the daydream fund challenge thread

soupdragon10

lostinrates wrote: »

I'm having raised beds for the days now, and probably longer in the future, that I can't get down to tend to non raised beds:o e.g. Sunday I was pretty useless (saturday I was unstoppable!).

Raising them with....well....we have LOADS of junk here, including cement and breeze blocks. Rather than fill a skip and landfill with them we're going to make the raise bed walls out of them we have decided. Stout enough to take the pressure, not to need preservative in future years and laid allowing drainage gaps. And broad enough to perch a broad bottom on when tired or enjoying the view.

(the non complete blocks we're going to keep for the planting shelf in the big pond for reeds and pretty stuff)

Soil....over there is more clay-y. Its not too heavy a clay, by the time its been improved it will be...um...well...cracking but it does stick to the boot after rain as it is. Also, I'm pretty sure it will be rocky there.....an added addition of the farmers' that go before us here

I'd thought along the lines of blocks for raised beds as like you I need to sit to weed / plant etc. and felt that this could offer a sturdier and more durable solution rather than sleepers. Was thinking of a 3 block high wall all around the bed, with perhaps the odd drainage gap, we have pretty heavy clay, so this will also allow us to improve the drainage needed for crops.

I also thought about building a semi portable chicken ark which could sit inside the walls, so the chooks could both clear out the ground, and manure at the same time not sure how practical this would be, am only at the thinking stage on this at the moment.

alfie_1

Rummer wrote: »

Oh and I have chicken manure and wondered when that should be applied to the soil? I was thinking about doing it soon but thought the nutrients might be washed away with the rain.

hi, iv been putting the chook poo/woodshavings mix , every time iv cleaned them out, on the raised beds throughout the winter. i just lay it on the top and soon i will dig them over for the 1st time. i get very good results ! i never dig IN manua [had complete block on how to spell that???] in the winter ,just lay it on top till needed.
i got to tidy up various areas yesterday and had a good bonfire so feel iv started...!
iv re carpeted my bathroom today, cleared all the c**p out of my verandah [ i say im not putting anything ie c**p, in there but it seems to just fill up again and again....
i went to the garage i bought my kangoo van from today too, to see what id get/what it will cost me to part exchange now as the vans almost 3 years old. having been "bribed" with various "just for you" discounts i was offered the princely sum of £2,700 for my van !!! only got 35,000 on the clock, all xtras when i got it, very clean and un-hammered... makes me wonder if its worth exchanging it at all !!
i never understand how/why there is such a huge difference after 3 years?? thats = 25% of original cost !!!
any one have a favourite make/model of van if i jump ship to another model.???.. i do like the kangoo tho, like a tardis !!

lostinrates

soupdragon10 wrote: »

I also thought about building a semi portable chicken ark which could sit inside the walls, so the chooks could both clear out the ground, and manure at the same time not sure how practical this would be, am only at the thinking stage on this at the moment.

How many chickens do you want and do you want to free range them or not?

For us, the benefits of free range out weigh runs but we can, and do, opt to pen them sometimes..e.g. when we have very tiny chicks reared by their own mothers or when we want to contain them on or keep them off an area. (useful in the mild weather to ensure they get about, not peck over the same areas, to minimise parasite risks.)

How you want to keep them will dictate the best sort of housing/set up (and come to that narrow the field of chicken types as well!)

soupdragon10

Initially I was thinking of rescuing some ex battery hens - have a very large hutch type thing that they could go in initially to get used to where they were, then give them the run of the indoor part of the pen, and finally open the gate where they would have access to about 20 x 10 piece of fenced ground.

Long term I would like to get some Buff Orpingtons again, but don't want to go down this road for a while and I hope that 3? rescued hens would probably provide enough eggs for the three of us for the week (I generally buy a dozen a week and usually get through these. Would 3 hens be enough? or would I need more as they would be past their best laying?

rhiwfield

Rummer wrote: »

My garlic arrived today yay! Now just to check I know that you separate the bulbs into their cloves and plant each clove separately but do you need to wait for the cloves to sprout? How deep do you plant them?

