On Sunday, January 13 I attended the 11th Annual Orlando Home & Garden Show. As I drove up to the Orange County Convention Center, I was excited to see all the cars parked for this event. I hastily prepared my camera and grabbed my business cards with the intent of speaking to every vendor at the event. Ok, perhaps that was a bit too ambitious but in my head, it sounded great at the time.
My wife (Anne) had encouraged me to get out there and get the story. I was going to be incredible. I should be wearing my Mr. Incredible tea shirt (TMI).
As I began power walking my way to the two stories of stairs to enter the event, obviously this event was not for the faint of heart. I overhead gentlemen proclaim, “This was such a waste of time and money. We should have gone to a yard sale” my heart sunk thinking this is going to be a disappointment.
Once I got in my cardio from climbing the stairs, I entered the event. I have always said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
And now the interview, Anne made it look easy as she has been interviewing vendors for her existing blog Pintesting.com. Ok here we go; I will start with something simple. I walked over to a man standing at the booth. Um, excuse me, sir, I would like to interview you about your water purification system. The guy looked at me like I had a third eye on my forehead. Perhaps it was because I approached him like a leopard attacking a gazelle. I am not sure but I think I hit a new record for speed talking. I handed him my card and excused myself leaving him just looking at me puzzled why I practically ran up to him and was shouting at him about our blog. Next…
Once I calmed down I found so many vendors who could not wait to explain what they had to offer and the benefits of each product.
I spoke to a vendor at the event that just so happened to be selling Bonsai Trees. He was so helpful in teaching me the proper care for the tree.
We have some friends who recently moved to Las Vegas, in doing so they gave me a Bonsai tree that was not doing so great. It was a gift to his wife and they we sad to part with it but felt it could not handle the journey.
Another vendor was selling Tower Gardens; this really caught my interest as we this is something close to our day to day living.
“The Tower Garden is a patented general vertical hydroponic growing system, although it is at times confused to be an aeroponic system. its vertical design, the system is space and energy efficient and uses modular stackable growing pots. With an 11-pot maximum configuration, you can grow up to 44 plants per tower with 90% less space and water and in a fraction of the time compared to conventional gardening.”
You see, Anne and I are doing a plant-based diet. I quickly got the information about the towers, training classes, and a basic understanding of the operation of the tower. With that said I am a DIY kind of guy so YouTube is my friend for projects. I now have new ideas and know where to get my supplies.
Another benefit of these types of events is the deals you can walk away with. I purchased a ceramic cooking pan from the Smart Living vendor for a fraction of the cost. The ceramic interior of these pans promotes healthy cooking by lessening the needed fats and oils. This is great for sautéing vegetables.
Sometimes you get to meet what I call the unsung heroes of our environment. I met a representative of Greener Solutions who delivers organic based products that solve a variety of issues associated with the soil, agricultural, horticultural and aquatic wholesale market in order to create a healthier environment, increase crop yields, and build a greater tomorrow. They are involved in one of Florida’s greatest challenges and stop red tide by helping bring back the Florida Everglades eliminating harmful pesticides and fertilizers.
I guess the biggest takeaway one could get from this event would be, if you need it, you can buy it or make it. But without this event, you may never have that one great idea that could change your yard or even your health. I would recommend to anyone looking for some great ideas on lawn and garden products or learning about this great state and environment do not to miss next year’s event. You can find some great people that want to truly help.
We have some friends who recently moved to Las Vegas, in doing so they gave me a Bonsai tree that was not doing so great. It was a gift to his wife and they we sad to part with it but felt it could not handle the journey. I spoke to a vendor at the event that just so happened to be selling Bonsai Trees. He was so helpful in teaching me the proper care for the tree.
Another vendor was selling Tower Gardens; this really caught my interest as we this is something close to our day to day living.
“The Tower Garden is a patented general vertical hydroponic growing system, although it is at times confused to be an aeroponic system. its vertical design, the system is space and energy efficient and uses modular stackable growing pots. With an 11-pot maximum configuration, you can grow up to 44 plants per tower with 90% less space and water and in a fraction of the time compared to conventional gardening.”
You see, Anne and I are doing a plant-based diet. I quickly got the information about the towers, training classes, and a basic understanding of the operation of the tower. With that said I am a DIY kind of guy so YouTube is my friend for projects. I now have new ideas and know where to get my supplies.
Another benefit of these types of events is the deals you can walk away with. I purchased a ceramic cooking pan from the Smart Living vendor for a fraction of the cost. The ceramic interior of these pans promotes healthy cooking by lessening the needed fats and oils. This is great for sautéing vegetables.
Sometimes you get to meet what I call the unsung heroes of our environment. I met a representative of Greener Solutions who delivers organic based products that solve a variety of issues associated with the soil, agricultural, horticultural and aquatic wholesale market in order to create a healthier environment, increase crop yields, and build a greater tomorrow. They are involved in one of Florida’s greatest challenges and stop red tide by helping bring back the Florida Everglades eliminating harmful pesticides and fertilizers.
I guess the biggest takeaway one could get from this event would be, if you need it, you can buy it or make it. But without this event, you may never have that one great idea that could change your yard or even your health. I would recommend to anyone looking for some great ideas on lawn and garden products or learning about this great state and environment do not to miss next year’s event. You can find some great people that want to truly help.
