Well it looks both impressive and effective!! Is this your first season doing it or is it another success story....
What are you Hatching/Planting or Planning for this spring?
Great thread Harm: Well I know it's not spring yet, but, tomorrow I will be finished with my new 16x16 two story chicken coop. It's been a lot of work but worth it. Inside their is a roost for about forty birds, a brooder for chicks that is waist high so it takes up no floor space. It is 8 ft long x two ft deep and 4ft high. On the other side is a mating pen, again waist high, no floor space, it is the same dimension as the brooder. Then their is a 2x2x2 pen for any girls that become injured and need to be seperated. The second floor is used for supplies etc. On Feb ninth I have forty new birds comming and am so happy it's finally finished. Because it is so large, My wife and I are going to stencill the handles of all our friends here at Daves Garden. Over the six foot wide doors we have a large sign being made. It say's "CHICKEN'S RULE" Pic's will be in the Scrapebook. Haystack
You been working hard there haystack congratulations on your new coop. Who did you order your birds from?
That coop sounds like a chicken palace i know your chickens will love you for it♥
Aw, comon Haystack. Put one up on the Tour d'coops! This sounds amazing!
Grow, you crack me up... another success story. LOL We just give some ideas a try around here, and every now and then we don't get caught.... =0)
This is the first season for these beds. The other beds is a raised bed, and a regular in the ground bed that I managed to situate exactly where the wall of the attached greenhouse is going to be, so it's history this year. How's that for planning? [[sheepish grin]]
I'd like more raised beds, but building them is intensive work, so I don't think that I'll manage anymore this year, what with putting up the high tunnel and building a back porch.
As I'm located in the middle of a bazillion acres of rangeland, I'm just tickled to death when I manage to get anything to grow and not loose it to the bugs or gophers. Oh, I forgot to mention... those pea beds, besides dirt and compost, have the granular gopher repellent scratched in as well. It seemed to work last year in the tomato bed, so I'm seriously keeping my fingers crossed.
Dreaming of flowers and peas...
Jay
I love Flowers and Peas ^_^
Fresh Tomatoes Anyone "German Queen"
Jay - I guess I was looking at it thru prejudiced eyes -I haven't gotten half that far yet!!!
Well no response to the Tomatoes then how about some nice Egg Plant.
Yes, Mistress Harmony, I covet both your tomatoes and your eggplant. I am in a royal snit because of it and have no interest in responding. And besides -your eggplants don't look eaten to death by flea beetles!!!
Oh Harm how could you make us deepfreeze states think about spring.
We can plant potatoes on st. Pats day and then have to wait til about april to do the rest. I am planning on planting in the garden...............
Tomatoes, lettuce, onions, peas, green beans, lima beans, okra, zuchinni, potatoes, cucumber, watermelon, canteloupe, radishes, egg plants, carrots, corn, green peppers, hot peppers. and maybe a few things extra from the normals.
I would love to know how you all keep your potatoes in the winter. I don't have a cellar and the house is too warm to keep them inside. No garage to keep them in. Could i can them. I use them mostly for mashed potatoes and in soups. Really would like to can carrots and potatoes together to dump in chicken vegetable soup and steak soup. has anyone ever froze them? I don't think thatis much of an option since i just have a small freezer above my frig. Any ideas????????
i am sooooo ready for spring. This hauling water fromt he house to the pens is a pain, but i know many of you have the same problems, so i won't gripe.
Waiting on spring.........................
Sheila
Jay: I'd love to put pic's on "TOUR de COOP" but I haven't ever been able to find a plug in to attach a camera. This beast is so old and I am so inept with it and have never been able to figure it out. Haystack
Harm: I ordered from Murray McMurray, they are a little higher than some but I have ordered from them before and have been very satisfied with their service. I ordered 25 Red Stars (Golden Comets) Five Aracauna/americaunas, Two red star roo's, and eight more marans. I also have ordered five jungle fowl from an exotic dealer, but they cannot be shippedbefore June. They are stuning in color, and must be housed seperatly. Haystack
Haystack Have you looked on Amazon.com If you know the make of your computer you might be able to find the plug you need. I have gotten to cords for mine (I keep misplacing them) from there.
i just ordered turkey eggs
Oh Bummer about the dinosaur computer, Haystack, but I sympathize entirely. Mine is headed that way. I guess I'll just have to wait...
