Making shelter for chickens with young trees instead of lumber and plywood?

[CatWhisperer]

Alaskan is right about the bamboo, you will soon have a runaway forest of it. Dig a trench outside the area you want to grow it and pour a concrete moat around it. Rent a trencher is easiest, go at least 18 “ deep.

 

[paneubert]

Alaskan is right about the bamboo, you will soon have a runaway forest of it. Dig a trench outside the area you want to grow it and pour a concrete moat around it. Rent a trencher is easiest, go at least 18 “ deep.

Can also just maintain an open trench and cut the runners when they enter the trench. Just chop them with a shovel. That is how some people do it. Especially if they don't want a permanent concrete wall buried in their yard.

 

[Perris]

So I would need to order young willow trees?

a willow wand is a single shoot about 4-8' long. They are produced simply by cutting the shoots from a copiced willow - usually on a 3 year rotation (cut out the oldest 1/3 of shoots each year). You just push the cut end in the ground and (assuming it was harvested recently) it will root and sprout, while the parent plant throws up replacements on the trunk. So if you can't obtain them locally, you can grow your own once you've got an established willow.

 

[EggWalrus]

Very true So I would need to order young willow trees? I have a membership to Arborday.org - I was looking at privet bushes, but they have willow saplings, too

Last thing you want within a mile of your property is privet. If not cut back heavily at least 2 to 3 times per year, it will take over everything as fast as bamboo. The only way to control bamboo is to dig a 4 foot deep trench, put galvanized sheet metal in, to keep the roots from spreading. Then twice a year, aggressively cut out any suckers that try to climb out and over the buried metal barrier. Unless you have a hired gardener that works for you full time, I would never recommend privet or bamboo. Both are literal nightmares in the daytime.

 

[FowlWitch]

a willow wand is a single shoot about 4-8' long. They are produced simply by cutting the shoots from a copiced willow - usually on a 3 year rotation (cut out the oldest 1/3 of shoots each year). You just push the cut end in the ground and (assuming it was harvested recently) it will root and sprout, while the parent plant throws up replacements on the trunk. So if you can't obtain them locally, you can grow your own once you've got an established willow.

Last thing you want within a mile of your property is privet. If not cut back heavily at least 2 to 3 times per year, it will take over everything as fast as bamboo. The only way to control bamboo is to dig a 4 foot deep trench, put galvanized sheet metal in, to keep the roots from spreading. Then twice a year, aggressively cut out any suckers that try to climb out and over the buried metal barrier. Unless you have a hired gardener that works for you full time, I would never recommend privet or bamboo. Both are literal nightmares in the daytime.

Ahh good advice. There are plenty of wild plants that I can choose from; I have tons of pine, cedar, and juniper saplings on the property. I also have 2 mature manzanita bushes I could build a run around; I know the birds LOVE the manzanita bushes. I was considering using clear plastic sheeting for protection from rain (edit: like making almost a make-shift gazebo or something), but I don't want to starve the plants of unfiltered sunlight, either. There are some affordable greenhouses I can look into, though, as long as I can find one sturdy enough to withstand snow

 

[bluemerle]

You can train any tree to bend in an arch (or in a teepee, if that's your desire) but its root system will be just as aggressive as any other tree, so perhaps be mindful of it's location. Personally, I would use potted grape vines (pot buried in the dirt to cover up/appear more natural) and train them up a trellis of your choosing.

 

[FowlWitch]

You can train any tree to bend in an arch (or in a teepee, if that's your desire) but its root system will be just as aggressive as any other tree, so perhaps be mindful of it's location. Personally, I would use potted grape vines (pot buried in the dirt to cover up/appear more natural) and train them up a trellis of your choosing.

That would be cool because it could grow fruit, too. Are there any varieties that grow in zone 8b?

 

[bluemerle]

That would be cool because it could grow fruit, too. Are there any varieties that grow in zone 8b?

Most of the table grapes grown in America are grown in California. You can go to any website that sells bare root plants and select any variety that is rated for zone 8, but googling "[your city name] growing grapes" would likely bring up articles from your local university gardening sector and would recommend certain varieties that thrive in your specific location.

 

[FowlWitch]

Most of the table grapes grown in America are grown in California. You can go to any website that sells bare root plants and select any variety that is rated for zone 8, but googling "[your city name] growing grapes" would likely bring up articles from your local university gardening sector and would recommend certain varieties that thrive in your specific location.

Great idea! I hope there will be some cool info on all kinds of crop plants for my area because I'm trying to get an heirloom garden started. The raccoons, chipmunks, and squirrels did a number on my summer garden, but I have better protections for my fall/winter garden

 

[FowlWitch]

Most of the table grapes grown in America are grown in California. You can go to any website that sells bare root plants and select any variety that is rated for zone 8, but googling "[your city name] growing grapes" would likely bring up articles from your local university gardening sector and would recommend certain varieties that thrive in your specific location.

It looks like the flame variety is a good choice, but they don't ship until December. I'll try ordering from Arborday.org in a month or 2 because they usually have grapevines for sale, and Flame seems to be a common variety