This is the second layer to our entry into the #sndbox Summer Camp Quest outlined here:

As I said above, we want to ensure that we’re only picking the best so we want to see how you’re thinking and because of that you will have to make an in-depth analysis of someone’s post, tell us what you would change, what you would add, your overall opinion about it. We prepared you a few Steemians from Sndbox, write about a post made by one of them, make sure your post is objective.

We all could likely use some healthy analysis on our posts. We can always learn new formatting and generally up the quality of the post & of the content. It’s also beneficial to see one’s post through another’s eyes. Today we've chosen to analyze @bearone's Black Thumb Chronicles : Perennials vs Annuals.

Analysis

What you would change

Differentiate the text sizes and indent text:

• This keeps the reader engaged and focused.
• Helps elucidate key points and highlight text features.
• Alerts when the author moves onto a new subject.

Here is an example:

As we can see, the author started off the article with excellent content, but it looks a little non-descript and the reader isn't quite sure where to draw their attention. Headers and text features like bold and italics are key for enhanced layout and a few could really make the content pop.

Add more original photos

The author has done a great job stating their point using other people's photos and diagrams, but I would really love see a few examples from their own lived experience. Examples can really be hit home when they are taken from one's own life. I would love to see how they're implementing the theories.

What you would add

• I would add a few more PROS and CONS listed for annuals and perennials. The reader could be given a slightly broader perspective around this issue. The argument is made stronger by including aspects like soil tillage, caring for microbial life, and issues surrounding nutrient flow.

• Another tidbit I would add would be short list of BEST perennial food crops (asparagus, sunchoke, chestnuts, groundnut, etc...). I would narrow the scope down and give the reader a bite-size take home. The list got rather large there and can be overwhelming for someone new to the subject.

• As stated above, I think the author needs more content of their own in the post. A lot of it is future-planning, which is great, but I think that the author relied heavily on other people's content. They compiled the post in a great way, but I would add more lived examples.

Overall opinon

• Great graphic content, helpful quotes and most of all QUALITY content! This is a great post that highlights some really crucial aspects of our food system.

• I really liked the other articles in the Black Thumb Chronicles listed at the end of the article. Great way to share resources and further investigation!

• Excellent grammar, spelling, punctuation and well-written article that wasn't too wordy or lacking detail.

• As mentioned earlier, I would've loved to see some photos or examples from the author's life. This is a future-dreaming post, which is great, but people reading also could benefit from witnessing lived experience.

• Also really loved the passion with which the author wrote. To write anything of quality, we believe it needs to come from true feeling and that the person writing is also trying to live out the life they are a proponent of. @bearone seems to be doing this and we commend them.

• All in all, I think this is a great introductory and candid article on the benefit of Perennials! We're firm believers in them as well and can 100% appreciate the author's view. Being from Indiana myself (Wren), I can certainly appreciate this aspect:

I was in the country side part of Indiana years ago and what I remember of it was pretty much a whole town just full of corn fields. Field after field of corn, EVERYWHERE. I didn't realise then that all those will need to be replanted, I do now and it just blew my mind. That means, instead of having a permanent food forest in those vast locations they have corn instead which requires so much effort. Till the land, plant the seeds, wait months for it to mature, then harvest en masse (cos who's gonna manually harvest hectares worth of corn? ) and then the cycle restarts.

We completely agree that this is a ludicrous approach to large-scale farming and that we need to shift from monocropped monocultures to diverse perennial plantings.

This was certainly an enjoyable and informative post, one that we agree with heartily.
Go give it a read! Thumbs Up!

Thanks to @bearone for being an excellent member of #sndbox and being up for a little analysis today. Happy to meet other great Homesteaders on the platform educating people!! Well done!

This is @mountainjewel's entry into the #sndbox Quest #1 hosted by @guyfawkes4-20 & @anomadsoul. We'd love to be a part of this amazing group of creators @sndbox!!!

To read our How We Became Homesteaders Post Click Here!