Thursday, June 30, 2011

home for hens

we started building the coop before we got the ladies as day-olds. it has been a slow project and also encompassed getting the trees removed and the new fence put up, as seen in a previous post. The coop began with a set of plans we bought for "the garden coop". we began building it in the garage where it would be quieter for the neighbors and more discreet. of course, there was hardly any room...





in the background of this shot, in the center, you can see where the coop site is- pre fence and pre leaves.


after the fence went up we brought the frame out and put it in place





later, the corrugated plastic roof and hardware cloth went up. hardware cloth is the small wire mesh to keep all predators out. it encloses them from top to bottom- on the ceiling and dug into the ground.








the coop itself- where they sleep and lay eggs- is now build of plywood with wood shelf siding. The inside still needs to be completed but the addition of a gutter was a final touch to this side- using pipe parts from the disassembling of the old boiler.


Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Monday, June 27, 2011

flowers and veggies

The veggie garden got off to a slow start with alot of rain and new mystery pests that chopped all new growth back. But as the season went on, the garden starting growing faster and the insects and mice couldn't catch up. (or the caterpillars all turned into moths.)

The veggies and some flowers started their lives as seeds inside at 49 ocean-












they finally made the big move outdoors before and around mother's day.


garlic- in the front is garlic from drumlin farm compared to a couple of local farmer's markets- it is much bigger! not sure what variety they are...


snap peas, peppers and various onions

tomatoes, basil, onions and hops growing up the back fence.

cucumbers, broccoli and a beer trap for slugs

beans!

cucumber flower


buttercups by the compost

sage

beautybush

some agastache that was grown from seed

the "meadow" is coming along- gaura, baptisia and grasses...

lupine

gas plant

columbine

thread-lead bluestar

miss kim lilac

chives and purple fennel


later in the season....blueberries!