Coffee is good!

I think the theme of this blog post is that coffee is good in all its forms. However let me start with real coffee shared with friends. You may already have listened to the first episode of this new series which is called Constance and the 9/11 Daffodils. It’s a very beautiful plant story and I have just met and had coffee with Constance for the first time.

Constance Casey and me in my neighbours garden

I came across Constance’s story, of being a part of the team who planted a million daffodil bulbs around New York after 9/11, by a series of coincidences. Constance, who is American has been friends with my neighbour Sue for the past 51 years. Sue, knowing I love plants, shared a book with me that Constance had written. In it I found the reference to the 9/11 daffodils, a gift from a Dutch bulb grower. The gift was his response to the horror of the attack on the Twin Towers.

Over coffee, we chatted about all things plants and Constance’s current fascination with compost. Constance, a journalist by training, spent a few years working for the New York Parks department. She was responsible for 6 small parks in the city. I loved her description of weaving through busy streets with a wheelbarrow! I especially love the image of her going down into the subway at the end of the day, with her large and small secateurs and a hori hori knife strapped to her belt and a wrench over her shoulder. The wrench, given by the fire department, enabled her to open the fire hydrants and hook up her hosepipe to water plants! This is the joy of a coffee and conversation with friends.

This week I was also asked about virtual coffees - the ones that I sometimes mention here and in the podcast. A long time producer friend Kate asked me ‘what is Buy Me A Coffee’? So forgive me if you are already familiar with this or have perhaps bought me these virtual coffees in the past but I thought I would take a moment to explain. The reality for most independent podcasts ie podcasts not linked to a brand or broadcaster, is that its hard to secure sponsorship for your work and make the podcast pay its way. A commercial company will want to know that the podcast has a lot, 10,000 is the number most often quoted, of ‘downloads’ ie people who are listening to the content. But there is another way for the podcaster to pay for the monthly hosting platform or editing fees which is by asking your loyal and regular listeners for a one off, online donation.

Buy me a Coffee simply takes the idea of that donation and imagines it as buying a cup of coffee for the podcaster, setting the price at £5 - which, lets face it, is not far off the price of a coffee these days! When people click on this link, they are taken to a website where they can ‘buy’ the virtual coffee but also, if they wish, leave a comment - which the podcaster sees. I like to say thank you to those who buy me a virtual coffee by giving them a shout out in a future episode and welcoming them to what I loosely call ‘the Coffee Crew’, but rest assured that does not commit you to buying me more coffee!

Whenever anyone buys me a virtual coffee I put that money back into the podcast. On a good month it has paid for those hosting and editing costs. And I have an ambition that if the podcast continues to grow, we will be able to use those virtual coffees to grow something a little more tangible but that is for another day. This month we have had almost 1000 downloads so it is growing. (970 as I write this on Thursday evening.)

If people really want to ‘invest’ in the podcast they can join ‘Plant Plugs’ on the same site and that just means that they buy me a monthly coffee at the cost of £4 a month. But that regular commitment is fabulous because it means I know that there is a regular income.

Not everyone is in the position to buy coffee but if you have enjoyed an episode, taking the time to rate it by clicking on the rating or star button on the podcast app and leaving a review is a HUGE contribution to growing the podcast. If a podcast is receiving ratings and reviews then the podcast apps like Apple and Spotify are more likely to promote Our Plant Stories to people who they can see are listening to gardening podcasts. It’s the algorithm at work.

So my conclusion is that coffee is good! And whether I am lucky enough to have coffee with you in person or a virtual coffee it will always make me smile as I think you can see in the photo. And if coffee isn’t your thing, well a review or a rating or just recommending Our Plant Stories to a friend will also make me smile!

Have a lovely weekend

Sally

x

PS if you haven’t yet listened to the Snowdrop episode with Emma Thick, do take a listen while we still have snowdrops to admire. I promise you it will change the way you look at the markings on these delicate little flowers though you may have to get on your hands and knees like a true galanthophile to admire them!