Hi! My name is Karla. To start, I have to tell you that I have visited a lot of sites about gardening and those sites usually seem authored by someone who has a degree in horticultore, botany, etc and have jobs that go right along with it. If all of us could be so lucky! Me? I hold a BBA in Accounting from West Texas State University (West Texas A&M now). I promise you that I would much rather be out in the yard than indoors slaving away at my desk! So, my only real experience is years of gardening where hopefully more plants have flourished than keeled over!
Looking back, I think I first became interested in growing things long before I was really old enough to understand. My family farmed in the Texas Panhandle. I remember when Daddy would pick up a handful of dirt out of the field, examine it, maybe smell it, smash it in his palm and then let it slide through his fingers. (and I would copy him). We would also hop in the ol' International and drive around and check out the progress on the wheat, cotton and corn. But I think it was hoeing cotton that taught me at a very early age to enjoy solitude when you can get it and that growing things, whether for production or for enjoyment, is a labor of love.
When I moved to glorious Central Texas 12 years ago, I was amazed at the long growing season and am now happily ensconced in Zone 9. Yay! My husband and I have an excavation company, so I've learned a lot about hardscaping in the process. We also have 8 acres that we have spent years clearing (gotta love those cedars!), leveling, improving and planting.
As our girls got older, I started wondering what I really wanted to be when I grew up. Ha! So, here I am looking toward a second career doing what I love. I haven't decided if I'll start a nursery or what kind of business it will be, but it will definitely involve getting my fingernails dirty. I joined the National Home Gardening Club as a Life member and product tester. Rest assured that if products can survive our rocky ground they are well worth buying! Also, I'm working on getting a certificate in "Gardening and Landscaping" in hopes of adding some "book" education to go along with my experience.
So, here I am.... Or, better yet, here I go!
