begin the New Year always mean taking a look back on the web log , find out what worked , why it worked , then make changes and lay goals free-base on those finding . As a blogger , I need to learn what you like to read and share . I want you to relate , linger , like , comment , engage , come back to , and feel invigorate by my content . If you did any or all of these things in the last class , then I consider that spot to be a success .
When a place becomes a succeeder , it not only validate why I love to do what I do , it help support the little business organization that is this blog . I never reckon Garden Betty would become the online brand and resourcefulness that it is now , and making it desirable of your visit is a high priority — because the longer you stay on my site and the more you portion out my posts , the well the site does in terms of page stamp and ad views .
Most Popular Posts of 2017
10.Introducing My 10 - Month - Old Baby to Snowboarding
Whoa , look at that little nugget ! Though this was only a yr ago , it feel like moons because Gemma is now a running , climb , bounce , babble tot who will be starting her 2nd season on her snowboard before long ( ! ! ) and I amsoexcited to get out in the snowfall with her . ( Assuming fundamental Oregon will get some snow this winter … )
What this says about my readership : I ’d like to call back my readers simply could n’t resist that turgid ball of cuteness , but really , I think it just spoke to the inner nestling and explorer in all of us . Most of us are n’t favourable enough to start a variation that early in life ( I did n’t see to snowboard until my mid XX ! ) , but it ’s a sweet reminder that we all have to start somewhere , even if it seems bad or crazy .
I ’ve also found through various view and analytics that a lot of readers are much like me : people with an interest in gardening , homesteading , or live on the slow life , and who also love the open , whether they ’re campers , hikers , or snowboarders . And later on , a lot of those readers have grown with me and start up their own families , and want to innovate their kids to their passions in a fun , safe , and supportive way .
9.Easy Peasy Homemade Tomato Sauce ( No Peeling Required )
In this post , I write about my tried - and - true method for homemade tomato sauce , minus all the work of blanching and peel . For people with a glut of love apple in their garden last summer , it meant they did n’t have to slave over the sink for hours on end or face a basketball hoop full of rotting yield they could n’t employ up in time .
Preserving has always been a pop subject on this blog , and this was no exception , especially with the ease and stop number of such a method . While certain saving technique expect some science or time , this one needed no tedious prep or stewing piddle tub . You like take shortcut in the kitchen without sacrifice quality , and I hope to institute more of these tips and trick to you .
8.Make Your Own Insecticidal Soap for Natural Pest Control
This wintertime was the first time I ’ve had to work my plant indoors , and doing so meant I faced something I ’ve never had before : houseplant pests . Because the plants are currently residing in our bedroom , and they ’re all plants we trust to eat at some percentage point , find a natural and non - toxic method for battle those pests was top of the list . gratefully , one of the best solutions is one that can be made at home , often with two factor you already have around !
Why this ranked as a top military post : Organic gardening method are one of the main reasons hoi polloi turn to my blog , especially people who are n’t regular lector and just happen to find my web site organically on Google . I ’ve had a new serial publication in the works that focuses on organic pest control methods , and this year I ’ll finally end up the first few mail service so you have a true imagination this amount growing season . Stay tune .
7.How to back up a Healthy Backyard Flock Integration
When our Barred Rock , Kimora , died last spring , we knew we need to add a few more flock members to keep our last remaining Gallus gallus ( of theoriginal Three Amigas ) in estimable caller . This post explained how to mix new hens into an existing flock while keep everyone secure , levelheaded , and happy .
It was one of my most pop chicken posts because it incorporate literal - life methods for handle a small backyard flock ( specially one in a suburban neighbourhood where you have to wreak with what you ’ve get , space - wise ) . There will be plenty more chicken mental object come your direction this yr , now that we ’ve extirpate the little girl and moved them to Oregon where temperatures have dip into the teen at night ! ( Poor SoCal poulet … )
I ’ll be giving a enlistment of my new cage , sharing what we ’re doing to keep them warm in wintertime , and how we ’re keeping them well fed without a garden at the moment .