Here's some tomatoes from a couple of years ago, showing the raised bed, the floating row cover and the rain water tank (which still isn't hooked up to the gutters, another project waiting to be finished).
I'm very proud of these, because I'm at 7100' and everyone says you can't get tomatoes to ripen up here... Hah!
Here's those bushes when we hung them at the end of the season... the 8' ones were billed as semi-determinate... hate to see what an indeterminate bush would have looked like! Anyway, the really big bushes are 'Principe Borghese', a drying tomato, the short bushes are 'Heinz' sauce tomatoes, and the medium size are 'Stupice'.
This year we'll be doing the 'Heinz' again. We don't use enough dried tomatoes to make growing them worthwhile, so we won't be doing 'Principe' and we've found a better eating tomato in 'Glacier', so we're dumping 'Stupice'. I grew 'Striped Romans' last year, but we had trouble getting them to ripen, though we loved the flavor, so we're going to try again this year, getting them in earlier and in the greenhouse.
knsl, a couple of ideas for the potatoes. I think you might be able to cover them with straw and leave them in the ground... see the winter carrot topic on Homesteading. Or bury an old refrigerator for a quick and easy root cellar, stacking straw bales on top for more insulation.
Jay
What Jay said Sheila -I can so I'm pretty sure you can too -our zones are same aren't they? You're not high Mts?
{{{high MO mts?}}}
I've been to MO, there aren't any mountains, just big hills. =0)
Do you think she could just use an old fridge without burying it, say if it was in the barn or garage or something?
Wow Jay i love those tomatoes and you should be proud of them they are beautifully green.
Sheila i thought everyone might feel a little less dreary about the weather. It boost my winter blahs to look at my seed and hatchery catalogs and plan what i want for this season.(Yes i understand hauling water i hate i too)
Grow i didn't have any problems with bugs i do organic and hand picked anything that gets on them.
I do dust some for worms you know those green ones that eat everything i use D.E. for that.
I will use permethrin if pushed to far to save a plant or vegetable.
BTW I use rabbit manure it's like the best stuff i have ever used and i use organic fertilizer as a boost.
Think so. Of course our recent weather has been anything but normal...
Well we're gradually making up garden plots from nothing and some thins just get et. I hand picked squash bugs for a month before they won. Potato bugs not so long. Not fast enough to hand pick flea beetles. Need better soil for my babies and I may put them in straw bales this year.
Grow, try floating row covers... I couldn't grow anything out here without 'em. Especially with the squash... the plants will eventually outgrow the covers, but by then they're producing and you'll always get something!
Last year I grew crookneck and patty pan under cover until they started to bloom and it worked out great! All those little leafhoppers I was whining about carry viruses that will do in tomatoes (curly top among others) and the ONLY way to have a chance against them is with the floating row covers.
I just wish they made row covers big enough to put over corn...
Mine always do fine until I've picked the first fruit -then WHAM!! Think it would work still??
Well I blame you all, but I bought an incubator and plan to use it for my guineas, peafowl. turkens and BLRW. I found more breeder stock. These sell really well in my area. I also plan to buy lots of banties(thanks to Harmony! LOL) I let the banties free range(only chickens who get to do this. The big stock were horrible on my gardens)
I will be tilling up the sides of my driveway and planting wild flower seeds and add some over flow plants from my other gardens. With bees, butterfly's and birds in mind when selecting seed mixes.
I have my first bee hive ready for spring. Just need to catch a swarm from friends house.
I raise a small veggie garden, but mostly raise green beans and tomatoes for our summer use. I cheat and go to the Amish auction and buy all my veggies and fruits there for canning and freezing.
