Yes, we will refund the money of unsatisfied customers.

I cannot fairly comment on the magazine because I have never read one, mainly due to the fact that I never received my free issue. But the tone of what I am hearing from people, the same people whose postings I have read here and learned great info from, is that the magazine is much like the website. With the exception of the forums, I have read through the entire website and feel I have learned little. I am a beginning gardener, this is only my fourth year, and I want to learn more about organic gardening techniques and issues. And I can honestly say that the information on this site is nothing I haven't seen before.

A suggestion for Scott, maybe you should include articles here and in the magazine that are written by the fine, experienced, and knowlageable(sp?) people here. And not just as letters to the editor. Another post here was on the topic that familiar names were in OG magazine as letters. Reader's Digest, the greatest read magazine?, publishes articles from its readers. I am sure your readers, and not just members of the forums, would like to hear from gardeners like themselves. Their experiences, wisdom, humor, favorite items to grow, etc. Could you just imagine the amount of information you could get from just a 1-2 page article on composting written by our Captain Compost? Readers could learn more than just "ration of browns to greens 3:1 & turn offen."
But I will wait to cast judgement until I get my free isssue.

captain compost has written at least one article on compost. So since have not read OG i suggest you start before commenting so you know what you talking about.

I have always welcomed article proposals from members of this forum (from any member, regardless of whether the person has been critical or not).

If you have an idea, just send me a brief outline of what you believe should be covered in the article and an explanation of where your information will come from. (We are, of course, interested in your personal experience, but we ask our writers to seek out other sources to account for regional differences, etc.) Also, include any ideas you have for images that would illustrate the article.

This is a great time to submit ideas because we are about to plan our 2005 issues in the next few weeks. We're planning 2005 now so we can shoot the relevant photos during this growing season.

Send your proposals to me at via email at scott.meyer@rodale.com or through snail mail at Organic Gardening, 33 E. Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098.

Also, we're always in search of useful tips, tricks and techniques to publish in Gardener to Gardener. Send those to og@rodale.com.

I hope to hear from you.

Scott

Mark,
I was just stating an example. No need to get so defensive and jump down my throat. So nice to know that you are so welcoming of new members and opinions, especially ones other than your own. And from what I have read in this thread and in OG Watchdogs re: OG Magazine, I'm not sure I would want to start reading it. But of course, I never did receive my sample issue to make my own judgements regarding the magazine.
While I think everyone here can agree that sometimes things are interpreted differently than intended( meaning not really wanting to sound judgemental), you would think that when such a large number of long time readers of OG Magazine are disappointed in the product that they pay for and help support, the powers that be would be more interested in taking their comments and suggestions to heart. Because where would the magazine be without its loyal readers?

I stopped ordering a subscription to OG a couple of years ago due to the consumeristic approach (articles with tie-ins to products/advertisements) and also due to the lack of in-depth material. I would gladly pay MORE for a subscription in the future if the magazine offered more information/resource links that I could use.
I did continue to subscribe to MEN because I felt it was more in-depth and useful--it allowed me to dream of bigger projects and different ways to do things.
OG didn't inspire me to dream anymore, just to say--"I knew that, but what about...."
OG's glossy pictures are pretty, and I appreciate them, but without the in-depth how-to approach in articles, they're just and only that--pretty pictures. I have also noticed that OG isn't on the magazine racks around here--and I know it used to be. There does seem to be a lively trade in the old issues amongst the old gardeners.
I understand the need to reach out to as large of an audience as possible, but I think less articles with more depth (or more articles with more depth) would inspire more gardeners to go organic (or start organic).

What it sounds like (and this was the case with me), is OG can and does get people interested, or more interested, in organic gardening, but people who actually garden organically for longer than a couple of years "outgrow" the magazine. Agree?

Definetly! The last article I really liked was the thing on chickens...because it made me contemplate chickens.

I'll pay more for organic products because 1) it's good for me 2) it stimulates the organic vanguard. Wish I could continue to put my money behind OG mag, but there's a difference between $4 for a bag of organic carrots and $4 for a magazine that you can't even recycle and it does you no good.

The article in MEN on chickens was great. Got me to start a flock of my own. This year I'm expanding to meat birds. The benefits of raising your own flock is everything MEN said and more.

dragonflyfarms:

Same problem here with not being able to find OG mag on the newsstands...at least in Barnes & Noble and a few other venues.

Seems the managers of the mag sections in these stores, think OG mag should be relegated to the "Alternative/Health" sections. Couldn't find it in B&N the other day and after scouring the racks, the clerk was able to find it in above-mentioned "alternative" section.

Told her just cause "organic" is in the title didn't mean it wasn't a gardening mag. Manager came by and agreed, so they moved all copies of OG to gardening section.

Worried that my experience might dissuade others interested in purchasing the magazine if they thought the store didn't carry it, while in fact it was simply catagorized elsewhere, I apprised Scott of this erroneous placement of his mag. Wouldn't want this factor (which certainly can be rectified) to add to any loss of revenues as well.

gardenz

OKAY here i go first off i read readers digest.mother earth news ,organic gardening ,countryside,seed catalogs,country,reminesce,good old days,outdoor photographer,any woodworkers mag's,rock and gem,lapidary journals ,NATIVE NEWS,and any thing else i can how else can one survive winter in the land of snow,walking 5 miles a day is good but not when it's cold and asthma is a big killere in the cold as to the topic i for one would hope they go back to the 1970's style of writing i also use things in my garden that they have never mentioned besides calling it debris ie:broken concrete,curbside finds,

Yeah Aris, I think you recieved a corporate slap.
Yes OG is a business but how are other businesses supposed to want to become sustainable and responsible with no example to follow. Sorry OG..the content of paper and ink speaks volumes of your COMMITMENT to the EARTH.
As for the articles, yes, most folks on this site are crazy for playin it the dirt and have heard many tricks for dealing with common problems and solutions in the garden but come on! Yes, more DEPTH is absolutely needed.
Scott, there is a difference in responding and responding respectfully. Aris had MANY valid points and apparently quite a few folks share her views, life is hard enough, gardeners are kind ...be nice

As a long-time subscriber to OG who just joined this on-line thing and read this thread, I think that that we are all are well meaning in trying to convey our thoughts to make OG better. Scott, it sounds like you are listening but may be just a little mistaken about your reader base.

From speaking to other OG readers in Maine, and speaking for myself, OG should take the leap to add significantly more content, and be more in depth. Reader comments over the past 15 years (editor letters in the magazine itself) have consistently said this. More importantly, I WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY DOUBLE OR MORE THE CURRENT SUBSCRIPTION PRICE to see OG go back to the format of the early 80s.

I'm not a magazine exec, but I would recommend you do a PR campaign explaining that, due to repeated requests, you are significantly increasing the magazine's content (give an example TOC for the first revamped issue) and thus subscription prices will go up. Explain what people are getting for their additional bucks. You'll get some complaints of course, but not from me or anyone who's been commenting on this thread.

As far as the slick advertising for large items and what not . . .whatever it takes to get in the content. I think OG has good advertising standards and I'm quite happy to skim over some green vehicle or lawn tractor ads if it means more content. And likely those kind of advertisers will bring in new converts to OG values from the consumer hoard.

Keep working on it. Thanks all - Matt in Maine