Reading council's fight for more cash to help domestic violence victims heads to Westminster

Reading Borough Council will make the plea for more cash for councils to help victims

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-councils-fight-more-cash-12807952

Snap up a castle for the same price as a Caversham three-bed

The home in Shipston-on-Stour is designed to look like an ancient castle

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/snap-up-castle-same-price-12813756

Help to Buy roadshow in Reading will offer free mortgage assessments and advice

Property exhibition will help would-be homeowners find out about government schemes to help them buy

from getreading - Property http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/property/help-buy-roadshow-reading-offer-12816422

Berkshire traffic: Delays on the M4 and congestion in Reading

Check our traffic report before you head home this evening

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/berkshire-traffic-delays-m4-congestion-12816245

15 of the most beautiful walks in Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell

Fancy getting out to stretch your legs and get some fresh air? Try one of these picturesque routes around Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/15-most-beautiful-walks-reading-9002742

Reading fire crews make plea to owner of rescued sheep

The sheep is being kept safe at Caversham Road fire station until the owner can be found

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-fire-crews-make-plea-12802918

Watch Peter Kay's Car Share in Reading plus more things to do this weekend

Looking for something to do at the weekend? Take a look at our suggested events for Friday, March 31 to Sunday, April 2

from getreading - Music & Nightlife http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/watch-peter-kays-car-share-12800816

The most read stories of the week on getreading including Reading Half Marathon and Bracknell couple's rap video

See all the stories which have been hitting the headlines on getreading

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/most-read-stories-week-getreading-12798608

Reading Family Fun Day to take a year off but is looking for a charity to support for its return

Reading Family Fun Day will not go ahead this year - but will be back for 2018

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/reading-family-fun-day-take-12796255

Reading mums and daughters who work together share the love this Mother's Day

There are lots of mums and daughters who work together in Reading

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/reading-mums-daughters-who-work-12794434

Thames Valley Hospitality Awards begins search for best in the industry

A search has begun to uncover the best service providers across Thames Valley

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/thames-valley-hospitality-awards-begins-12792697

Get FREE entry to Legoland, Chessington or Alton Towers when you shop at Hamleys

Here's all you need to know about how you can get your hands on the offer

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/free-entry-legoland-chessington-alton-12794077

The artwork company founded in Berkshire which has made over £1million in online sales

More Than Words has more than a thank you for online store NotOnTheHighStreet

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/artwork-company-founded-berkshire-made-12618548

Berkshire traffic: Slow traffic by the Mad Stad and delays on the M4

Check our traffic report before you head home this evening

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/berkshire-traffic-slow-traffic-mad-12794536

Massive fine for Thames Water, Royals' fans parking woes and school funding: Today's top stories

What you have been reading on Thursday, March 23

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/massive-fine-thames-water-royals-12789506

Berkshire traffic: fallen tree in Wokingham and Emmer Green lights cause delays

Check our traffic report before you head home this evening

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/berkshire-traffic-fallen-tree-wokingham-12788655

AWE pension row leads to further strikes

A 24-hour strike began on Thursday for AWE workers represented by Unite

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/awe-pension-row-leads-further-12784987

MPs evacuated from Parliament after reports of shooting

Prime Minister was taken from Parliament by a plain clothes police officer and other members have been evacuated

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/mps-evacuated-parliament-after-reports-12781872

The Secret Life of 4 and 5 Year Olds looking for Berkshire kids to star in next series

Here's all you need to know about how your little ones could be on the show

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/tv/secret-life-4-5-year-12760131

See inside the new Gruffalo River Ride at Chessington World of Adventures

Here's all you need to know about the new ride

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/see-inside-new-gruffalo-river-12776890

Lorry driver who caused fatal A34 crash while using phone jailed

Dariuz Tokarczyk failed to stop the broken down car occupied by 21-year-old Jodie Moss on the A34 in March last year

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/lorry-driver-who-caused-fatal-12772613

New jobs come to Reading as international medical company relocates UK headquarters

Jobs could be created for specialists in medical-technology

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/business/new-jobs-come-reading-international-12752998

My favourite new garden tools and books

Garden bloggers see alot of new garden tools and books at the beginning of the gardening year.

This year, garden tools are lighter and stronger than they’ve ever been before. I’ve been given several brands to review, but am only going to write about the ones that I really like.

There are some affiliate links to Amazon in this post. This means you can click through to buy. If you do, I may receive a small fee.

