Building the Chicken Palace - Last round

 Here is the coop finish work coming together.  The darker blue is the chicken door hatch.  Still not in completion but making progress.  Below is the front of the coop all trimmed out but still needing paint.  Below is the human door side with the big door in and the window open for ventilation.  Still need to build a couple of steps up and add handles to the windows in these photos.

Left are the girls and handsome Amelio in the upper left of the grassy photo.  This was the chickens first introduction to their feeding container.  Below are the girls checking out their new roosts, feeder and waterer.  I had the waterer suspended but decided to put in up on cinder blocks still attached to the ceiling to keep them from shaking all the water out or tipping it over.  I still need to work up a process for keeping the water warm in the winter but I have a couple of ideas to try.

 
Here is the storage area loaded up with supplies for the coop.  I still haven't trimmed out this side but might get it done one of these days.

The last two pictures are the 

chicken yard.  I have buried the fencing 12" under ground to try to keep the raccoons and coyotes out of the coop.  I still have a little more painting to do on the chicken yard but it's getting there.  Need a little warm dry weekend and we may be out of those for the season.  The yard has a bunch of roosts for them to check out and a dirt floor for digging.


I also installed a floor mat split in half over the coop door so they can get in and out to cut down the wind from blowing in.  I'd like to eventually get a solar door opener and closer to shut the hatch instead but this will have to work for now.  

Now if I can only get the darn tiny brained birds to push through the flap to get in and out.  Well still a work in progress.  The tire on the ground will soon be a chicken bath with sand and dirt mixed together in their yard.  Always more to be done but never enough time or help to get it finished.  In the meantime we are enjoying the eggs and often have some extra so just let me know if you are in need of any.  Thanks for reading our adventures.

Adventure in Gardening - Post #2 War Against Nature

Before Fences

The day after my kids and I planted the first set of starts in the garden we had a cold snap.  It was windy and the temperatures went down into the high 30s.  Needless to say about a quarter of my starts did not make it through the week.  The other issue I had the first week was a big ol bunny.  We got a fence up around the lower garden but did not get one up on the raised beds and this bunny was snacking well.

So I made a trip to Lowes for a bit more fencing to protect the gardens from scavengers.  I've never had a bunny problem in the past.  I guess my dogs are getting too old.  :)  In the fading hours of the night I got the fences up around the two main beds.  The third bed is mostly strawberries with a couple of rows of bean and peas on the end.  

I also made a trip to Holubs our local plant shop to pick up a few more plant starts to replace the ones that died in the cold or were eaten.  The kids and I planted many of these by flashlight that night.

 I had to come back during the light of day a few days later to reinforce the fencing but it appears to be keeping the bunny and the dogs out.  I also mixed up a homemade fertilizer of coffee grounds and eggs shells I had been saving through the winter.  I haven't tried this with regularity in the past so will see how it goes.  It was stinky stuff so wasn't sure if that would attract animals or run them off.

So far everything seems to be growing so hoping with a few more warm and sunny days mixed with rain things will really start to produce.  The one thing we are seeing rapid production of right now is strawberries so I try to go poke around in the bushes for berries every couple of days.  The strawberry bed has been growing back there four or five years now.  The peas and beans that are in there are also growing very quickly so looking forward to them maturing over the coming weeks.

Tomatoes, Kohlrabi and Broccoli freshly fertilized

Here are a few pictures of things post fencing and fertilizing.  I am rather a forgetful gardener.  I don't always remember what I planted where, and I don't always remember to water or pick the vegetables and fruits I grow, but this year I am trying to leave myself reminder notes and seem to be keeping up with things so far.

I may still need to bring in some peat or something to put in the beds.  I tried mixing in some straw I had with several of the beds to see if that makes much of a difference but really it just makes it harder to weed so may try doing straw in the fall when I put the garden to bed rather than in the spring.

Kale, Kohlrabi, Spinach, Carrots, and Chard

Sweet Potato, Squash, and Peppers

Beautiful bleeding hart that reminds me
of the wonderful people we left behind
in Washington state.

 The last thing I thought I would share is an update on some of the fun we are having in the perennial beds around the house.  The new plantings I mentioned in the first garden post in the front year they are doing well.  Stay tuned... blogging about the garden may just keep me attentive this year.

The oldest perennial bed in the back yard.

Beautiful Irises in the front of the house.

Lavender and ladies in the front yard

Gorgeous Chocolate Columbine in the side yard
These were a great sale find last year and are
flourishing.

Peonies from mother's day
 last year blooming brightly.

Herbs in the herb garden on the front porch.
parsley, cilantro, basil, oregano and mint

A few fun plants the kids and I picked up
at the ISU Reiman Garden plan sale.
Fushia is another PNW reminder.

Adventures in Gardening - Post 1 - 2015

Mowing the crazy tall back yard

The new squash garden ready to plant

Joshua was fantastic help in the front yard with unloading our mulch and dirt from my Dad's truck and preparing our new butterfly rock garden in the front yard (yet a bit more not to mow).  We got some of the rocks from my friend as well and have enjoyed the fossils and pretty minerals and colors in them.  We still have a tree to purchase and plant where the two rocks are on the end but I have blown my May plant budget.  :)

The new butterfly garden in the front yerd

We've been working hard to bring soil back to our older raised beds.  We have three 4' x 8' x 20"h boxes where we grow our tomatos, beans, strawberries and other wonderful veggies.  These always take some time with a spade and the muscle to get the weeds out and make them ready for planting.

We also spent some time replacing most of the brick pavers in the front yard with rocks and refreshing all the perennial beds.

Our last major effort before planting garden starts was getting getting some potted herb gardens and flowers planted for the front porch.  So far they are doing well and hopefully we will remember to water them regularly so they flourish on the front porch.

Stay tuned for updates on the plant starts and how the garden grows in my second installment.

Blossoms on the Apple Tree were lovely this year.