#1 I’ve Been Playing Words With Friends With A 75 Year Old Great Grandma From Idaho For Over Three Years But Have Never Met Her In Person. She Sent Me The Most Amazing Wedding Gift!
The moderator, who preferred to remain anonymous, was kind enough to share with Bored Panda how they first got started helping manage the community. "I started modding on /r/gardening after I asked the [head] moderator about a post not appearing or something, and he offered me a moderator position," they opened up about how the founder of the online group got them involved further.
At the time, more than a decade ago, the subreddit was but a seedling, having around 50k members. "We've had a constant stream of great contributors, along with dedicated moderators over the years, which has served the sub well," the mod praised their colleagues and community members.
According to the moderator, the vast popularity of r/gardening is all down to the wholesome members of the online community. The mod was very humble and said that the huge number of subscribers isn't their achievement, "it's the good nature of the gardening community that makes people sub and stick around."
#2 I Was Walking In My Neighborhood And This Camellia Literally Stopped Me In My Tracks
Despite all the popularity, the subreddit chooses not to be in the limelight. "We have, by choice, never been a front-page (default) subreddit, so subs here are not accidental," the moderator explained that most of those joining the community have an active interest in gardening. "As mods, we've always had a tough but fair policy on user conduct—like all gardeners have to keep the weeds at bay from time to time."
If you're ever in need of some help, you can always make a post on r/gardening with some pictures, asking for advice. Or you can tune into the weekly 'Friendly Friday' threads with a question or two.
The ‘Gardening’ subreddit has just three simple rules that you’ll need to abide by if you want to grow into a fully-fledged member of their community. Firstly, they’re very tough when it comes to advertising and self-promotions: they won’t tolerate any of that business, so remember to stay humble. It’s not about you, or your business, it’s about the gardens, the plants, the agriculture.
#4 I Guess I Mistakenly Planted My Tomato Right Next To Where I’d Sown Some Bunny Seeds
#5 My Mouth Was Agape When I Drove Past. This Picture Doesn’t Do It Justice
I really love how they phrased their second rule: “No Trolls in the Garden.” It’s all self-explanatory. Be a decent human being. Don’t harass others. And don’t post any abusive or offensive content.
Their third and final rule is about avoiding reposts. You shouldn’t be farming karma on Reddit, you should be posting quality content for its own sake. “ If you are going to repost something, it should be for the sake of learning new things, cross-posting, or bringing up a question asked previously on this sub for advice,” the subreddit’s moderators point out that education should be at the forefront of their members’ minds, not giving their social reputation a boost.
#9 My Grandpa Built A Teepee For His Bean Plant And Planted Wildflowers On The Sides, He's Really Proud Of It And I Wanted To Share It With All Of You
The subreddit’s moderators have also done a wonderful job when it comes to sharing resources. For example, in their sidebar they’ve listed the plant hardiness zone maps for every major region in the world. Plant hardiness helps determine how well plants tolerate the coldest temperatures in each zone. It’s incredibly useful for gardeners the world over.
What’s more, the online community has links to all the other subreddits, large and small, that are related to gardening. From Reddit’s edible and indoor gardening communities to plant-specific subreddits, advice-focused groups, and ones specifically for buying, trading, and selling plants and seeds. It might sound overwhelming at first, but think of it as a library that has separate sections for everything gardening-related. Or as good friends referring to their pals for specific advice.
#15 My Grandpa Says We "Need To Get The Word Out" About How Beautiful His Crepe Myrtle Is
Some time ago, I had an in-depth chat about protecting frogs and other amphibians in our gardens with Dr. John W. Wilkinson from the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) charity in the United Kingdom. According to him, people sharing photos of critters and herpetofauna (i.e. reptiles and amphibians) online can encourage others to care more about them.
"It’s great to see photos of frogs in people’s gardens or that they’ve seen on a walk. We know this often creates a deeper interest in amphibians and their conservation and we love to see them—so long as the animals aren’t disturbed too much of course!" Dr. Wilkinson told Bored Panda.