The best loppers

Wilkinson Sword sent me their Ultralight Bypass Loppers to review. They really are ultra-light – I just couldn’t believe how little they weighed. And they cut well, with a good clean cut.

I will still have to pay someone to prune larger branches on my trees properly, but these loppers have hugely expanded the amount of pruning I can do myself. Their astonishing lightness and sharp cut mean that I can reach further up or into shrubs and trees.

Very light and easy to use.

Sold as suitable for pruning up 25mm diameter branches – but I did manage to cut some slightly thicker branches with them, too.

It’s well worth checking out all the extra light varieties in new garden tools, as innovative materials have made a huge difference to how they last. I’ve only had these loppers for a few months, but they feel sturdy and hard-wearing as well as very light.

The best new garden tools – trowels

There are some very cunning new trowels on the market. There are two brands I particularly like. One is the Burgon & Ball Florabrite range of luminescent pink and yellow new garden tools. There are gloves, hand forks, hand trowels, snippers and more, all in ultra-bright colours. The idea is that you stop losing hand tools by dropping them in the vegetation – you can see them easily if you drop them.

The Burgon and Ball FloraBrite range is luminous so you can’t lose it in the garden.

Burgon & Ball tools are endorsed by the RHS – I’ve bought some and also been given some to review, and have generally found them comfortable and hard-wearing.

The other planting trowel I really like is another Wilkinson Sword product – their Hand Transplanter trowel.  It has a depth measure in inches and centimetres up the side of the blade.

It’s not that I’m particularly fussy about planting distances, but I have often planted vegetables too close together – so they haven’t been as productive as they could have been. Or I’ve left overly large gaps in borders, because I haven’t planted flowers close enough. Of course, I could find a ruler, but I tried that and lost it…this is a really sensible trowel.

The best secateurs

I have been given three different brands of secateurs to review over the past six months, but I am not going to mention any of them.

None of them were as comfortable and efficient as the Felco secateurs I bought 15 years ago. It’s not fair to give a brand a negative review, because I am not ‘Which’ or ‘Good Housekeeping.’ These aren’t tests performed in clinical conditions. I’m just an individual with an opinion. What suits me may not suit you, or vice versa.

On the other hand, I’ve found that many professional gardeners agree with me about Felco. They are more expensive than most secateurs. I’d suggest doing without something else in the garden in order to buy them.

The best garden tie

The Soft Tie Company sent me a roll of dark green soft tie to review. It’s a bit like tying your shrubs, stems and branches up with an old stocking or a pair tights ( a useful gardener’s trick). But it’s finer, and more attractive than an old stocking, which always does look as if you’d just got undressed in the garden.

Soft Tie won’t dig into your branches and stems the way wire does.

The Soft Tie is stretchy and bio-degradable. It will drop off naturally within 12-14 months and decompose naturally in the garden.

For my basic essential tool set, see 7 essential garden tools.

The best indulgent present for garden lovers

The Thoughtful Gardener, An Intelligent Approach to Garden Design by Jinny Blom is a book for the garden-lover who likes to dream. It’s not a ‘how to have a Jinny Blom garden’, but a reflective journey through the way Jinny thinks and plans.

Pick it up when you can’t sleep. Three o-clock in the morning is a wonderful time to drift through Jinny’s romantic, flower-filled gardens, frothing with cow parsley and climbing roses. It’s a Number 1 best-seller in Amazon’s garden design list, so I’m clearly not the only person who thinks this is one of the most beguiling garden books published recently.

There are some fascinating insights into how Jinny works. She is deeply rooted in the landscape, referring to the importance of understanding the geology of your garden. She advises walking around the area you live in when you’re planning your garden. And her gardens use locally sourced materials.

This is not a book for minimalist, modernist gardener, but she also stresses the importance of structure. There are straight lines to anchor the exuberant planting.

The Thoughtful Gardener also has garden plans, as well as beautiful photographs. Buy it, and wallow.

Best present for the new gardener

If you have a friend who has just moved, thus acquiring a larger garden, then your housewarming present must be The Deckchair Gardener, An Improper Gardening Manual by Anne Wareham.

When we moved here thirteen years ago, we came from a London house with a tiny courtyard garden. This house had one fifth of an acre of immaculately planted and cared-for garden. I was way out of my depth.

A book like this would have been very helpful, although Helen Yemm’s Gardening in Pyjamas got me started.

