Today was the last day for the staff here at Growing Edge. Editor Jenie Skoy and Graphic Designer Jimmy Murray just walked out the door as my employees for the last time. Literally my eyes teared up. It is not a good feeling to have to tell your staff the gig is up. To be honest with you; it feels shitty.
I first started publishing on paper with another publication almost 29 years to the day. After almost 20 years of publishing The Growing Edge, I decided earlier this week to no longer print The Growing Edge anymore. Advertisers were flocking to competing magazines because they said The Growing Edge was not “edgy” enough or that TGE was “old and stodgy.” Adding to that problem: all the costs associated with printing on paper have skyrocketed the past few years. Those are just two of many reasons why I pulled the plug on life support of The Growing Edge.
As I decompress from this major change in my life I may expound on some of the other reasons. Right now I don’t want to.
Someone once said a business is like the owner’s child. I feel like I just did assisted suicide on my child. Yet, it is a relief; a thousand pound weight lifted off of my shoulders.
I am exploring other options regarding the Growing Edge web site. There is a good chance The Growing Edge will reincarnate and become a web publication with fresh content on the web; but I have to take some time to decompress and figure things out.
To the loyal subscribers of The Growing Edge, stay tuned because you will be getting a letter sometime in February with options. The remaining issues left on subscriptions will be prorated for a credit towards back issues and books we offer. I am not going to stiff you. My reputation backs me up on that. Just give me some time to figure things out. I promise.
To everyone associated with the print edition of The Growing Edge; writers, advertisers and readers, I thank you for the loyalty and trust you put into The Growing Edge and me. I hope I didn’t let you down.
Tom Alexander, Ex-Publisher
The Growing Edge
Updated By Tom Alexander
Over the years, The Growing Edge magazine has been a friend of hydroponic manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers, helping them to showcase their products to growers and providing a critical network, connecting them to those in need of their products.
The number of people who have told me they were inspired to start a hydroponic vegetable growing operation by what they read in The Growing Edge are too numerous to count.
For many years, this magazine was produced as a ‘labor of love’ by me. I cared about the industry enough to keep publishing the magazine even when it was financially difficult for me. For many of the past years I have subsidized the magazine by not taking a salary with the hope of investing and infusing some capital into it, it could continue being published.
I had hoped that some advertisers — who jumped ship to join other newer competing magazines under the false assumption that Growing Edge’s ad rates were inflated or who complained that the Growing Edge was not “winking and nodding” enough about illegal crops — would have recognized the sacrifices that I and others in the industry had made to keep a legitimate hydroponic growing magazine around. But it was not to be. Newer hydroponic manufacturers and suppliers felt The Growing Edge was old and stodgy and not “edgy” enough to attract the younger demographics that their products are targeted to.
I was hoping to publish one more issue to celebrate 20 years of publishing The Growing Edge. It is a very sad announcement but the current issue, Jan/Feb 2009, will be the final issue in print.
It feels like I have done an assisted suicide on my child. I feel really sad and am grieving at the death of the print edition of Growing Edge, yet at the same time, it is sort of a strange relief.
I would like to thank the contributors and our loyal advertisers, some who have been with me from the start, for helping make Growing Edge the best hydroponic magazine out there. It is going to be difficult for the four competing magazines to ever beat the quality of content that Growing Edge has put out in the past 20 years.
Additionally, The Growing Edge web site will now become not only a place to find cutting edge information on hydroponics but also about sustainable soil, aerated compost tea, greenhouses; genetically modified plants; anything and everything related to growing plants in soil or soilless. It will become the gardening news portal/news aggregator that will guide you to all the cutting edge gardening news on the web, along with some original content. Visit soon and visit often because the news and news links will change — daily if not more often.
The Growing Edge subscribers will be receiving a letter at the end of February explaining their options. I am not going to leave you hanging on your remaining issues of your subscription. I promise.
I have received tributes and well-wishes from contributors:
“I’m deeply saddened to see The Growing Edge go, it is still my very favorite magazine about hydroponics and I’ve never seen one to match it so I expect the industry is losing a great resource too.” –Ray Schneider, The Growing Edge contributor, hydroponic gardener
“This is going to be a loss to the industry as many people have enjoyed reading the “Growing Edge” over the years.”– Howard Resh, The Growing Edge contributor international hydroponic expert, author
“For over two decades The Growing Edge magazine has been the accepted leader in providing the latest high-tech gardening information to it’s readers world-wide. It is very sad to see such a highly respected publication come to an end.” –Ron Kleinman, hydroponic gardener, videographer
“‘Truth is beauty and beauty is truth’- Tom has always been true to his clients and his readers by providing a quality publication and the integrity to back it up. In being true to himself, he has made a significant contribution to the industry. I salute him for his accomplishments and I know that he will continue to apply that same zeal and dedication to his other passions.”
– Boris Del Mar Principal /Sipco Industries Ltd.
“We want to wish you all best of luck with all you do – as the opening line of that great song goes: who knows what tomorrow brings – lets hope it is both exciting and rewarding!” –Rob Smith, The Growing Edge contributor, columnist and author
I will continue to sell back issues of GE, books and dvds online on our web site. To search for past articles by topic, order from almost 20 years of back issues and select from over 50 books by visiting our store here
Hydroponics Dictionary
