raised bed garden + chickens: advice please

[DrFeathers]

Sketch of the garden I will be building weekend after next:

My suburban half acre is surrounded by 6’ vinyl fence. The 8 chooks free range in back yard on nice days and destroy all our decorative plants, would like them to not destroy the veggies too.

I was planning 4x8 garden boxes but my wife is petite and my kids are 5&2 years old so we are going with 3x8 boxes so everyone will have an easier time reaching middle plants and weeding. You guys think that’s ok? Or I’ll regret going from 4’ to 3’ wide?

Next, the game plan is to orient beds as shown to allow us to build 1-2 more in future years if we want more. You all think this is enough space to veggie garden for a family of 4?

Next, to keep the chooks out my plan was to put up a chicken wire fence around the gardens as shown with 3’ between beds and between the fence and beds to allow us enough room to garden comfortably. Any suggestions on how to easily make a gate with the fence? Just put a post on each side of “gate” and leave a seam in the chicken wire on one side so it can be released and re-secured? And planning to smother the grass inside the chicken wire fence with a layer of mulch so we don’t have to worry about trimming in there.

You will notice I left a 1’ gap between the shed and the chicken wire fence - my chickens like to dig behind the shed and around the composters on other side of the shed - don’t want a chicken to get cornered back there by dog/other chickens/other invading animal. That seem ok?

And for soil: 2 years of deep litter method build up in bottom of 64sq ft of run should provide enough compost for the 48sq ft of garden beds above. I read 60% top soil and 40% manure - I would count this dark brown composted deep litter as my manure component? Also will dump my black plastic tumbler composter into it. Anyone have experience doing this?

The garden boxes: cedar 2x6” stacked two high to make 12” high walls. Plan to hang decorative flower boxes on front face to plant herbs for cooking and attracting good insects.

Would appreciate any and all advice or corrections if you think I am about to make a mistake I will regret later?

 

[OhZark Biddies]

I want to do something very similar... but deer proof too... but I don’t know if I’ll get to it this year due to other projects.

I was planning 3’ wide beds as well.... we had 4’ wide beds in the past and indeed it was difficult to utilize and maintain the middle.

That’s about all I have for advice... but I’ll be watching to see the replies from others.

Good luck, hope you grow so much you get sick of pickin!

 

[sylviethecochin]

I was planning 4x8 garden boxes but my wife is petite and my kids are 5&2 years old so we are going with 3x8 boxes so everyone will have an easier time reaching middle plants and weeding. You guys think that’s ok? Or I’ll regret going from 4’ to 3’ wide?

I'm 5' 4" and would definitely not enjoy reaching across two feet of space for an extended period of time. (The average counter is about eighteen inches wide. Hold your arm past that for a few minutes and picture trying to reach through plants to pick weeds.) Three feet sounds good to me, unless you plan on making the walls wide enough to kneel on so that you're reaching down to weed as well as across. (the case with my parents' cold frame, constructed from old railroad ties. Works out pretty well.)

Next, the game plan is to orient beds as shown to allow us to build 1-2 more in future years if we want more. You all think this is enough space to veggie garden for a family of 4?

Depends what you're raising. My mother cans; that space definitely would not be enough for her needs. If you're just raising lettuce, a few tomatoes, and some zucchini and carrots and onions, that's probably pretty good.

If you plan on using wheelbarrows, maybe expand the width of those rear corridors a little. You want to be able to get that wheelbarrow through without scraping the sides, after all. Two feet is a good walking passage, but three is good wheelbarrow passage.

Next, to keep the chooks out my plan was to put up a chicken wire fence around the gardens as shown with 3’ between beds and between the fence and beds to allow us enough room to garden comfortably. Any suggestions on how to easily make a gate with the fence? Just put a post on each side of “gate” and leave a seam in the chicken wire on one side so it can be released and re-secured? And planning to smother the grass inside the chicken wire fence with a layer of mulch so we don’t have to worry about trimming in there.

Frankly, that'd be ugly and ineffective. Chickens, in general, ignore chicken wire if there's something tasty beyond it (My chickens can jump chicken wire without a problem.) It twists if left unsecured at all, rusts after a few months, and stretches and warps easily. Spend some extra money and get chain link or hog wire--movable posts aren't usually too ugly, and you can expand easily.

Mulch sounds good.

You will notice I left a 1’ gap between the shed and the chicken wire fence - my chickens like to dig behind the shed and around the composters on other side of the shed - don’t want a chicken to get cornered back there by dog/other chickens/other invading animal. That seem ok?

Might want to make that larger if you can foresee any circumstances where you would want back there. Otherwise, fine.

And for soil: 2 years of deep litter method build up in bottom of 64sq ft of run should provide enough compost for the 48sq ft of garden beds above. I read 60% top soil and 40% manure - I would count this dark brown composted deep litter as my manure component? Also will dump my black plastic tumbler composter into it. Anyone have experience doing this?

Not I.

The garden boxes: cedar 2x6” stacked two high to make 12” high walls. Plan to hang decorative flower boxes on front face to plant herbs for cooking and attracting good insects.