Back to The Deckchair Gardener, however. Anne Wareham de-bunks most of the monthly ‘jobs to do in the garden.’ The basic message is that you can go a long way towards creating a beautiful garden just by mulching and occasionally getting out your hedge trimmer.

Everything else should be added in because you enjoy doing it, not because you ‘have to do it.’

Stay in bed with a coffee on Sunday morning and read…

Anne herself is a very knowledgeable gardener, and has created an outstanding garden Veddw, from a field. She and her photographer husband did it on a tight budget, although Alan Titchmarsh rates it as one of his ’10 best British gardens.’

The Deckchair Gardener would also be an excellent present for anyone who threatens to move house ‘because the garden is getting too much for them.’ Or buy it for yourself if you feel like lazing in bed with a cup of coffee rather than going out and gardening. It’s a fun read.

Best investment if you’ve got an allotment

Charles Dowding has achieved hero – or even saint – status amongst vegetables gardeners. He has stopped us digging and double-digging.

Charles Dowding and Steph Haggerty at the Garden Media Day 2017

Do you want a new raised bed? Just lay the planks on top of your established lawn. Or don’t even add wooden edging – you can simply pile compost and cow manure where you want the bed to be. The worms will rot it all down.

Charles Dowding’s Vegetable Garden Diary from www.charlesdowding.co.uk is a week-by-week manual on how to grow vegetables. Charles’s own garden is ‘middlesized’, so his advice is rooted in the home gardener.

There are seasonal prompts and useful tips on when to sow seeds, how to deal with pests and harvesting tips. Note: this isn’t a diary for dates – it’s a diary you can use to record your garden growing successes and failures. I don’t think you’d use it to book in meetings and parties, but I suppose you could.

For more books, see My 10 Most Useful and Inspiring Gardening Books

Do join us every Sunday morning on The Middlesized Garden blog – leave your email in the box on the top right. Thank you!

The post My favourite new garden tools and books appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/favourite-new-garden-tools-books/

Watch: Mario Kart runners cross Reading Half Marathon finish line

The team from Reading ran the half marathon dressed as characters from Ninetendo's Mario Kart game

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/watch-mario-kart-runners-cross-12764768

Runner completes Reading Half Marathon with Deliveroo box on his back

Jamie Taylor ran the Reading Half Marathon with a Deliveroo pack on his back

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/runner-completes-reading-half-marathon-12764130

Overgrown land in Caversham transformed into nature reserve

A new wildlife haven for Caversham was the idea of a family living nearby

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/overgrown-land-caversham-transformed-nature-12759679

More than 900 Berkshire households lose power after network fault

Power cut leaves West Berkshire homes without energy

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/more-900-berkshire-households-lose-12746763

Safe beds for Reading domestic violence victims reluctantly cut

Councillors vote “with heavy-heart” to reduce the number of safe beds in Reading for women and children escaping violent partners

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/safe-beds-reading-domestic-violence-12744334

Domestic abuse victim praised for releasing shocking footage of attack

Victim wanted others to see the attack to help victims of domestic violence

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/domestic-abuse-victim-praised-releasing-12741063

Fancy a job in a Michelin star kitchen? Six jobs available in Berkshire

If you're looking for a new job why not look at these opportunities in Berkshire?

from getreading - Business http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/business/fancy-job-michelin-star-kitchen-12730163

Man hunted after he approached nine-year-old girl and said he was a 'police officer'

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following the incident in Hermitage

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/man-hunted-after-approached-nine-12731778

How much food can you grow in a small urban garden?

Could you double or treble the amount of food you grow in your small urban garden?

I visited a garden recently which packs layers of fruit, vegetables and herbs into every corner of a small plot. It has been created by Karen Sutherland of Edible Eden Design.

She also keeps chickens, quail and bees.

Although the garden is in Melbourne (Australia), which is hotter than, say, London, Boston or Glasgow, her principles will adapt to a small urban garden in any climate.

‘Gunyah’ in Melbourne, home to an incredibly productive grow-your-own garden and Edible Eden Design.

The garden is called Gunyah, and I visited it as part of the Open Gardens Victoria scheme.

But the principles of planting masses of edibles in a small space would apply wherever you live.

Use vertical spaces

Karen describes Gunyah as a ‘food forest’. ‘It has 200 or more edible and ‘useful’ plants closely layered to allow as many different species as possible.’

She is particularly interested in native and heritage plants. For example, she grows three kinds of native mint, as well as native jasmine.