6.Planting Milkweed for the Monarchs
What ’s the deal with milkweed ? And why are monarch butterflies in trouble ? This station delved into detail about these beautiful pollinator and how you may help save them while beautifying your garden at the same clip .
The response is a resonating yes , and this post was not only educational and full of lovely picture taking , it linked several sources for milkweed seed and milkweed plant life , making it useful year - rhythm ( which is what we reach for from a blogger ’s position ) .
5.Defending the Dandelion : It ’s Not Just Another Weed
In this postal service , I dedicate reasons for why the dandelion is sometimes misunderstood as a weed . The truth of the matter is , it ’s one of the most good industrial plant you may have in your garden and the integral plant , from root to peak , is eatable — for you as well as the wildlife it supports .
I opine this is a pop post because it goes against what mainstream society tells us to do or tells us is “ correct . ” I finger like gardening is a manakin of resistance , and no matter which side of the political spectrum you fall on , we can all agree that grow our own food , working toward self - sufficiency , and taking care of ourselves and our families are all full things .
4.Simple Spice Drawer Organization
If one of your New Year ’s resoluteness is to tackle that mussy spice locker but you do n’t know where to start , you ’re in chance . I shared my own organizational system that ’s easy to retroflex , works exceedingly well , and looks beautiful to bang .
Thanks to societal media , this post really shoot off last month when I first post it and it go on to do well all over Pinterest . masses just know a good elementary DIY , and in fact , mymagnetic spice rack tutorial(from my last kitchen ) still range highly on the blog .
3.Checklist for Your Spring Garden Tune - Up
This situation put down the base for a successful growing season with tips and reminders for the task you should start in March , no matter what climate geographical zone you ’re gardening in ( as none of the job involve come starting or planting ) . I lie with it ’s only January but it ’s still deserving a peek if you ’re already dream of tomato plant transplant !
These general how - to posts do really well because they go for to everybody , not just the unity who are interested in special technique likesoil solarizationoraerated compost tea brewing .
I ’ve tilt toward more advanced tutorials in recent class since it was the counsel I was go in my own gardening , but the site has gotten a surge of Modern nurseryman as well and I think many of us could utilize a refresher course when it get to our turn . I ’ll endeavor to let in more of these eccentric of posts in future content while continue to partake the little - know nuggets of selective information I love to dig up in my research and practice .
2.Leggy Seedlings : What Causes Them and How to Correct Them
At one breaker point or another , we ’ve all encountered long , skinny seedlings ( specially if they were bulge indoors ) . This post offer some potential causes for a common job , and help for how to ready it and how to forestall it from happen again .
This post topic was consistently searched for and clicked on all year long . You come here for answers , and answers are what I shoot for to bring home the bacon in the most concise yet descriptive , research - drive yet actual populace experience - based , visually stimulant way possible . This is the kind of stuff that gets me all giddy and geeked out and I ’m so happy to know that it ’s a large part of why you ’re here .
And the # 1 post of 2017 was …
1.Video : My Spring 2017 Garden Tour
look back on my older garden in Southern California makes me miss it big time … especially right now when we have n’t set anything up for winter . ( And honestly , we ’re still a couple eld aside from having a “ existent ” garden again . We want to wait until we move into our next mansion before we build a permanent garden expand with fruit Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and a food for thought forest full of in - ground plants … sigh . )
It ’s no closed book as to why this mail vibrate so well with all of you . There ’s an inherent voyeurism in seeing the real - biography suburban homestead of someone you trace , and get ’s face it , garden tours are just plain merriment and fascinating . Will and I are working on a dissimilar variety of duty tour this year that will give you a better view of what we ’re doing on our current property ( more on that below ) , so you will definitely be seeing more mail like this .
There were other posts that consistently ranked high on my web log ( through constituent searches and societal shares ) and some of them range even higher than last twelvemonth ’s crop of top 10 mail . With the elision of # 8 , these are all older posts that still have staying power , and because of that , I ’m going to revisit some of them this class , update the images , and republish them as current content .
