The Garden

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We decided to go with raised beds this year. Our soil is pretty terrible. Pure, nearly saturated clay. I used timbers milled on site, from the woodlot.We got a good deal on bagged compost from the guy that I bought gravel from. So, were starting small, and testing out the waters this year. So far we have
Tomatoes (big beef, and Cherry)
Peppers (green, and banana)
Lettuce mesclun, butter head
summer squash
zucchini
cucumbers
Broccoli

Peas
Potatoes (grown in old tires)
Celery
nasturtium
garlic
green onion
spinach
and a few others.
Shelley is the real gardener. I take care of the potatoes, but that's about it. I'll do a separate post on them later. 

Start Your Chicken Tractors!

Here is our first attempt at making a chicken tractor. We will almost certainly going through several versions in seasons to come. This one is made from scrap lumber, cut from my sawmill, and the portable garage that was taken out by a storm last fall. It has an automatic feeder, which holds enough food for about 2 days, and an automatic waterer using chicken nipples, which last for about 4 days. So far it looks like moving it every two days is best. This version doesn't have any wheels, you just drag it.

The tractor can be used on its own, but for added protection, we've decided to buy and electrified poultry net. It keeps the birds in, but also protects against predators, while the wander around for seeds and bugs. You have to clip their wings, so they don't fly over the net. We'll see how it goes! We're trying Kencove, but Premeire1 is also a well known brand. Here's how it looks:

So far so good. Both dogs were promptly shocked and ran off yipping and now keep their distance. Will it do the same for coyote? I hope so.

Primary Coop Almost Done!

We've been a bit too busy to post much these days. Here is an update on the progress with the primary chicken coop. Not quite done yet, but close. It's insulated, and built for 6-8 layers, once the rest have been slaughtered. For the summer though, the chickens will be out to pasture.