Welcome to GreenPrints, our garden of words.The little quarterly that focuses on why-to, not a how-to. On the inspiration behind the perspiration. On the funny … frustrating … rejoicing … reflective … peaceful … poetic … the personal sides of gardening.

We are quite glad to meet you, here at the gate of our very first issue. We’re dying for you to take a tour and see what you think. But before you start, we should probably introduce ourselves and say just a little bit about who we are.

We are Pat Stone, Susan Sides, and Franklin Sides. Two of us are married (“Hmmm, wonder which two?”). All of us are blessed with wonderful families and homes on a special mountain farm community outside Asheville, North Carolina. We love gardening. We care about the earth and our collective need to live more respectfully on it.

We are also the garden staff of Mother Earth News magazine. Susan and Franklin are the master gardeners. Pat is their (gruesomely tyrannical) editor. It’s a wonderful job, getting paid for gardening, writing about gardening, and photographing gardening. We’re grateful for it. At the same time, we also feel ready to expand and create something new, something unique. A garden of the mind. GreenPrints.

So come tour. Enjoy Reggie Spence’s humorous confession, “Living with Chickweed.” Stop a moment with “Of Bittersweet and God” to hear pastor Donna Schaper reveal why she feels closer to God in her garden than in her pulpit. Take in “My Father’s Hoe,” a personal comparison of two prized family heirlooms: a rifle and a hoe. Watch Geoffrey Charlesworth get so carried away he forgets what he’s planting … a fifth-century Chinese gardener reflects about retirement … and Max Coots compares his friends to eggplants and cabbages.

Take all the time you wish. Leave your own chores behind (just for a while, it’s all right), relax, and do some armchair gardening.