Seriously?

I'm new here and I'm surprised to see that all the forums require a membership to view them. Pretty disappointing...im sure the server costs could be covered by donations alone and the adds could serve as healthy profit for DG.

I've never seen a site where it requires you to pay to post in a forum let alone view it. I think DG would be better off to just require people pay to join rather than insult our intelligence by telling us "...over half our forums are completely open to all members." every time we try to read one. I'd say more like 1 in 50 forums are open to me, not 50%. And of the ones that are visible, most have a block on posting messages.

I mean...come on... i only have access to the basket weaving forum. No wait, there's also a home improvement plumbing forum....huh? plumbing? ... just what I was looking for on a gardening site.

I really thought this was all about the love of gardening, but now i'm left feeling this is just about making money. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with making money, but to me gardening is the antithesis of work. It is my escape.

DG if you really are a site "for gardeners, by gardeners" you should seriously consider paying server costs by donations. When you do, I'll be the first to send you twenty bucks.

Each one of the links with (*) next to it are the one's I can't access. If they are visible, 1/2 of them won't let you post unless youre a member.




General Gardening:

Accessible Gardening (*)
Annuals (*)
Bird Identification
BirdFiles Pictures
Bonsai (*)
BugFiles Pictures
Bulbs (*)
Classic Threads (*)
Community Gardens (*)
Container Gardening (*)
Cool Climate Gardening (*)
Cottage Gardening (*)
Cut Flowers and Floral Design
Foliage Plants (*)
Fragrant Gardening (*)
Garden Art (*)
Garden Design (*)
Garden Pests and Diseases (*)
Garden Products (*)
Garden Talk (*)
Garden Tours
Gardening by the Moon (*)
Greenhouse (*)
Heirloom Vegetables (*)
Herbs (*)
Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening (*)
Hybridizers
Hydroponic Gardening (*)
Indoor Gardening and Houseplants (*)
Insect and Spider Identification
Invasive Plants (*)
Irrigation Systems
Market Growers (*)
Master Gardeners (*)
Native Plants and Wild Plants (*)
Organic Gardening (*)
Perennials (*)
Plant and Tree Identification
PlantFiles Pictures
Propagation (*)
Public Gardens (*)
Rock and Alpine Gardening (*)
Saving Seeds (*)
Seed Germination
Self-contained Box Gardens
Shady Gardens (*)
Soil and Composting (*)
Strawbale Gardening (*)
Terrarium Gardening (*)
Tiny Gardens (*)
Trees, Shrubs and Conifers (*)
Tropical Plants (*)
Vegetable Gardening (*)
Vermicomposting
Vines and Climbers (*)
Water Gardens (*)
Wildlife Gardening
Winter Sowing (*)
Xeriscape Gardening (*)

Country Living:

Beekeeping
Equine Forum (*)
Farm Life (*)
Homesteading
Poultry and Livestock (*)

Specific Kinds of Plants:

African Violets and Gesneriads (*)
Agastaches and Salvias (*)
Amaryllis and Hippeastrums (*)
Aroids (*)
Begonias (*)
Bromeliads (*)
Brugmansias (*)
Cacti and Succulents (*)
Cannas (*)
Carnivorous Plants (*)
Caudiciforms (*)
Clematis (*)
Coleus (*)
Coneflowers (*)
Dahlias (*)
Daturas (*)
Daylilies (*)
Dianthus (*)
Ferns, Fungi and Mosses (*)
Fruits and Nuts (*)
Fuchsias (*)
Geraniums, Pelargoniums and Erodiums (*)
Gingers (*)
Gladiolas (*)
Grass and Bamboo (*)
Heucheras and Friends (*)
Hibiscus (*)
Hostas (*)
Hoyas (*)
Hydrangeas (*)
Irises (*)
Japanese Maples (*)
Lilies (*)
Morning Glories (*)
Mums and Asters (*)
Oleanders (*)
Orchid Cactus (*)
Orchids (*)
Ornamental Gourds (*)
Palms and Cycads (*)
Passifloras (*)
Peonies (*)
Peppers (*)
Plumerias (*)
Poppies (*)
Rhododendrons and Relatives (*)
Roses (*)
Tomatoes (*)
Tropical Fruits (*)
Violas and Violettas (*)

Cooking and Entertaining:

