First, I should tell you that this award was bestowed upon me by the thoughtful Belmont Rooster, whose blog I follow and really enjoy reading. Thank you so much, Lonnie!

Here is what I found out about the Liebster Blog Award:

“The origins of the Liebster Blog award are somewhat unclear but the general consensus is that it originated in Germany, Liebster meaning favourite or dearest, to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Upon accepting the award the recipient must then pass it on to five more blogs of note.”

Here are the “rules” of the award (the “rules” are somewhat unclear too and somewhat flexible, it seems):

• Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
• Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
• Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
• Nominate the Liebster Blog Award to blogs who you feel deserve to be noticed.

Here are my nominations:

oneTree365                             http://onetree365.com/

Garden Variety News            http://gardenvarietynews.wordpress.com/

Growing Fruit & Veggies      http://growingfruitandveggies.com/

As I have been going such a short time these are the ones that have caught my attention so far.

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As part of my nomination The Belmont Rooster posed me 10 questions.  This is a common part of the Liebster Award process and is a way of bloggers sharing information.  The questions and my answers follow below.

1) Why did you start blogging?

When I ran a restaurant I met a lot of food writers and critics. One of them, who writes for a national newspaper, emailed asking if I would like to follow her on Twitter. To follow her I needed to set up a Twitter account and give myself a name. I came up with sweetbabyveg because I love growing them. Then, I thought, what on earth am I going to ‘Tweet’ about?? So I started the blog.

2) What do you like the most about blogging?

I have been so happy since I started sweetbabyveg. I am a creative person who is always busy, busy, busy. I am gardening, cooking and taking photos all the time anyway. Having the blog gives focus to my activities.

3) What inspires you to continue blogging?

Everyday there are so many wonderful things happening in the garden. I LOVE seasonal produce. There is always a new seedling germinating, a vegetable ready to pick. I also was a watercolourist for many years and I am always wanting to capture the beauty of the natural world and share it. Blogging is the most perfect way to express myself in a creative sense. I achieve great happiness by continuing and the rewards are sharing other people’s creativity.

4) What is your favorite time of the year?

I love May. In England everything in the garden starts to burst into life in May. And it all happens so fast, I always want to slow it down so that I can savour every second.

5) What do you look for when deciding to follow a blog?

I think I want to feel that the blogger has a heart and soul connection to their subject.

6) When deciding to start a blog, what made you choose WordPress?

I fell in love with the theme I chose which had a vintage feel to it and I thought it would be a good starting point to help me express who I am and what I wanted to say.

7) How important is it to you for other bloggers to make comments and “Like” your blog?

It is really good to get feedback. It’s so good to feel that what I have said might just have resonated with someone else. The ‘likes’ are really nice, but a comment is even better.

8) How important is it to you to gain more followers?

I will be happy with however many followers I get. I did not expect to get any, so anything is a bonus! I am totally, totally thrilled when I discover I have a new follower, comment or like. It means that someone else there shares in my passion for nature and life. Amazing!

9) What do you hope other bloggers to gain from your blog?

I would be so happy if just a few more people, say, planted a packet of seeds, or baked some bread for the first time. I know from experience that people are often  held back from doing things that could make them so happy if they just tried. Everyone is a beginner at something and no one is an expert, we are all learning together.

10) Thank goodness this is the last one! Do you think these questions are dumb?

I tend to act on impulse and get carried away with the excitement of the moment. I think taking time to sit down and think about what I have created with my blog and why has been a really cathartic experience. I really love my Blog, it helps me to express who I am and connects me with some wonderful people around the world who are also keen to share their passions and skills. I LOVE IT!