Garden Solutions was a publication sponsored by a group of mail-order companies selling products to gardeners. The mission of the publication was to promote the products of the sponsoring companies, but to do so in the context of providing useful information to gardeners of flowers and vegetables. (These are treated as different constituencies by most publications.)
“Useful information” took a variety of forms. Every issue included strategic overviews of topics like extending the season in the vegetable garden or building raised beds, which is something both those with vegetable gardens and those with flower gardens might benefit from.
In addition to these more traditional features, I developed a monthly feature called “One Problem, Five Solutions,” in which I’d present a particular problem or situation and suggest a different strategies for dealing with it. The first installment recommended ways to hide an air conditioner.
Finally, we also provided promotional material about specific products offered by our sponsoring companies; again, we presented these in ways that would be most helpful to our readers. This piece comparing the relative safety of pesticides is typical.
Judy Weightman, Editor 