Brewing and Fermenting
Canning, Freezing and Drying (*)
Cooking
Entertaining
Holidays and Special Events
Outdoor Grilling and Cooking
Recipes (*)

Plant and Seed Trading:

Group Trades, Swaps and Round Robins (*)
International Trading (*)
Plant Trading (*)
Seed Trading (*)

Crafts:

Artisans
Basket Weaving
Computer Crafts
Crafts and Decorating (*)
Mosaics and Stained Glass
Needle Arts
Pottery, Clay and Ceramics
Scrapbooking and Paper Crafts
Sewing and Quilting
Soap and Candle-making
Trash to Treasure
Woodworking

US Regional Gardening Forums:

California Gardening (*)
Carolina Gardening (*)
Central Midwest Gardening (*)
Florida Gardening (*)
Georgia Gardening (*)
Michigan Gardening (*)
Mid-Atlantic Gardening (*)
Mid-South Gardening (*)
Northeast Gardening (*)
Ohio River Valley Gardening (*)
Pacific Northwest Gardening (*)
Rocky Mountain Gardening (*)
Southwest Gardening (*)
Texas Gardening (*)
Upper Midwest Gardening (*)

For SIX CENTS a day it could be the best investment in gardening that you'll ever make. Just the trades alone are worth ten times the cost of subscribing and the help with plants, problems, suggestions, ideas, plans, etc. is all free.

Why not try a short subscription for $5.00 and give it a try?

I've been here for several years as a non-member and I'm 99% content with the free forums I participate in. In fact, I'm thankful that there are any free forums at all and that the whole site isn't an ad-free, pay-only set up.

There has always been a difference at DG between a membership and a paid subscription. The paid subscription is very well worth it, for many reasons...not just the forums that you have access to but what having to pay a fee actually keeps out in some cases. There is not ONE forum on DG, whether for members or subscribers, that I would be concerned about allowing a child to view. Most sites cannot boast that. That should actually be easy to see from the forums that are available to members. It's alse not just the forums (or information in them) that subscribers pay for, there is much, much more to it than that.

I've seen many sites where you have to pay to post or view forums. This really isn't unusual...and it's mostly to ensure subscriber's privacy. It's a feature I love. As a member you also cannot access my personal info. DG is GREAT about that. I think you're looking at this the wrong way.

The server costs is not all that the subscriptions pay for I'm sure. I highly doubt you have any idea how big DG really is and what all it truly encompasses...or how many people it takes to keep it running smoothly on a day to day basis. Donations certainly could not keep a site like this up...unless you were making an offer there??? DG isn't merely forums, I think you need to do a lot more exploring if that's all you've seen of DG!!! You are missing so much good stuff...go check it out! And you can do that for free from the home page.

Pretty much everyone knows about SOME of the resources here and I find it interesting that you didn't mention any of the resources that are available to non-paying members at DG (PlantFiles, WatchDog, etc)...which have mostly been provided by the paying subscribers. That would be where "For gardeners by gardeners" came from.

So, you see, when you attack DG you are actually attacking it's people...the paying subscribers. That may be something you want to rethink...since DG is the biggest (and may I say BEST) gardening site on the web. If you tick off too many folks here where else will you go to get reliable answers to your gardening questions? Although that's one of the other things that folks here pay for....the sense of REAL COMMUNITY...and when you do decide to join this will all be forgotten ;-)

However, in the meantime I'm so glad I won't have see this crap posted all over all the other forums...along with tons of other spam.

Happy growing

one more thought-just the garden watchdog alone can save you so much money by reading the reviews and avoiding the not so stellar vendors. i dont know how many times i have found something i wanted to buy, then read several really negative reviews about the seller and moved on to a different one.
and you might note DG'ers take attacks personally, it is one of the great things about it is the sense of community

The $19.95 keeps smart mouthed driveby commenters away from most of our forums, but not all. If Dave's Garden weren't a subscription site it might be a fight to keep the trouble makers away as we can plainly see.

How many forums has this " I want something for nothing whiner" posted this same trash?

Some people aren't worth the $19.95 muchless the $5.00.

I hope I didn't offend too many with my rant.