The reason for this is twofold : One , it ’ll bring these older posts up to date with with child images and good photography . ( I ’ll be honest , I sometimes crawl when I look back on my early body of work but I roll in the hay the information itself is still near , so I give the situation as is . But blind sizes are higher declaration now , my current blog theme affirm bombastic dimensions , and I always want this site to speculate my best work , so the most extremely traffic station will start being updated as demand . )
And two , I feel these archived posts are exceedingly useful but newer readers may not know that they exist . So , I desire to start fetch these posts back at well-timed minute throughout the class — which might help you out as well , if you ’ve forget whether I ’ve write about something before .
Most Popular Posts Overall
Highlights for Garden Betty
Last year ’s personal and professional highlights were master by three major outcome that fix my flight on a wild , amazing , whoa - this - is - my - life path : Gemma turning one(I just reread that post and can not belieeeve how little she was now that she ’s nearing two ! ) , therelease ofThe New Camp Cookbook(you could show about themaking of the cover shot , myfirst cooking demo and Koran sign language at ALA , and myrecent daily round - up of notable press ) , and ourfamily ’s move to Central Oregon(which let in hauling all our poulet and a good number of our plant with us ) .
I ’m beyond grateful to the media outlets that believed in my work and interviewed me for their magazines , newspaper , and sites last year : Zoom - Zoom Magazine(where I was featured as an jock pushing the boundaries of urban sports in California),Los Angeles Times , Travel Channel , DIY internet , andKCET .
I ’ve also been in talks with my publisher about write a third book , but do n’t have anymore details until we sign the deal . It ’s an opportunity I ’m grateful to have because of your go on musical accompaniment for my book — and please do n’t forget about my first form of address , The CSA Cookbook , as spring approaches ! It ’s a marvelous resourcefulness for people who rise their own food or shop at farmers ’ markets , not just those with CSA memberships . ( What is CSA , you expect ? )
What’s to Come
For the past few years that I ’ve been doing these round - ups , every class has top the last . ( See2016,2015,2014,2013 , and2012 . Crazy , proper ? ! ) And then I always wonder — will this make out yr be just as good ? Even better ? How can that be potential ?
blab about pressure as I begin planning for 2018 !
If you follow me on Instagram , you may have seenthis post with a sneak peekof an experimental passive solar nursery that Will and I ( mostly Will ) are building in our backyard . We ’ve set about great feedback from people who are emotional to see it take human body in the upcoming year , so we ’re excited to share all that we ’ve learned and follow up — the good , the uncollectible , and the ugly . Stay tuned for more on that , here on the web log and perhaps on a forthcoming YouTube channel .
Also on Instagram , I just start an challenging 365 - mean solar day project that ’s astonishingly harder than it fathom . Every day for 365 days , I ’ll be sharing a fresh figure of speech from our life at home and on the road . Hopefully , by this time next year , I wo n’t have missed any days !
Speaking of on the road … I agnise while analyzing my archive that adventure - focused mental object was sorely lacking last twelvemonth . And it was n’t for the lack of adventures — we went on plenty — but with thepassing of our young pug-dog , a script discharge , a big move , and a groundless toddler in the mixing , it was a relatively light twelvemonth blogging - wise .
I ’m planning to bring those back to the web log , starting with the many adventures we took in California before we act . together with , I opine those will be a great love letter to an awe - exalt state that has my heart , even though we ’re firmly and blithely engraft in Oregon now . I have so much I still want to apportion from past route trips in other states too , and I hope you ’ll enjoy a little armchair journey this year as I run my way through M of exposure . ( My new NAS drive just arrived today , so that should be a fun weekend project to organize and transplant all my files over … not . )
A lot of my blog posts halt from your approximation or question , and I ’m always assailable to requests . As I start to determine the next class of content … Tell me , is there anything you ’d like to see , read , or learn about here ?
Happy 2018 , everyone !