I also have bartered a lamb, am on the list for a steer calf and 2 pigs. I help at my friends farm and they let me keep these there in exchange for work.
It's going to be a busy, but fun spring-fall. Yesterday I saw the first daff tips up!
George
Wonderful plots -n-plans, George! You're way ahead of me...
Wonderful Plans George you are going to be busy as your bee's LOL
I"d love to see your drive later this summer, it's going to be beautiful! And now it's got me thinking about mine... like I need another project! Aaaargh! But I can already see it in my mind's eye...
Grow, it might. Are you planting on different ground each year? Garden hygiene is muy importante with squash bugs... a good thing to use chickens for, cleaning up the old beds; they'll expose overwintering eggs, etc.
There are probably a few squash bugs sneaking in and laying egg clusters on the plant long before the explosion, and a row cover would prevent that for sure. If you can keep them bug free til first bloom, the plants will be mature enough to put out some fruit in spite of the bugs after the covers come off...
if you got turkey poults to run in the squash after the covers come off, then they'll pick off any egg clusters that do get laid and keep the squash bug population waaaaay down. Even before I discovered the row covers I had good results with the turkey poults... their big feet will scar a few of the squash, but I can live with that. They won't dig up things like chickens, just stomp them. =0)
Jay
I just put 4 Sebastopol goose eggs and 3 Brabanters and 3 Russian Orloff chickens in the bator yesterday. Looking for a few other eggs to add in like some rumpless araucanas, some black copper marans and maybe a few giant blue coachin. Definately some salmon faverolles.
Happy birthday all you Jan folks. I just turned 50 myself! whoohoo!!
Happy belated B-day InnBetween!
Here's a cake for you... =0)
Happy birthday InnBetween!!!!!!!!
HappyhappyJOYJOYJOOOOOY!!!
Happy Birthday Innbetween!!! I hope you had a great Birthday!
This message was edited Jan 24, 2009 3:01 PM
Ooops, here is your balloon. ;)
I have thought about the buried fridge and may well try that idea. Thank you for all the suggestions.
Harm- I was just joshing you about the thinking of spring thing. LOL
I know it did brighten my day.
Sheila
Thanks everyone! Love the cake and Balloon! Hey does anyone have rumpless araucanas that would sell some hatching eggs? I got some Black copper marans, salmon & blue faverolles, and some giant blue cochin on the way, just can't find the araucanas. Spring is coming! Yeah! I just did get my christmas tree down this weekend. Some people put it up the day after Thanksgiving, I put mine up the week before christmas and take it down some time before Feb. same difference I guess. Just glad to have the house straight again.
Hope you had a great Birthday InnBetween
Oh boy, sounds like everyone is going to have a busy year. I ordered some BB turkeys and cuckoo marans from Ideal. More ducks to come later in the spring.
I start alot of my own plants for the garden so soon I'll be up to my elbows in potting soil! Can't wait. Vegetable gardens this year will consist of snow peas, green beans, beets, radish, swiss chard, brussels sprouts, broccoli, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, cabbage, sweet corn, popcorn, butternut, acorn squash, pumpkin(long pie), onions, spinach, carrots, cucumbers(pickling and slicing), jarrahdale squash and for the chickens: orange hawaii marigold. Just for fun, I also picked up Tennesse Dancing Gourd seeds and Prado Red Shades Sunflower seeds.
We do alot of freezing for the winter and also share with the livestock:
Can I come and eat with you?
Absolutely! You're invited anytime.
Unfortunetely I also have uninvited guests that like to hang around that share my meals! The hornworms were plentiful last year. Every day my nephew and I would be on the prowl!
double post! :)
This message was edited Jan 28, 2009 2:00 PM
It still amazes me how quickly a couple of those can strip a tomato bush. I threw a couple of them to my chickens one year and the hens fled in terror...
the same hens that eagerly waited for me to dump the dead mice out of the trap.