Buying a chicken coop is also an option. I saw some nice wood construction coops on our local Craigslist for around $200 but an outside run or other enclosure/protection would be needed so the cost wouldn’t stop there. As you might have guessed, we chose to build one to keep our costs down but having it look nice (which is all relative I guess) was important to us and we managed to do this using almost all recycled or reclaimed materiels. The posts and some 2 x 4’s came from neighbors who were doing a small remodel project and we saw a pile of wood so we inquired and behold! They didn’t offer it all to us but we got some great pieces. The rest came from another friend who had a gate from an old privacy fence that I took apart and a bunch of 2 x 6’s that had been used as concrete forms. For the roof, we came across some corrugated aluminum sheets. They originally covered an old well and we had to go take it down. This was a bonus for the owners of the property since they didn’t want it up anymore so it worked out for everyone. The chicken wire, nails and screws were all things that we already had on hand. All we had to purchase to make our chicken coop was 1 more roll of 2′ chicken wire, door latches and hinges. The latches and hinges weren’t exactly cheap though, they ran about $40.

We built our coop with all the things that our chicken-raising friends told us chickens needed. Shelter from the wind and rain, a safe place from predators, a light in their house during the winter (and a heat lamp when they are chicks), one nest per 4 hens and a place to perch. I won’t even mention the food and water, if you haven’t picked up on that basic need maybe raising chickens is not the thing for you right now. Shade in the summer is good too but consider raptors a predator if your area is not covered.

We embraced the existing features on our property and used a dog-house-like structure as the hen house so that was a big part of the coop that we didn’t have to build. This was where we had to divert from the chicken coop plans that can be found online and use our own creative abilities to get things done. Because we were working with used materials we did have to bend the rules of best building practices but it’s just a chicken coop and we aren’t building perfection. To make the door for the dog-house-like structure which is now the hen house, we framed an old window and put hinges on it. This gives the chickens a good amount of natural light which will help wake them up in the winter. We drilled a hole through the back wall which leads directly into a shed that has electricity so we are just running an extension cord for the heat lamp and the light. The same folks who gave us the roofing material also gifted us 2 6-panel solid wood doors. These were taken apart into nice little pieces of wood that formed the nest boxes. We still have a lot of the wood from the doors left over and will possibly use them to make some small planters. We bought a dowel rod because I had heard that some chickens are picky about their perch although lots of people use 2×4’s without incident. Go figure that I would get picky chickens though.  At the end we buried the chicken wire about 9 inches to deter digging predators. It’s hard to tell in the photos but once the coop was up I planted some rosemary, lavender, daisy’s and other flowers and vegetables in front of the coop; I will update in the summer when the plants have grown in a bit. Something you might consider now is looking around on Craigslist for possible structures that could be incorporated into your coop. Look in the “Free” and “Barter” categories and use search terms like; “used lumber”, “windows”, “free supplies”, “panel door.” We hope we have inspired you to begin making the idea of having backyard chickens a reality.

More Resources:
I love the Mother Earth News Publication and website and believe all the information needed can be found right on their site. Including a guide to different chicken breeds, articles on how to raise chickens in your backyard and portable mini coop plans.

If you must buy a book about raising your own chickens then check out these books here:

• Keeping Chickens: The Essential Guide
• Raising Chickens For Dummies
• Chicken Coops: 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock

Here’s a chicken coop that can be purchased online:

• Chicken Coop, Portable, for 4 to 6 hens

Cost was a huge factor for us when we decided to raise chicks. We were able to build our coop with mostly reclaimed materials and some things we already had on hand. We’re excited about raising chickens in the backyard and can hardly wait to get our first eggs. Our plan is to share our experience of raising chickens in our backyard so we’ve added a new category so you can keep up with us and share any information you have as well so stay tuned! For now, here are some photos of our chicks on the first day we got them (left) and our chicken coop made with nearly 100 % reclaimed materials and you can now see the chicks in their new home and they are growing feathers.