Rummer, get them in asap, dont wait for them to sprout. I normally put them in 2" deep.

lostinrates

soupdragon10 wrote: »

Initially I was thinking of rescuing some ex battery hens - have a very large hutch type thing that they could go in initially to get used to where they were, then give them the run of the indoor part of the pen, and finally open the gate where they would have access to about 20 x 10 piece of fenced ground.

Long term I would like to get some Buff Orpingtons again, but don't want to go down this road for a while and I hope that 3? rescued hens would probably provide enough eggs for the three of us for the week (I generally buy a dozen a week and usually get through these. Would 3 hens be enough? or would I need more as they would be past their best laying?

Were adding some buff orpingtons to our flock this year

I haven't had ex batts for a long while, and you plan with them sounds good (we found they were a bit agoraphobic and I rushed them too much:o:o) Not sure how well they lay, but starting with three sounds good, you can add in others if you find its not enough for you.

Rummer

rhiwfield wrote: »

Rummer, get them in asap, dont wait for them to sprout. I normally put them in 2" deep.

Thank you for that! I had ordered them online and was just waiting till they got here. Should I also get the shallots in or is it a bit early? Oh and how many cloves should I put in each tyre pile?

alfie_1

soupdragon10 wrote: »

Initially I was thinking of rescuing some ex battery hens - have a very large hutch type thing that they could go in initially to get used to where they were, then give them the run of the indoor part of the pen, and finally open the gate where they would have access to about 20 x 10 piece of fenced ground.

Long term I would like to get some Buff Orpingtons again, but don't want to go down this road for a while and I hope that 3? rescued hens would probably provide enough eggs for the three of us for the week (I generally buy a dozen a week and usually get through these. Would 3 hens be enough? or would I need more as they would be past their best laying?

ex battery hens will take a while to strengthen up and same for thier eggs. they are only usually 1 year old and have a few years left in them. its only the intensity of thier 1st year that ends up with thinner shells which is what the supermarkets dont want, thus the changeover the battery farms have...
dont expect too much from them at 1st as thier whole system has to adjust, they rarely just trot off pecking around happily.. they could well not even want to come out of thier house at first. they will not tolerate damp or draughts... dont let this put you off as it is worthwhile just to know you have given them a second chance. i would double your numbers tho to allow for possible fatalities.
the more SAFE freedom they can have the better they "do".
hope this helps and welcome to this site.

rhiwfield

Rummer wrote: »

Thank you for that! I had ordered them online and was just waiting till they got here. Should I also get the shallots in or is it a bit early? Oh and how many cloves should I put in each tyre pile?

I normally plant garlic about 6" apart in a grid pattern. Onion sets I give a bit more room, and plant early March, but I've never grown shallots so someone else will have to answer

soupdragon10

alfie_1 wrote: »

ex battery hens will take a while to strengthen up and same for thier eggs. they are only usually 1 year old and have a few years left in them. its only the intensity of thier 1st year that ends up with thinner shells which is what the supermarkets dont want, thus the changeover the battery farms have...
dont expect too much from them at 1st as thier whole system has to adjust, they rarely just trot off pecking around happily.. they could well not even want to come out of thier house at first. they will not tolerate damp or draughts... dont let this put you off as it is worthwhile just to know you have given them a second chance. i would double your numbers tho to allow for possible fatalities.
the more SAFE freedom they can have the better they "do".
hope this helps and welcome to this site.

Thanks for this. The only ex batts I've had were already aclimatised to free ranging. Fortunately the shelter is very dry - earth floor is completely dry in spite of all the recent rain. I think this plus putting them in the huge hutch will hopefully make them feel secure, then I'll just gradually leave the door open during the day, but make sure they go in at night.

What did you feed yours when you first got them?