get numb hearing all the advice against using things, but if you say "Here, look, this is better and easier anyway" more folks will be happy to fall in line with the OG way, I think.

Well, I think tinytrees said it right. Perhaps the staff of OG is over paid and under worked. Last Spring after becoming a member, I thought I'd try a free issue of OG magazine. I waited for weeks and weeks. Finally it arrived, but it wasn't OG. It was Organic Style, which after checking it out, I decided it wasn't my style of reading. So naturally I was the one burdened with cancelling a subscrption(because if you don't, they bill you for the free issue as part of the full year). So I tried again. Because as any avid gardener, I thrive on that reading material during the cold months. This time it took even longer. My first issue was the July/August issue. So yesterday, I recieved the March issue with a last notice to renew my subscription. I never recieved the January issue. So after not getting a free issue that was advertised and only recieving 4 issues total and having paid for 6, they warn me to renew. The envelope said WARNING!! I was a subscriber to that mag over 10 years ago. I don't remeber why I let the subscription lapse, then again maybe now I do. I found some old issues the other day of OG and of Mother Earth News. From what I saw Mother was a better bargain.

I think it keeps getting better, bit by bit.

I would like a response from the OG staff on this post.

Sometimes comparing a pippin apple to a pippin apple might not be a fair comparison. Let's compare the pippin apple to the fuji.

I got OG and Countryside mags both together yesterday. Let me say, please, that the main difference I see in content is that OG probably pays its writers a good salary for the tepid thin articles that masquerade as good reading (apparently huge pretty pictures are more important than straight information and content), whereas Countryside apparently allows in-depth reader contributions (and small, author-snapped cool pictures) to catch and hold interest.

I mean, really..."You'll see an explanation of how and why to build raised beds on P 43." Apparently, the 'explanation' was a single picture of a couple of raised beds (two different types but only one of them was commented on), a bulleted list, and two paragraphs. OH YEAH, that's a great bit of information you got there. What about native rock benefits? What about cinderblock? What about recycled wood? What about the dangers of railroad ties? What about recycled plastic -- what should a buyer be looking for? What about lining the beds against weather, pests, rodents, etc? What about terracing on a slope and the air flow benefits? Ya'all really, REALLY slipped up. Honestly...there was NOTHING in this OG that I (again) could not have written myself, and even if I thought about it as if I were a newbie gardener, you fall dreadfully short.

Oh to heck with the analysis...here are the facts:

Time spent reading
OG
30 mins
Countryside
4 hours and still counting

Average article length
OG
1/2 page
Countryside
2 1/2 pages single-spaced with no pretty pictures or space-taking BOLD font

Practice what you Preach: printed on
OG
plastic-coated full-color non-recyclable non-degredable paper or something
Countryside
"Countryside is printed on recycled paper with soy ink and powered by the wind and sun."

Articles greedily absorbed
OG
0
Countryside
5

Aricles (from index)
OG
Spring Greens
The Season of Wildflowers
Colorful Potatoes
High Stakes
Start a Fresh aBed
Know Your Soil
A Big Fat Greek Garden

Countryside
A Backyard lean-to (for seed-starting and home heat modulation and dreaming)
E-Z Blacksmithing Tongs
History of the Ride-On Garden Tractor
The Woodlot: Retiree designs & Builds a Fun Hobby
The Woodlot: Identify your Wood
The Woodlot: Make an Easy Fence Puller
Shotgunning for Squirrels
An Adventure in Tanning, Part III
News from the Northwoods: Apples
The Garden: Growing a Kitchen Garden
The Garden: The Inter-Relationships of Plants
The Goat Barn: Trimming Hooves
The Goat Barn: Start your Own Meat Herd
The Rabbit Barn: Rabbit Raising from a Pakistani View
The Rabbit Barn: Raising Rabbits in Colonies
The Poultry Yard: Excessive Calcium Levels
Homestead Livestock: An Alpaca Primer
Food Security as Part of our National Defense
One Family Farm Saved by Organics
The Cow Barn: can your cow make you sick?
Question of the month: Are you prepared?
10 Miscellaneous Homesteading tips
Notes from Long Ago: Homesteading tips from 1887
Homestead finances: Starting your homestead business
Homestead finances: Retirement Success
Homestead finances: Why Choose Probate?
Menstrual Musings for Homestead Women
Poor Will's Almanac: Deep Winter
Country Neighbors: The benefits of Starting Early
Country Neighbors: They Found Their homestead in their own backyard
Country Neighbors: For Sale: Secluded Cabin
Country Neighbors: Memories on the Hoof
Country Neighbors: The Story of Alanna
After Chores: The lighter side of Deer Hunting