The ‘top layer’ of the garden has fruit trees, such as an apricot ‘Trevatt’ which yielded a quarter of a ton of fruit over its lifetime.

Vines grow up the side of the house, and up pillars or pergolas.

Vines, such as grape vines, kiwi and Choko, also run up the side of the house, using the vertical space. When I visited during the Open Gardens day, she had ‘tasting notes’ for six different varieties of grape.

She uses the leaves and tendrils of the Choko vine in stir-fries and makes jam with the fruits.

Each zone in the garden is different

There are four distinct areas to the garden. These are the front garden, the back garden, the roof of the car port and the verge in front of the house.

The back garden at Gunyah. The middle of the garden is a big bed of perennial edibles, such as sorrel, asparagus and rhubarb. There are fruit trees near the house and at the side. And there are chicken and quail runs along two sides of the garden.

Karen used the centre of the back garden to create a large ‘perennial edibles’ bed. The centre of a small garden is likely to be the sunniest.

It’s surrounded by a brick path. The coop for quail and the chicken enclosure run along the sides of the fence, where there is more shade.

The quail lay four eggs every day. Some trees do well in pots.

Use the front garden for growing food

Karen grows olive and citrus trees in the sunny front garden. In a more temperate climate, you could grow an apple or pear tree even in the smallest front garden.

There are also herbs and pots in the front garden, as well as a sign explaining that the garden uses ‘grey water.’ This is water from the house, which has already been used for washing.

Most of the garden is watered with grey water – ie re-used from the house. In order to counter any negative effects, Karen also spreads pelletised manures and gypsum once a year.

‘Verge gardening’ can add to your small urban garden

‘Verge gardening’, sometimes referred to as a ‘nature strip,’ is a growing trend in towns where there is a strip of green between the pavement and the road. It usually belongs to the local council, so you need permission to ‘verge garden.’

There’s a ‘nature strip’ between the pavement and the road. Karen got permission to grow on it, and the community helps themselves. Leaf Amaranth is ‘particularly popular with her Greek neighbours’, she says.

In this nature strip, Karen grows pistachios, artichokes, edible weeds (such as dandelions), leafy greens, potatoes, edible flowers and some herbs. She encourages neighbours to help themselves with signs like the one below.

Almost all these, including amaranth, can easily be grown in Britain. Except perhaps the pistachios.

Instructions for picking – ‘nature strip’ gardens are shared by the community.

Don’t forget the roof

Karen has an area of flat roof over a car port. She keeps bees here. It means they ‘interact lightly with visitors to the garden and neighbours.’

Your roof is probably the sunniest part of your garden, as it will be the least likely to be shaded by trees or other buildings. Karen grows ‘sun-loving produce’ on the roof, such as strawberries, aubergines (eggplants) and tomatoes.

If you have any safe access to your roof at all, you could increase your harvests by growing pots.

And don’t forget that even a shed roof is probably more open and sunny than the rest of the garden. Many houses in Britain and North America don’t have access to a roof area in the house, but even the smallest shed roof can be a good spot for growing tomatoes or herbs in pots.

And talking of pots

There are lots of pots at Gunyah. Many of the pots in the front garden are blue to reflect the colour of the windows. Karen grows herbs, salad leaves (such as pernilla) and trees in pots, including her favourite Lemon Myrtle, which does best in a pot.

She uses its leaves as teas, or dried and ground up in a variety of dishes.

Karen tells us how to use some of the plants in her garden.

Edible and ‘useful’ plants around seating areas

There are two seating areas close to the house. There is a table for meals, surrounded by fruit trees. And there is a small terrace with a chequerboard herb pattern.

There are herbs in the squares on the terrace. To the right is a chicken pen, which runs along the side of the garden.

Fruit trees near the house shelter a table and seating area.

The motto of Edible Eden Design is ‘The time has come for a new (sub)urban garden. One that feeds us, body and soul.’ Read Karen’s blog here. Even if you live in a cold climate, there’s lots to learn.

There’s more about maximising your home-grown veg and fruit here.

I certainly came away with ideas for increasing the amount of food, herbal teas and medicinal plants I grow. So please spread the word by sharing this using the buttons below – thank you!

The post How much food can you grow in a small urban garden? appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/how-much-food-can-you-grow-in-a-small-urban-garden/

Mothers' Day in Berkshire: Afternoon teas to treat your mum to

There are plenty of places to go for afternoon tea in Berkshire - here are some of our favourites.