I'd ask the people at the hardware store what they recommend, but it sounds good to me.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I was planning 4x8 garden boxes but my wife is petite and my kids are 5&2 years old so we are going with 3x8 boxes so everyone will have an easier time reaching middle plants and weeding. You guys think that’s ok? Or I’ll regret going from 4’ to 3’ wide?

Next, the game plan is to orient beds as shown to allow us to build 1-2 more in future years if we want more. You all think this is enough space to veggie garden for a family of 4?

You will notice I left a 1’ gap between the shed and the chicken wire fence - my chickens like to dig behind the shed and around the composters on other side of the shed - don’t want a chicken to get cornered back there by dog/other chickens/other invading animal. That seem ok?

The garden boxes: cedar 2x6” stacked two high to make 12” high walls.

3x8 should be fine. I do mostly 4x8s but I don't have kids to manage and I wanted to maximize bed size.

Are two beds big enough for a family of 4? Depends on how veg-heavy your diet is and what plants you're hoping to grow. Some take up a lot more room (i.e. some tomatoes) and some can be tucked almost anywhere (i.e. lettuces). We're just 2 adults but I eat a vegetable forward diet when I can, so last year I had three 4x8s and one 4x4 and ran out of room by early summer. So this year I'm adding two more 4x8s. If you want to maximize space go for veggies that aren't space hogs or can be planted with other things, i.e. carrots and radishes can be seeded together as radishes get pulled before the carrots get bigger, mixed loose leaf lettuces can handle being seeded to fill in small gaps and corners.

I would leave larger than a 1' gap so that humans can easily squeeze in, just in case. Also agree with above that the space around the beds ideally should be big enough to get a wheelbarrow or yard cart in, again, just in case it's needed.

12" should be a enough height for most veggies. I think my beds are 16" deep but I don't get a lot of plants rooting down more than halfway.

 

[DrFeathers]

I'm 5' 4" and would definitely not enjoy reaching across two feet of space for an extended period of time. (The average counter is about eighteen inches wide. Hold your arm past that for a few minutes and picture trying to reach through plants to pick weeds.) Three feet sounds good to me, unless you plan on making the walls wide enough to kneel on so that you're reaching down to weed as well as across. (the case with my parents' cold frame, constructed from old railroad ties. Works out pretty well.)



Depends what you're raising. My mother cans; that space definitely would not be enough for her needs. If you're just raising lettuce, a few tomatoes, and some zucchini and carrots and onions, that's probably pretty good.

If you plan on using wheelbarrows, maybe expand the width of those rear corridors a little. You want to be able to get that wheelbarrow through without scraping the sides, after all. Two feet is a good walking passage, but three is good wheelbarrow passage.



Frankly, that'd be ugly and ineffective. Chickens, in general, ignore chicken wire if there's something tasty beyond it (My chickens can jump chicken wire without a problem.) It twists if left unsecured at all, rusts after a few months, and stretches and warps easily. Spend some extra money and get chain link or hog wire--movable posts aren't usually too ugly, and you can expand easily.

Mulch sounds good.



Might want to make that larger if you can foresee any circumstances where you would want back there. Otherwise, fine.


Not I.


I'd ask the people at the hardware store what they recommend, but it sounds good to me.

Thanks for the input.

So general consensus is 3’ wide beds. I am convinced.

Looked at 4’ high “garden fence” at Tractor Supply today that seems more sturdy - seems to be like goat fence with a green poly coating. Should be nicer to look at and high enough to deter the girls. (Most of the time)

I’ll also take your advice and leave a complete 3’ wide wheelbarrow lane around the beds and 2’ between fence and shed.

Sound advice!

Still nobody has thoughts about mucking out the deep litter run floor and using as compost vs counting it as dirt? Not sure what to do with that but seems like a good chance to reset.

 

[want2know]

I ordered 150' of 7' Deer Barrier Mesh for my garden and for a temporary run for my chickens. Best thing, its only $14.99. I have 3 raised beds 7' x 3 1/2' and will make an entrance into the barrier by the log in front of the beds. The barrier will be 3' out from the beds to allow me space to move around inside.

Live in hill country south central TX so need to keep chickens and deer out

 

[DrFeathers]

I ordered 150' of 7' Deer Barrier Mesh for my garden and for a temporary run for my chickens. Best thing, its only $14.99. I have 3 raised beds 7' x 3 1/2' and will make an entrance into the barrier by the log in front of the beds. The barrier will be 3' out from the beds to allow me space to move around inside. View attachment 1688302Live in hill country south central TX so need to keep chickens and deer out

Wow are those made of sheet metal?

 

[OhZark Biddies]

I saw this the other day... wish I had time to do this... but probably never will:

 

[want2know]

Wow are those made of sheet metal?

Yes the people we bought this place from left them. We took the bottoms out, and put cardboard down before putting in compost and soil.

 

[Searsmom]

Still nobody has thoughts about mucking out the deep litter run floor and using as compost vs counting it as dirt? Not sure what to do with that but seems like a good chance to reset.

I use it as compost, mix it in with the rest of my compost and use as long as it's at least a year old.