Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the middle of a Wisconsin winter

[Plucky Clucks]

Mostly for vegetables, I'll trellis my cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, small melons and the like. I'll Co plant flowers for insect repellent as well.

 

[limited25]

DH and DS built me a little raised bed today ... still haven't made my soil (but working on it). Can't have any free range chickens here, so got these on eBay for $22 (lol) - doubt the hawks will bother them.

That little coop in background is one we got for free on the semi-annual trash day last year (it was the start of us getting chickens, and we got 4 hens and a rooster, all about 4 weeks old. They quickly outgrew it (it was a race to get the coop built) and now I'm not confident it could even hold one chicken. DH calls it Alcatraz for non-behaving chickens (lol) but they really go into a dog cage in the garage if one has to be separated. The roof lifts off in 2 pieces, and as you can see it is growing weeds inside. Does anyone think I could somehow turn it into a planter for flowers?

 

[limited25]

If you are going to raise tomatoes in pots make sure the soil in the pot doesn't get too warm. Hot summer sun on a black pot can be murder. I make my raised beds from old tires.

Those are nice. Wish I had a tractor tire.

 

[Plucky Clucks]

Nice! Looks great

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

DH and DS built me a little raised bed today ... still haven't made my soil (but working on it). Can't have any free range chickens here, so got these on eBay for $22 (lol) - doubt the hawks will bother them. That little coop in background is one we got for free on the semi-annual trash day last year (it was the start of us getting chickens, and we got 4 hens and a rooster, all about 4 weeks old. They quickly outgrew it (it was a race to get the coop built) and now I'm not confident it could even hold one chicken. DH calls it Alcatraz for non-behaving chickens (lol) but they really go into a dog cage in the garage if one has to be separated. The roof lifts off in 2 pieces, and as you can see it is growing weeds inside. Does anyone think I could somehow turn it into a planter for flowers?

Are those fake chickens along the edge? Nice sized bed. I get kinda irritated when I see adds for coops like that and they say good for 4-6 chickens. Might as well buy eggs from the store if I want my eggs coming from chickens in tiny enclosures. Glad you have seen that they aren't appropriate for anything long term, even though it's cute. Probably good for separating some out or a day coop for young chicks, but you can't beat the price, nice.

 

[limited25]

Yeah, they are made of metal ... was affordable and makes me feel happy to look at them. Would love to have real free range chickens but everyone else that did that in this neighborhood lost all their chickens to hawks.

Thanks Plucky Clucks, I'm hoping I can actually grow some vegetables this year. Since we have so many gophers around here, should I put some kind of screen on the bottom to keep them out? What would you do if it was you?

Happy Easter to all.

 

[Plucky Clucks]

We've got gophers pretty bad her too, so what I'm doing this year for my new boxes is cutting a square of sod out slightly larger than my box, lining it with small chicken wire, putting the sod back but upside-down (roots up
) layering cardboard or thick newspaper then setting the grow box on top. My big issue right now if finding/hauling dirt to fill the rest of the box since I don't have access to a truck this year...

 

[limited25]

I though it was cute, it's okay.

I just love this flower bed with the tree limbs, post and bird house; want to try and make that for my yard. Know I'm supposed to know what kind of flowers those are (but don't) and it would be so much easier if you told me. So pretty how you did it.

Thought I saw somewhere on this thread that you keep a gardening "diary" but can't seem to find it. I finally found my notes and papers from last year and it is quite an assortment of paperwork, all loose. Have notebooks can put it in but would appreciate it if you could tell me how you organize your garden planting paperwork? Have a lot of "how to" paperwork, insect info, a spread sheet of what I wanted to plant with hand written notes, like what products I used in the soil, etc. Please advise. Last freeze is usually April 15th and we will turn on the water to the outdoor faucets then.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My husband came up with that. Occasionally we have to replace the birch branches. A bluebird nests in that birdhouse every year. The flowers are a Rudbeckia, an annual sometimes perennial, that self seeds. That one is a double mix and i believe a cherokee, there are many varieties and i love them all. They bloom a long time and into the fall until a freeze. I start some from seeds, others show up.

I think i made a reference to scribbling in my notebook. I have several and make plans, collect clippings, write tips than never look at them again, i am not much more organized. It's mostly all in my head.

 

[limited25]

Thank you. I have some broken birch tree limbs but so far haven't been able to get them off the tree as they are too high up... soon though I hope. Will hunt for those flowers as I would like mine to look like yours. Your little dog is cute.