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/tea-two-nine-places-go-10847454

Catch up with Reading news in our headline report

These are the stories our readers have been looking at on Monday, March 6

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/catch-up-reading-news-headline-12701488

All you need to know about the new £1 coin coming into circulation

The current coin is being replaced for the first time in more than 30 years

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/you-need-know-new-1-12116336

Are you missing out? Why Facebook is important

I’ve had so many questions about why Facebook is important in the past few months.

Even those who hate social media are tentatively asking me whether I would explain a few things.

And those who have grown up with Facebook don’t necessarily understand what it can do for your blog, business, charity or hobby.

While some platforms have come and gone, Facebook powers on. One in five visits to the Internet worldwide is to Facebook.

If you write a blog, run a small business or help out a charity, understanding Facebook is a huge part of getting your message across.

The Middlesized Garden blog is mainly for amateur gardeners whose gardens are larger than a courtyard but smaller than an acre.

But I also teach/coach writers and bloggers. When I started the Middlesized Garden, I promised to share my experiences of running a blog – mistakes, figures and all. So here goes – how it works on Facebook:

Why Facebook is important – the steps

When you first type www.facebook.com and sign up, you will sign up as a person. For example, Alexandra Campbell. This is your personal Facebook Profile.

You can add a photo of yourself, say where you went to school, when your birthday is, and so on. It’s up to you as to how much to reveal. You can set privacy controls and decide who sees what.

However, Facebook rules dictate that anything remotely ‘professional’ should be run from a Facebook Page.

Recipes and b&b accommodation on the Kelly Mill Facebook Page – it has a friendly, personal feel, but this is still a Facebook Page, not a personal profile. Which is how it should be.

I should not, for example, be putting the Middlesized Garden blog posts on my Personal Profile. You should not be ‘advertising’ your business on your Facebook Personal Profile.

Those are Facebook rules. You will be put on the Naughty Step and have your Facebook presence disabled when/if they find out.

Although when you look at some people’s personal profiles, you will see this rule is often broken. At your own risk!

You need a Facebook Page for anything business-like

You can only have one personal Profile. This is necessary in order to run a Facebook Page. But you can have lots of Facebook Pages. For example, from my personal profile, Alexandra Campbell, I run four Facebook Pages.

They are The Middlesized Garden (for the blog), Faversham Open Gardens & Garden Market Day (obvious) and two others for clients. If you run a Facebook page, you’re called an Admin.

You can have more than one Admin running a Facebook Page, so I’m not the only one (phew!) on any of them.

To create a ‘Page’, you click on the little downward arrow on the top right of your Facebook Profile page. It’ll offer you lots of options, one of which is ‘Create Page.’ This comes up:

Facebook will ask you to say which category your business or hobby is in. It doesn’t offer ‘blogger’ so I chose Brand or Product, then a sub-category of Home & Garden.

The must-haves of a Facebook Page

You must have a photo. There are two places for photos at the top of the Page. It looks weird if you leave either blank. They should be photos that help explain the Page.

The Middlesized Garden Facebook Page has a photo of me, plus a ‘gardening’ photo.

A friend recently asked for some help with her Facebook page. She runs cookery holidays, so she had a lovely close-up photo of tomatoes as the main photo on her Page. But that doesn’t say ‘cookery holiday’. It could be veg growing or healthy eating.

We are so lucky in the world of gardening. Lots of heavenly photos out there. It’s a bit more difficult if you’re selling widgets.

Then the name of your Facebook Page needs to match the name of your blog, company and other social media names exactly. 

Well-known gardening and TV personality, Michael Perry, for example, used to be ‘Gardening Greek’ on Twitter. Now his Facebook Page, website, Twitter and Instagram are all Mr Plant Geek, with the Michael Perry name also very visible. It’s easy to find him, and also to understand what he does.

Mr Plant Geek’s Facebook Page is a bit different – check out the wicked vegetables (above).

Other things you need to know

You need to fill in the ‘About’, preferably without being too bafflingly self-deprecating about it. People just want to know what you do. Really. Add your website/blog link, too, everywhere that Facebook suggests it.

Facebook likes photos, pictures and videos. So whenever you want to say something, try to accompany it with a visual. Even of the garden widgets arriving on a fork lift…

I’m going to use a long word…

Now you need to know about the Facebook algorithm. The word ‘algorithm’ has most people fidgeting in their seats, but hang on in there.

