National Home Gardening Club

About the National Home Gardening Club

The National Home Gardening Club is a membership organization devoted to all things plant-related. Members receive six issues a year of Gardening How-To magazine, a collection of articles, tips and reader reviews.

Membership also includes access to the club website, which includes even more features, tips, and a forum for members. It also includes access to many articles on topics such as annuals, bulbs, weeds, landscaping, roses and how-to projects. Nonmembers can view many of the articles, but only registered members have access to the forums.

Product Testing

One of the most valuable features for members is the product-testing program, which gives users a chance to evaluate different gardening products and keep them after they've sent in their review. Products might range from seeds to hand tools and pesticides to hedge trimmers.

This member benefit can be quite lucrative, depending on the freebie you get. Members must sign up separately to become product testers, and it can take up to six months to get a product to review. Most of the time they try to limit product profiles to one per person per year, and you have to sign up again each time you receive a new product.

Deals and Contests

The club also has a deals and discounts section for members where they can buy garden equipment at a discount. There is usually a featured product, a limited number of which is available, as well as discounts from partner companies.

These items can't be viewed or purchased by non-members, so you really are getting an exclusive deal by taking advantage of them.

Life Membership

Becoming a life member of the National Home Gardening Club provides people with even more benefits, including a refund of all prior dues paid, a lifetime subscription to the magazine and life member card, as well as life member stationery seals.

You'll receive a life member key ring, blanket and gardening gloves, as well as a set of gardening tools. Members also get a directory of public gardens, so they can indulge in their love of plants wherever they travel.

Life members also get lifetime product testing eligibility, meaning you don't have to keep signing yourself up each time you've received a product to test. The club estimates this perk alone is worth about $350 over the life of a member (that's the value of the merchandise they'll be sent to evaluate).

Membership Costs

As of this writing, membership in the club costs a dollar a month, or $12 a year. A life membership is $250 and can be paid in monthly installments. They refund any dues you have already paid, so if you've been a member for a couple of years before you decide to become a life member, it will actually cost a little less.

Is it Worth it?

If you're thinking about joining the National Home Gardening Club, go ahead and do it. The price is reasonable for the benefits, and if you remember to sign yourself up for the product panel you might even get a nice free tool out of the deal.

If you're still on the fence, take a look around the website. You can get a lot of information for free, and it will let you see if the articles are providing information you can use. On the website you will also see a link that will get you a free trial issue of the magazine and a month trial membership, which will let you visit the forums and see the exclusive member information.

This should give you a good idea of whether the club is going to be beneficial to you. If you don't like the club after the trial, you can cancel your membership without payment.

These online gardening clubs are a fun way to connect with other gardeners and learn more about the hobby you love.