 

I signed up for an account, uploaded some pics of things I’m not in need of anymore and sent out my first trade today. My package is on its way to Bellingham, WA and it contains cloth diapers and a few special items for a new mama. In return I’m getting a $50 iTunes card. Sweet! So if you want to do some swapping yourself while you are lounging at home then head on over to SwapMamas.com. But you don’t have to be a mama to find something there. Even the papas have a special little place. Be sure to check for your local SwapMama group so you can keep things even cleaner by staying local.

Just a heads up. I think the site is pretty new and it does have a few awkward kinks. If you post desirable items and get a lot of response it can be somewhat overwhelming as the commenting/messaging system doesn’t flow very well. So if you get frustrated don’t worry, it’s not just you. Just take it easy and don’t worry about making an immediate trade. Just wait until you see something that really works for you.

Composting does not have to be difficult and you don’t need anything fancy to do it. You can leave your scraps in a pile and add dry lawn debris on to the top. You don’t even have to turn it. It will take much longer for the pile to turn to compost but it will eventually, probably within the year. So if you aren’t in a hurry for soil but you want to cut down on your garbage waste just start a compost pile. No big deal right?

If you aren’t into the look of a pile and just can’t seem to get over it then read about this inexpensive and homemade composter.

What I found were soldier fly larvae. The flies lay their eggs on top of the compost pile and the larvae feed on the nitrogen rich scraps that most kitchen compost has. The larvae helps break down the material into compost even faster than it would on it’s own so they aren’t a danger to the compost pile. The flies won’t invade your personal living space, just don’t keep the pile too close to your house.

The photo to the right is the picture of my compost pile with the larvae. The day I found them there were so many more soldier fly larvae and when I returned the next day to take a picture I could only find a few. I’m guessing the larvae traveled further down into the pile but I am hoping I didn’t disturb them too much.

There are some websites out there that explain how soldier fly larvae are used for bio-composting and vermicomposting. Some people are even calling soldier fly larvae ‘green technology.’ Sort of interesting that the best technology is the technology that humans didn’t invent.

Here is an article about soldier fly larvae and the compost pile from our very own University of Oregon

I stumbled across a compost blog and although the blog isn’t full of composting tips and facts, it did have some rather simple gardening techniques that were practical and down to earth. The homemade compost tumbler really caught my eye. I’ve yet to make one since I am just starting my compost pile here at this house. While my past attempts at composting have been unsuccessful, I am trying again and planning to put forth just a bit more effort.

One of the other good bits of information I found on this particular compost blog where the homemade compost tumbler was originally posted was that if you aren’t in a hurry for soil, just throw your green compost in a heap and alternate the layers with brown compost (i.e. leaves, dry grass, etc.) In a year or so you’ll have soil. It doesn’t have to be perfect…it just takes time if you don’t apply the science for speedy compost material. So for now I’ll just be the not-in-a-giant-hurry composter. I’ll be keeping an eye out for some garbage cans that I can turn into homemade compost tumblers and I’ll let you know how it works for me. If you get to it first be sure to let us know how it goes.

Here is how I was able to dry my organic lettuce quickly, from start to finish.

We grew heirloom Rocky Top Lettuce Mix from www.rareseeds.com. This is the type of lettuce that does not grow back so when I harvest it I pull it up by the roots and gently shake off the excess dirt so it stays in the garden.  Before I place it in our bowl I cut the roots off and keep them in a pile to add to the compost later.

Next, I fill a clean sink with cold water and place all the lettuce in the water. Swish, swish and then I take the leaves of lettuce out and lay them on a towel that is layed flat on the counter. When I’ve gotten all of the lettuce out of the sink I place a folded up kitchen towel in the bottom of a large bowl and I place all of the lettuce in the bowl with the cut ends down.

