505: What It’s Like to Publish an Online Gardening Magazine With Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine [Main T4C Episode]

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Kathy Jentz is a life-long gardener who turned her hobby into a profession. She is the editor, publisher and founder of the Washington Gardener Magazine based in the Washington, D.C. area. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a journalism degree, Kathy started her career writing columns and heading media projects for local and national associations, including a national education association where she worked for 13 years. Realizing she wanted to branch out and be her own boss, Kathy started the Washington Gardener Magazine in 2005, making this year the magazine’s 15th anniversary! Along with the many duties she has for her magazine, Kathy also is the president of the Silver Spring Garden Club in Maryland as well as the green media columnist for the Mid-Atlantic Grower Newspaper and finally, her work has also been featured in multiple other publications including the Takoma Voice and Pathways Magazine. Not only is Kathy an avid writer, she also gives presentations about horticulture news and helpful gardening tips to groups and organizations.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:

• What hats Kathy wears with her magazine and side hustles including the Silver Spring Garden Club, her gardening coaching and her new podcast (4:27)
• What it’s like to publish a monthly magazine and transition from print to digital (6:49)
• How Kathy makes money in this industry through subscriptions and ads, as well as giving speeches to groups (11:04)
• How her love for gardening blossomed from rural farms to garden gnomes! (11:43)
• Where the idea for Washington Gardener Magazine came from (14:09)
• Who are the “home gardeners” in the U.S? (16:59)
• What is a victory garden and why people are interested in them during the COVID-19 pandemic (19:33)
• How to start your own container garden (21:10)
• Why gardening is an enriching hobby (24:58)
• How Kathy found and broke into working for associations, specifically working for the Education Market Association (28:26)
• What challenges Kathy has faced, specifically while working for an association (31:55)
• What advice Kathy would give herself if she could go back to college (35:35)
• If you’re interested in booking Kathy to speak for you or a group, you can contact her through the Washington Gardener Magazine, LinkedIn or Great Garden Speakers (37:17)