Not so fast.  Did you really think I would just announce the winner of the garden tools/seed embedded products giveaway without some sort of build up?  If all of these home/garden/fashion makeover shows can drag on for an hour until the big reveal, I’m sure I can come up with a few hundred words.

Actually, I want to thank everyone who participated by adding their advice.  That was, after all,  the goal of the giveway — the chance to plant a seed and hope that it would germinate, take root, and grow.  Thanks to all of you, there is now a garden of information.

Some of the best gardening advice was instructional: “I ‘plant’ a milk jug beside each tomato plant.  Each jug has three small holes in the bottom side, aiming at the tomato plant’s roots.  Each jug is filled with water every day – at any time of day – to let the water seep in at the root zone.  Keep the caps to keep bugs and debris out of the jugs, but don’t screw them down tight, or you’ll stop the flow of water.” Cindyricksgers

Some was generational: “My Grandad  used to say plants want to grow.  We just need to listen to them!” PJ Girl

Some was spiritual: “If you want to find God, have a garden.  You can dig for him there.” Bridget of Arigna Gardener

Some was poetic: “Plant ‘em high, they’ll never die; Plant ‘em low, they’ll never grow.” Mario of Hortus 5

Some was playful: “Keep on top of the weeds; don’t let them get on top of you.”  Char of Joy in the Moments

Some was alarming: “Never, ever use Round Up anywhere near roses.  They react very oddly to it, even if it’s not used on their foliage but near a weed that their roots come into contact with.”  Holley of Roses and Other Gardening Joys

And some was just common sense: “”Simply take time out to enjoy the garden.”  Alistair of Aberdeen Gardening — From Bonnie Scotland

I was also impressed with the number of you who reached out to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Man links to Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr.  (By the way, I’m also on Twitter if you’re into that sort of thing.  This is all part my social media experiment to be reviewed in the future.)

Now for the selection of a winner.

All of your names were placed in the Head Gardener hat. I asked for this hat several years ago – and the hat has remained in my closet ever since.  I don’t really have a head for hats – especially not the shape of this one.  It’s not exactly a baseball hat, more like a trucker hat.  It sits high on the head, and each time I wear it, I feel like I’m being buried alive.  Inevitably, I rip it off my head, throw it back into the closet, and then massage my scalp and muss up my hair.

Fortunately, it has now found its use.

Drum roll please.

And the winner is . . .

This is so exciting . . .

 Congratulations!  One of the best things about this giveaway process, in addition to the wisdom of regular and new readers, is that I was able to discover a new-to-me gardening blog.  Plant Hoarder, who is self-described as “an ordinary obsessed gardener trying to make a few flowers and vegetable grow in weed, bug, and blight filled world,” is filed with practical advice and photos.  I especially like the photos of plants dusted with sugary frost.

So, thank you all again for helping to make my one-year anniversary not only informative, but lots of fun.