May 2012 Garden Update

Here is a quick update of what is sprouting in the garden.  This is going to be a quick post because I am in the middle of a lot of projects!  So far here is what has sprouted:

Beans
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Onions
Lettuce
Giant Chard
Swiss Chard
Collard Greens
Kale
Turnips
Carrots
Peas
Radishes
Corn
Potatoes
Beets
Asparagus
Strawberries

I think that covers it! I still have Gourds, Pumpkins, Cucumbers and watermelon to plant.   Sorry this is so short, but upcoming blogs will include Baby Chicks, Rain Barrels and The Farmer's Market!  Stay Tuned!

Fixing the Chicken Coop

I have finally finished the Chicken Coop!  Some people call this a Chicken Tractor, because you can move it around your yard.  Anyway, this chicken coop I got for FREE!  A woman at my work has her own organic farm and she gets around 60 egg laying chickens per year.  This coop was old and hadn't been used for quite awhile, because she had too many chickens for it.  Thanks to a couple of friends who helped me get it home and my dad for helping get it ready!  Here is the coop the day I brought it home.  Needs some work!

The first thing we had to do, was to get the whole thing on wheels so I could move it around the yard.  Here it is on the wheels.

Now that it was on wheels we moved it to the back so we could fix the broken doors and the lumber that was rotting.  I enlisted the help of my dad, since he is better at fixing things than I am.  So he helped me get new pieces cut.  We had to replace several pieces of wood around the two doors.  In the next photo you can see some of the new pieces we added.

We also had to fix the two triangular pieces on each end.  A hole had been ripped by some type of predator.  There was wire covering it but I felt we should replace both ends.  Here is the fix for that.

The last photo is of the whole thing painted! I decided to paint it like a barn.  The only thing left to do is to get the ramp finished and attached.  I'm ready for the chicks!

This chicken coop was fixed with all recycled lumber pieces my dad had....the coop itself was free.  I got the trailer its sitting on for $50 from a friend of my dad's and the paint was the only other thing purchased.  It really pays to take your time, talk to people and look for something inexpensive.  Most coops cost anywhere from $300 all the way up into the thousands.  Even though it needed some fixing, had she decided to sell it, she still could have sold it for $300. I'm lucky!  Looking forward to getting the chicks!

GARDEN UPDATE:  Radishes have sprouted and I'm hoping with the warm weather today and tomorrow the corn, carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes will sprout!  Thanks again for reading!