Leave the bowl of lettuce sitting out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes and when you return it will be as dry as a salad spinner would get it. Now you can put your bounty in the fridge to keep for your next meal. I like to keep mine in a reusable produce bag.

Placing all of the lettuce in the bowl with cut ends down may seem like a big organizing task but it isn’t. And not every piece has to be lined up perfectly, just getting them vertical for the most part will drain the water down into the kitchen towel.

Do you have any tips on cleaning garden produce that tends to yield more soil than is desired? Share them here in the comments.

A friend had pointed me in the direction of Rookiemoms.com where I found her post  ‘How to Make Baby Pants or Toddlers Shorts from Tee Shirts.’ Of course I loved the idea but I didn’t jump on the opportunity right away but I did collect some t-shirts and tank tops for a couple of weeks and then I hopped on the sewing machine.

This is super quick and easy tutorial. Repurposing t-shirts into baby pants or toddler shorts is a smart and simple way to save money and recycle material that you already have on hand. You don’t even need anything fancy or much sewing experience at all.

I took some pics of the first shorts I made for Annie but Sammy ran off with the camera for his evening mountain biking ride. I’ll post them soon.

Here are the pictures of my first pair of shorts. Sorry for the color variations…I started cutting early in the day and finished the pants later after dinner. All in a day’s work.

I learned about companion planting back when I was working retail nursery selling plants and helping people figure

out their landscapes. It started with beneficial flowers and then I learned more about putting certain plants together that complimented each other either with growing habits or the fact that they just like each other.

For example, we have our strawberry bed dotted with heads of lettuce. And our melon mound is edged in lettuce also. Since lettuce doesn’t have a sprawling growth habit like strawberries and melons do they work great together. Cilantro is planted in between the climbing cucumber plants and basil is planted beneath the tomato vines. Companion planting is a wonderful way to add more variety to your garden and fill in spots where another of the same variety may not have room all while giving your organic plants a better chance at producing more and staying insect free. (okay, well….at least you won’t have to share all of your produce with the insects.)

Rather than making a list of companion plants I am simply going to direct you to a site that I think has the best list of companion plants and beneficial insects.

If you have any questions about companion planting or beneficial insects go ahead and post your question here. Happy planting.

We nearly ruined our garden this year with the thought of using a rototiller. We looked upon the earth we had available for vegetable gardening and felt overwhelmed by the amount of weeds and the time it would take to clean the space by hand. Thankfully we used our good gardening instincts and started weeding by hand. As we dove into the project, each shovel overturned a handful of earthworms. I’m sure we lost a few worms to our hand-tilling with a shovel but had we opted for the rototiller, we would have had mass casualties.

At this point in gardening education, most people know that earthworms have a very beneficial purpose. They aerate the soil which is sort of like a natural tilling process, they break down organic matter and they leave behind fertile worm castings.

There is even more organic matter in your soil that you may not be aware of. Mychorrizae or beneficial fungi that live near and on the roots of plants. These symbiotic fungi allow the plant to increase nutrient uptake.

When a gardener plows the earth with a rototiller, these two very beneficial organisms; earthworms and mychorrizae, are destroyed…all in the name of adding organic matter. Is that irony or what?

Some tips for hand-tilling:

Get a good pair of gloves with rubber lining.
Have a good spade shovel on hand.
Give yourself the time you need. (Hand tilling will take longer but will save you money and give you richer soil)
Shake off the soil from the weeds you are pulling.
Get yourself one of the handy-dandy hand ‘rakes’ I have in this picture. It really helps separate the roots from the soil so you keep more soil in the garden.

Hand-tilling can be so rewarding when you are all done. It really gets you close to the earth you will be using to grow your food in. I think it’s also more effective in eradicating more weeds than rototilling with a machine.

Remember that sometimes organic gardening means not spending money on organic soil supplements but spending time doing things by hand in your garden. Also keep in mind that using chemical fertilizers and pesticides damages the delicate balance of garden soil also. Always use organic fertilizers that support healthy soil.