Rant away, Most of us incourage a clean rant every now and then.
I look at the subscription fee as the same as prescribing to a good gardening magazine except i get to make good personal friends here. Get very good gardening advise,and pet advise. Can trade for seeds of any kind and description. If i want to check on a mail order company, I can do that also.
This is more than a gardenng site. It's a community of like minded people from across the world. My favorite forum is not a locale. It is a group of friends of like minded gardeners with a few health problems. We understand each other and encourage each other to find the best way of getting around our challanges to fulfill our need to garden.
I also subscribe to a $24 a year gardening magazine. It does not begin to be as useful to me as DG is.
So stick around and join us and get addicted too.If you have a pet, check out the pet forum.
Vickie

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1137933/

It looks like WildcatThicket wins the prize for identifying this as a smart mouthed driveby commenter. These two posts are all that I have seen of WatchemGrow.

What comes to my mind is some of the nasties that you find on 'those free sites', which is another reason I love DG. Not only have I met some wonderful people, but if it only takes $19.95 to keep out the nasties, than I feel it is well worth the price!

Ditto! Couldn't agree with you more, Carolyn. When six cents a day can't buy much at least it buys some distance from those people.

Arlene

that is funny! 6 cents a day buys some distance...... obviously it is very true though!

On a very minor scale it is proof you really can buy happiness.

Best laugh I've had today, reading on the other thread this person started, about how "...Dave isn't a guy; he's a made up marketing character."

That's quite the marketing program, they even made up a wife and kids, and members of DG, who claim to have met him!

LOL

Hmmmm and made up Dave and Trish had another made up baby recently too! ^_^

Better them than me!

Wow, your responses made me seriously consider becoming a subscriber.

You are all so right, I never see anything inappropriate or snarky. If that is what subscriptions keep away, I am sure I will be a member soon!

It really is the best site on the internet and therefore in the world. Well worth the $19.95 ^_^

C'mon rosymom - join us! There are short subscriptions for $5.00 if you would like to investigate all DG has to offer.

And don't forget the free seeds for the new members! Arejay will send you a whole big bunch of free seeds, well worth the subscription price! There are a bunch of us that send her all our extra seeds, and she then sends seeds out to the new paid members! You will love it here!

Skellogg, are you teasing about the seeds? That alone may be reason enough to join ;)

Not teasing about the seeds. My DD just got a large packet from them.

DG people are also very generous with extra plants...like daylilies.

C'mon rosy - give in and subscribe!

The free seeds alone, and all the swaps are worth the membership alone. Everybody loves to share extras, so you can't go wrong! Most of my flower beds, and all of my tomatoes are free seeds and plants from generous people here! Would have cost me a fortune if I'd have had to buy them all at stores and nurseries! ;-) Not to mention all the wonderful info on everything!

Also not to mention the wonderful people - I have met wonderful people here at DG and I have made some great friends!

So true! They are the absolutely the best!

I love DG and the fee is worth it to me!!! There are tons of people who are experts on their lines or profession who are unselfishly share their talents. i also love the coops because it is much cheaper then the outside

Belle.

Off the subject for a minute, but I just saw a DG calendar on Zazzle.com
Am I missing something? Who did it?

I've been a member for 5 or 6 years (can't remember) I sway away sometimes during the winter, but always come back. It's a great resource especially if you're a Daylily lover/grower/seller. I'll always pay the subscription fee every year. It's worth it.

The calendar is all the winning pictures from last fall's photo contest.

and don't forget about sectional round ups....or plant/seed swaps. When a bunch of DGr's get together and trade plants/seeds and stories....Being a newbie a few years ago, attending the Northeast RU, I didn't really have anything to trade except for some Stella De Oro dls, I came away with what I figured over $300 worth of plants and seeds. With all the RU's I've attending well over $1000 worth of plants, trees, shrubs and seeds.

Membership is SO worth it.

Thanks ecrane for the info.

Ok, you convinced me. I just subscribed. I can't wait to start reading all the forums!

Hurray! Just Dmail me if you want daylilies for postage. I can send them in April. They are daylilies I hybridized so they won't be common at all.

Welcome to Dave's Garden, rosymom!

Rosy - Yayyy!

I will have extra seeds if you are interested. Send me a Dmail.

Carolyn

Thanks for the welcome. I have SO many questions, you will all be sick of me soon enough!

Rosy come join in the fun over in the Northeast forum....
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/region_ne/all/

We'd love to help you with any questions you have.

And no one will get sick of you. ^_^

ask away.......

And in true DG fashion, members take sour grapes and turn it into a party. Well worth the $20 to watch a community in action. Nicely done folks.