When Facebook Pages first started, you clicked ‘Like’ on a Page. You would then see all the updates it posted. So if you clicked ‘Like’ on the Middlesized Garden Facebook Page, you would see everything we posted (provided you were on Facebook at the time.)

Now Facebook knows whether you’re really interested.

If you politely click ‘Like’ on a friend’s Garden Widget Company Facebook Page, but you’re not interested in Garden Widgets, Facebook will know. Spooky, isn’t it? You will never see a post from the Garden Widget Company because it will be too far down the algorithm.

On the other hand, if you really are interested in the Middlesized Garden (pretty please!), then you will see (some) Middlesized Garden Facebook posts.

So now we come to the money…

If the Garden Widget Company wants to get their posts seen by more people, it must pay. You can either pay to boost specific posts up the algorithm. Or you can pay to invite more people to Like your Page itself.

It’s cheap – you can start boosting your posts or your Page for less than £5/$5.

And it’s highly targeted. The Garden Widget Company can specify male/female, age range, geographical range and ‘interests’ when setting up the boost. It can specify that the Facebook post – or Page – be shown to men between the ages of 35 and 50, living within 50 miles of London, who are interested in garden widgets.

How you ‘boost’ your posts by paying any amount you choose. You can also choose your audience and their interests.

Facebook can often reach thousands of people who match the description.

That’s how Facebook makes its money.

However, it’s now much more difficult to get what is called ‘organic’ growth on Facebook.

Organic growth means getting people to like, follow and share your posts without your having to pay.

My embarrassing Facebook secret

I didn’t intend to pay more than £5 to promote the Middlesized Garden Facebook Page. I was just trying everything out to help understand why Facebook is important and how it worked.

But I accidentally ticked the wrong box, so the promotion kept running until I’d spent £120. Gaah!

It’s lucky Mr Middlesize doesn’t read this blog….

It did mean I got about 1,500 Likes in around four months, all interested in gardening. On Twitter or Instagram, paying for followers is pointless as they may be herdsmen on yaks in Outer Mongolia. Or even fake accounts.

On Facebook, you can be very specific as to who is invited to ‘Like’ your Page. I specify people who are interested in gardening, the NGS, Sarah Raven, the National Trust etc. Facebook will only invite real people who are interested in these things to ‘Like’ my Page.

Since the £120 mistake, I haven’t paid anything to promote the Middlesized Garden Facebook Page. In just over a year, it has grown naturally to nearly 3,000 Likes.

So I can assure you, from painful personal experience, that paying to promote your Page works. But if you’re happy with slow, free growth, that can work, too.

However, I’m not even sure that having lots of ‘Likes’ on your Page is important. The algorithm (or paying) means that some Pages with not many Likes can reach as many people as others with lots of Likes.

Do you need to pay every time you post?

You don’t have to boost all your posts. Decide what’s important to you. Even fivers can add up horribly quickly. But, as a business, a blogger – or even a charity – you need to pay. Sometimes.

One very helpful tip is only to promote successful posts. Post your latest news but see what response it gets before deciding whether to pay to boost it.

You’ll get much better value for money. And you’ll also see what people are interested in.

For example, I was fascinated by the recent Kew Gardens ‘Gardeners Guide to Medicinal Plants.’ (affiliate link – if you buy through it, I may receive a small fee.)

I reviewed it on the blog, and put the review on my Facebook Page.

I was quite surprised to find that it was ‘organically’ one of my most popular posts. So other people are as interested as I am? I have now boosted it with £5. But I don’t always.

You may be able to reallocate money spent elsewhere on promotion. Or you may decide it’s worth spending the cost of a couple of Starbucks coffees a week on promoting your posts or your Page.

But you need to pay in order to achieve your aims

Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout. It’s just taken us bloggers a while to get our heads round this.

There are ways of making the most of the free side of a Facebook Page.

The first is to put really interesting stuff on it. Facebook wants people to see things they’re interested in on Facebook.

When your latest blog post is ‘really interesting’, Facebook will see that people are reading it and sharing it. Facebook then show it to hundreds more people without your having to pay. (On the other hand, if you do pay, then Facebook will show it to thousands more…)

If you write about cats doing funny things with garden widgets, Facebook will probably show lots of people that post. But if you write ‘New consignment of garden widgets in! Buy now!’ it will sink to the bottom of Facebook’s algorithm. Only your mother will see it.