Pages
OG
60
Countryside
130

Full pages of ads
OG
18
Countryside
20

Cost per Issue (subscription price)
OG
$4.16
Countryside
$3

Organic Gardening News
OG
Rocket Fuel is a Toxic Salad Dressing
Don't Nuke Your Broccoli
Clean Compost
Fast Fact: Pollen can travel 15 miles
Not Just Delicious
Gardener to Gardener: Community Garden: Cincinatti

Countryside
Soy-Based Biodiesel Offers a Potential Market
Make an easy fence puller (And an easy way to plant seed)
Excessive calcium levels (Is it cutting short the lives of your poultry?)
Family Album: It's Locally grown -- really (organic farming in Philly)
Food Security as part of our National Defense
One Family Farm is Saved by Organics
Can your Cow Make You Sick?
Germany Attempts to Increase Organic Farm Numbers

I really really really want to put my money where my mouth is and support OG and its values...but neither is Organic Gardening practicing what it's preaching, nor is it worth reading. Why should I pay more for empty hypocrisy?

And for those of you OGers out there who don't think that a magazine for homesteading can be very relevant for a gardener, I will be using (counts on fingers) 9 tips from Countryside this spring in my garden, from this issue alone...and NONE from OG. At this rate, I know where I'll be spending my re-up dollars.

WAKE UP, Organic Gardening! Having Toyota say "I like your layout, lemme buy the back page" does not mean that you are pleasing your readership! Which is more important, selling ad space for high-priced items, or attracting subscribers?

OG magazine has redeemed itself. Today I recieved an email crediting me with the unrecieved issues. I have to credit them for a speedy response to my complaint. As in my last post, I was a subscriber over 10 years ago. Back then, the magazines contained alot more information. I will do some digging and find out why. As of now Mother Earth News keeps me reading longer until something else comes along. I do have to say this. I have been an organic gardener for roughly 15 years. If I had to put a date on it I could not, it doesn't matter. What does is that since I got my computer and found this forum last year, I have become a better gardener. For years I had composted and mulched with great results(ignorance is bliss). Last year after joining this forum and getting feedback from others I have greatly increased my yields. This is especially important since I moved from my last place that I live in for 16 years. My last garden was so fertile I never had problems(I was spoiled). At the new place, I had not only my normal work for the livestock but that of recreating the same growing conditions of the last place. Last year was okay, but nowhere near what I was used to achieving. Not a problem, I love a challenge. I have compost piles everywhere now. It's great when you achieve what you want, but, I think half of the fun is getting there. I think I have a few more years of getting there. This soil contains more clay than my last place and I only moved 10 miles. Not a problem just more time to live!

Good to hear from you. As in my last post, ignorance is bliss. Never heard of this mag Countryside. How can I find out more?

I'm not about to dis our hosts by posting a link to a competing product on their site: I used it as an illustration. Heck, if I pulled an OG from my stash of 1950's and 1960's mags, the comparisons would still be scathingly telling. If you want Countryside, do a search; if you want old OGs, check out ebay; that's where I got mine! They're GREAT reads!

Aris has some good points. I think you have gotten better, though. I think the problem I have with most gardening magazines is that they tend to try to offer too many topics and cover none of them very well. I subscribe to a Small Farm Magazine which covers maybe three topics, but each topic is covered in a Beginners format, an intermediate format, and an experienced format, so that no matter what your level of experience, you can get something out of it.

So instead of having readers, say, glance past the raised bed garden topic, since they have raised beds, you could offer begginers simple instructions, plus alternative raised bed materials, plus raised bed maintenance, crops specifically for them, watering solutions for raised beds, raised bed permenant crops...rotating in raised beds, no till, cover cropping...etc...maybe even toss in the old SUNKEN bed ideas, which have gone nearly extinct, but are great in hot, dry areas. Go beyond getting started. We lifetime gardeners need something to sink our teeth in, as well as the beginners.

I don't want you to either. I was simply asking about a publication I'd never heard of. I read as much on this subject as I can no matter what the source.

I just want to express my shock that so many people feel the need to offer advice on everything from content to advertisers, and even writing technique to the professionals at this publication. I'm not sure if I'm ashamed of everybody here for their arrogance in thinking they could do better than the OG staff, (of course, some could Im sure) or if Im just ashamed of myself for spending my money on such a poor publication. I agree everyone that more information could be offered. This has been said for a long time, and it appears to be continually ignored. The magazine has only improved slightly since my initial subscription a year and a half ago. And, just for the record, since the cover has been commented on so much; although I do miss the antique quality of the past covers, I do like the new ones.

Please be honest with all of us Sir Editor. How patient do we need to be to stick by OG. Can you give us any idea if there will be a reason to. Please let us know what the publications plans are for improvement. What are your goals, and the goals of the company as a whole pertaining to OG magazine.