Video Mishaps: Garden2Blog Adventure with P. Allen Smith

– Posted in: How-to
4 comments

If you’ve been following my back page, you probably already know that I’ve been invited to the 2014 version of P. Allen Smith’s Garden2Blog. I’ll be joining twenty-plus other bloggers for two jam-packed days of tours, demonstrations, and workshops, while squeezing in time to get to know my fellow bloggers and P. Allen Smith himself. I’ve already heard he loves chickens and roses, and chicken and rose bloggers are well-represented on the roster. Me, I had to interview my 12-year-old daughter, the family chickenmeister, to find out how big our flock was. (8 hens, 2 roosters, and 6 ducks)

We were already issued a challenge by Jobe’s Organics to create a container planting with Jobe’s Organic Potting Mix, Jobe’s Organic All Purpose Granular Fertilizer, and a $10 gift card from the local big-box store for plants. Well, finding enough plants to attractively fill a 12″ pot for only $10 was somewhat of a challenge. I found it easier when I decided to make this for my mom for Mother’s Day. She is easier to please than I am.

The real challenge was making a video using either Vine (6 seconds) or Instagram (15 seconds). I admit we weren’t told we had to use either of those; they were recommended as working great for this. Documenting the process of putting a container together in fifteen seconds seemed near impossible to me, but I gave it my best shot. I had never used Instagram before, and there was a learning curve with that. I somehow thought I could fit more into the screen if I turned my phone sideways, but all I did was create a sideways video: Since it was raining on the one day I had free to shoot it, I set everything up in our screened porch, but the lighting wasn’t so good. And trying to add a cameo shot of my mom didn’t work out so well.

I wasn’t very happy with that first effort, but now that the container was planted, I couldn’t very well show how I did it, could I? I gave it another shot later in the week, this time explaining why I chose the plants I did: I did this one at my mom’s house, because I thought I would have her say, “Thank you! I love it!” at the end, but fifteen seconds goes by really fast, and there wasn’t any time left.

Video has never been my strong suit, and I just never seem to have time to work on my skilz. For that matter, I don’t watch very many videos either. I hope you got a few laughs out of these two, and thanks, Mom, for being a good sport. If you want to see some better efforts, look for the #G2B2014 and #Jobes hashtags on the social media channel of your choice. The smart ones shot theirs with full-fledged cameras and uploaded them to Youtube.

Disclosure: I was given the materials to put this container together.

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

If winter is slumber and spring is birth, and summer is life, then autumn rounds out to be reflection. It’s a time of year when the leaves are down and the harvest is in and the perennials are gone. Mother Earth just closed up the drapes on another year and it’s time to reflect on what’s come before.

~Mitchell Burgess in Northern Exposure

Comments on this entry are closed.

Frank May 24, 2014, 10:24 pm

Nice! I like the idea of videos, but don’t see myself doing many since I doubt they’ll come out as good as yours. I can’t even set a scene let alone put together a coherent sentence… and yes, my videos come up sideways too! πŸ™‚

Ilona May 22, 2014, 10:41 pm

OK- I’ve done the sideways videos too- it really is a steep learning curve! You are a good sport too, and congrats to jumping in and trying. Good to see you in action πŸ™‚

Pat Webster May 21, 2014, 4:40 pm

Loved the sideways video, Kathy. It made me laugh in sympathy. I’ve never tried to do one… and now don’t think I’ll try!

Dee Nash (@reddirtramblin) May 19, 2014, 8:34 am

Kathy, I think video is hard too. Have fun at Garden2Blog!~~Dee