And, yes, your mother is on Facebook. Probably.

On the other hand, if your Garden Widget Page is all about cats, that won’t do your Garden Widget blog or business much good.

There is a balance to be found. Somewhere. We’re all looking…

The No 1 tip

Think about what people are interested in. What are they looking for? What really matters to them?

A Facebook Page should not be all about you (or your blog, business or charity).

On the other hand, it should be partly about you. That’s why people clicked ‘Like’. It’s interesting to see behind the scenes. So don’t be too polite and non-commercial either.

For example, we were recently trying to decide between two designs for a flyer for Faversham Open Gardens & Garden Market Day. We put both on the Page, and said we’d decided on the blue. Did people agree with us?

We put these up on our Open Gardens Facebook page to see what people thought.

This post reached over 1,500 people, got 17 likes and 14 shares. Without spending any money. It almost looks like an advertisement, yet it was one of our most popular posts.

FYI the Page itself only has 399 Likes.

Facebook groups

Joining a Facebook Group is another reason why Facebook is important.

You have to join a Facebook Group as an individual, however. Your Business Page can’t join a Group.

You can post links to your blog, work etc, depending on the rules of the Group. Groups don’t have algorithms. Everything you post will be seen by everyone who looks at the Group.

But don’t use a Facebook Group just as a dumping ground for your latest post or product.

Facebook Groups are great places to find advice and support. For example, I’m trying to improve my photography at the moment. I’ve joined two photography Groups: A Year With My Camera and Makelight.You can ask questions and get feedback on your photographs.

In the gardening Facebook world, Andrew O’Brien runs a group called Garden Bloggers, ‘helping garden bloggers reach a wider audience’. It’s a Closed Group so you have to ask to join it, but ‘all levels of garden blogging are welcome.’

Most Facebook groups are closed, which means your posts can only be seen by other members of the group. Many (not Gardenbloggers) are the support and back-up for paid courses.

And the figures are…

Likes and shares are all very well. But it’s not the answer to why Facebook is important.

Never lose sight of your real goal. Do you want more visitors to your garden? More readers for your blog? More people to buy your garden widgets?

It’s only worth spending time and money on Facebook if it helps you achieve those goals.

Facebook drives about 6,000 visits to the Middlesized Garden blog a year. That’s more than Twitter or Pinterest (around 5,000 visits each).

But it’s still a small percentage of the total visits, compared to the 150,000 visits we get every year via search engines.

More people come from Facebook than any other single source. And for the first year of the blog, social media accounted for 25% of total visits to the Middlesized Garden. This was equally divided between Facebook and Twitter.

That’s why Facebook is important to me.

So bear those figures in mind. Facebook is a time sink!

Facebook may be important to you even if you’re not on it

One of the services I offer is a ‘blog clinic.’ This is a 6 hour package.

For the first two hours, I check your blog out, look at your stats and see what your competition are doing.

Then I make recommendations and discuss improvements in the next two hour session, usually by Skype or in person.

The last two hours is for follow-up – whatever’s necessary.

So far, I’ve always found that Facebook is a major driver of traffic to any blog, even when the blogger themselves doesn’t have a Facebook Page.

It’s lovely that Facebook can drive traffic to your blog without your doing anything. But you’ll always get even more traffic if you become pro-active about it.

Always check out the competition

If you want to publicise your blog, company or charity, the first step is to see what other people are doing. Look at lots of Facebook Pages. Decide what you like or don’t like.

BBC Radio Kent Sunday Gardening Facebook Page.

All of the following have a nice mix of garden information, inspiration and fun: BBC Radio Kent Sunday Gardening, Great Dixter, NGS London (and your local NGS), The English Garden and BBC Gardeners World.

Look at your favourite companies, blogs and charities’ websites. Their Facebook Page link will be there (somewhere – often hidden away!).

And do check Faversham Open Gardens & Garden Market Day and The Middlesized Garden’s Facebook Pages Thank you!

If you’d like help with writing, blogging or finding your way through the minefield of communicating online today, contact me at alexandra@themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk. I do one-to-ones, in person or Skype.

The post Are you missing out? Why Facebook is important appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/are-you-missing-out-why-facebook-is-important/

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from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/sue-ryder-women-achievement-awards-12663169

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from getreading - New Articles http://www.getreading.co.uk/incoming/sue-ryder-women-achievement-awards-12663169

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