As we approach the closing of yet another year, I debated on whether or not I should get all deep and introspective on you, my dear readers…you know, go into all of the changes we’ve seen over the past year…talk about the challenges we faced…the goals that were crossed off the all mighty To-Do list and those that will be pushed to another time…the joy, the sadness, the many, many lessons…
But that all felt like just so much to share in a single post!
I mean really, how does one take an entire year and boil it down into 500 – 4,000 words?
Not that it can’t be done, trust me, I know…the internet is flooded with such posts right now.
But the truth is, I’m still processing 2014 and all of it’s upheaval…both personally/career wise and where our urban farm turned rural homestead adventure is concerned…and maybe writing it all out will help with the processing (no, it will help), I’m just not there yet.
Instead, I thought I’d share my top homesteading posts in 2014 🙂
These are the posts that have seen the most traffic, which means they are posts that you like the best! So, I thought, why not pull them all into one little nifty post for you that’s easy to read now or Pin for later?
14. How to Make Tomato Powder – Though this was actually written in 2013, it has struck a cord with those of you preserving your tomato bounty and looking to use the whole tomato. I had no idea it would be such a popular idea when I wrote it.
13. 100+ Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas – This post, full of other posts inspiring you to DIY your way through the holidays was a huge hit! Not that I’m really surprised since you all are truly DIYers after my own heart!
12. Backyard Chickens 101 – Chick Care – They’re cute, they’re fuzzy, they make the most adorable chirping noises ever and then they grow up, look like Dinosaurs and lay the most divine eggs you could ever ask for. What’s not to like? Poop. Maybe the poop 😉
11. The Best Potting Table (Ever)! – This post takes us all the way back to 2012 and still continues to inspire you all! Maybe it’s the awesome color, maybe it’s that we all just want a place to call our own that allows us to get our hands dirty and plan for the eventual fruit and veggie bounty? Whatever the reason, it makes me happy that my favorite piece of outdoor furniture also inspires so many!
10. The Keeping & Care of Backyard Chickens – Dating back to the end of 2013, this reflection on all of our experiences with backyard chicken keeping offers insights into lessons learned, supplies needed, and all the laughter and tears in between. If you’re looking for a lot of chicken keeping information all in one post, this will happily serve as your guide.
9. Backyard Chickens 101 – Questions to Ask Yourself Before Jumping In! – Thinking about starting your flock but haven’t taken the leap yet? This post challenges you to think about just a few details before succumbing to the fluffy butts and cute chirping noises that will be showing up in feed stores all over the place very shortly. Chicken keeping is serious business while also being highly entertaining, I just want you to feel totally prepared before diving in.
8. 4 Simple Tips to Rid Your Home of Spiders! – I sure struck a cord with this one! It seems as though no one likes spiders…especially inside…and especially the scary, poisonous ones.
7. Urban Gardening – The Basics – I loved writing this post. Talking about seasons, soil, sunshine, water, and seeds really is my favorite thing to do 🙂
6. The Benefits of Urban Farming – Hoping to inspire those who want so badly to take the leap into the world of growing their own, I was so very happy to offer a few insights into why I think urban farming is so very important for us individually, as well as for our larger communities.
5. Garlic Powder DIY – Dating all the way back to the very beginning of 2012, this super easy DIY remains one of my all time top posts. My guess is that you all must really like garlic…maybe even as much as we do 😉
4. Sowing Seeds – Inspirations, Ideas & Resources – This post is full of links to posts written by both Yours Truly and several of my favorite Homestead and Urban Farming bloggers that will help you through every step of the planning, sowing and growing your own food. There is so.much.information in this post! I love it!
3. Sowing, Growing, and Harvesting Echinacea – When I first planted Echinacea, I was so very excited about growing our very own medicinal herbs! However, I didn’t have a clue as to how to plant it so it might be successful! I did everything wrong and even pulled a few seedlings out thinking they were weeds! Ugh…I know, right?! Needless to say, I’ve done a ton of research since then and am so very happy to say that we have been growing Echinacea successfully for a few years now! So, avoid the same mistakes I made and read this post before you sow your own Echinacea seeds!
2. Homestead Hacks – What more can I say about this post than that you all are a brilliant bunch who know the benefits of working smarter instead of harder 😉
Alright, can you hardly contain yourself in your anticipation for our very Top Post of 2014? Well, here’s the thing…it’s not actually a post at all…it’s a page! Who knew? I debated on whether or not a page should count as a Top post and then decided, “Heck Yeah!” because it’s about what you like and apparently this page is it! So, without further adieu…
1. 1/8 Acre Urban Farm – This page chronicles our journey from an almost barren, city plot in an old neighborhood that we took from dirt, rocks and weed cloth to a production filled, teeming with life, urban farm over the course of just a couple of years. Yes, it was a lot of work, but man was it worth it! If you, or anyone you know, needs a little inspiration on how to transform a small piece of property into a bountiful, food producing space, this page is a great place to start.
There you have it, the most popular posts of 2014!
I have to say, I feel so incredibly blessed to have each of you as a part of our Ever Growing Farm community, whether virtually or in real life! Each and every one of you are why I show up here week after week, year after year to share pieces of our journey! Thank you so very much for being here!
Now, do tell, which is your favorite post and did it make the list? Please comment below and let me know!
And before you go (because you know how much I adore comments!), I’d love to hear what you’d like to read more about in 2015? Do you prefer the DIYs and tutorial type posts or the bit of storytelling smattered here and there? Do you miss our bees as much as we do? Want to learn more about chickens? Or maybe you’d like to take part in another local eating challenge like we did earlier this year (maybe a shorter challenge)? How about an emergency preparedness challenge of sorts? You know, just in case the shit hits the fan for whatever reason? Just want to see pictures of baby chicks or the gorgeous eggs our Ladies lay for us each day? Maybe you want more info on all aspects of veggie gardening or super easy tips on how to be “greener”/more sustainable? This is your opportunity to lay it on me, so don’t miss out!
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
‘Til next time…
xoxo,
M
