hen haven

Posted on October 12, 2024 by kathy

Our chooks have always had plenty of room to forage and scratch and play and, well, do what chooks do. Part of their run was completely enclosed and safe from predators and a larger area was fenced but otherwise open.

We had thought about enclosing the whole area for a while, mainly to keep the ornery sparrows from stealing the chook food, and finally tackled the mammoth project after visitations from raptors with eyes on our girls. The first task was to remove the huge native pittosporum, a favourite hotel for the sparrows and far too big to retain within the new run.

We proceeded with hole digging and post erecting,

and it wasn’t long before we realised the need to allow the girls to roam and shut them out of the work space. They were just a little too helpful.

Unfortunately, they make a terrible mess of any tidy garden space, something I had to ignore until the end of our mission.

Once the boundary posts were in, we added the support beams

before continuing with the central posts and beams.

Next came the tricky part – the roof.

Accompanied by minor swearage, we manhandled the first section of wire into place and secured it, feeling inspired to carry on.

We soon finished the roof and used netting clips to join the sections.

Rather than purchase a lightweight aluminium screen door from a local retailer, we sourced a solid steel model from the salvage yard at a quarter of the price. By the time we sprayed a coat of primer, spent hours painting two coats of colorbond and fixed the bird wire, I’m not sure the effort:reward ratio was favourable but it serves its purpose.

Once the wire sides were completed,

we removed the original boundary fence line and relocated the grazing cages inside the new run.

A place to shelter from inclement weather,

climbing frame

and seesaw completed the new enclosure.

We created a new border where the original fence line came down, added mulch, planted a few Kangaroo Paws and re-seeded the lawn area.

And planted two apple trees in the new yard. The chooks are wondering – what’s next?

ponderous project

Posted on June 15, 2024 by kathy

When we first viewed our property (fifteen years ago), we were impressed with the pond and the rather large goldfish inhabitants. Michael landscaped the area with rocks and plants and created a smaller top pond, adding a cascade for completion. It is a lovely, peaceful setting to gaze upon from the kitchen window

but Michael has lamented the ever present algae due, in part, to the lack of water depth and more recently the obvious presence of a leak in the liner.

Deciding on a pre-formed pond rather than replacing the liner, we set about the project we had been procrastinating on for months. The first job was to create easy access by relocating the pot pond and trimming plants.

The pond plants and surrounding rocks were removed to expose the liner

before I donned the appropriate outfit to bucket out the water which Michael diligently distributed around the garden (we were having a very dry summer).

We pulled the old liner out (which did, indeed, have an obvious split)

and tried the new pond for size.

Hoping to not encounter tree roots, the digging commenced.

With periodic fittings, and no underground impediments, the site was ready.

With a trailer load of sand on standby, the base was prepared

and the pond lined with plastic to protect it from the river stones.

Once levelled,

the task of packing the sand around the outside began. Between us, we came up with an ingenious plan to convey the sand into the tight spaces – a funnel made from a chook feed bag and a ring of builders strapping.

It worked brilliantly.

We had been advised to pack some sand, then fill some water and repeat in stages to avoid distortion of the pond shell.

The river stones from the old pond had been saved and I spent some time sorting them

while Michael repotted the plants.

The fish were returned to their new home, along with the plants

and a new cascade perfected the picture.

We then set about filling in the top pond,

and after some further landscaping,

declared the project finished.

grand greenhouse

Posted on October 14, 2023 by kathy

Although our veggie patch is prolific through summer, it tends to be somewhat limited once the colder months descend. After much contemplation, we took the plunge and ordered a greenhouse last February.

We chose a site adjacent to the vegetable enclosure with the potting shed and running water close by.

We have found that self-build is not always the easy option, with dubious instructions and missing pieces and so, we relied on those with prior experience. Even so, it took a little longer than the one day allocated to finish but the result was worth it.

We brought in a couple of scoops of earth for the base followed by a layer of blue metal to assist with drainage and a topping of mulch that can be watered down to increase humidity.

Michael constructed a staging shelf out of reclaimed timbers

and we bought raised beds to fill the rest of the space. Once we realised how high the temperature reaches, we installed a sunshade on the northern side.

A temporary trestle provided the perfect environment to cure the butternuts in May. I then store them on a shelf high in the potting shed where they last for a good six months.

To help with temperature control, we added louvres to one of the panels and Michael cunningly created a screen to keep out creepy crawlies and resident reptiles.

Being in the apprentice stage of greenhouse gardening, we weren’t sure which plants would be successful. We started with brassicas, beetroot, carrot, onion, capsicum, butternut and bush bean.

The first broccoli was very impressive and, three months on, we are still harvesting smaller florets.

The capsicum are thriving but yet to bear fruit.

The bush bean and butternut are happy companions, we have harvested some beans but will have to be patient for the butternuts.

We have a plethora of seedlings ready to plant in another week or so, once the night time temperatures are a little more moderate.

My first attempt at striking Grevilleas from cuttings seems to be successful,

and after many months of coddling, the avocado stones have finally sprouted.

Michael has turned on the tap of creative juices once again and presented me with a stylish trug to collect the harvest

as well as a bespoke egg collecting box (the girls are giving us 5 to 6 eggs a day).

Of course, I needed a keyring befitting a fine greenhouse.

renewable rain

Posted on August 19, 2023 by kathy

There is a belief that it rains all the time in Tasmania. This is a myth. We have four distinct seasons and hot, dry summers just like any other city on the 41^st parallel (Rome, for example). Our rural paradise is reliant on rain for water supply, although we have a spring fed dam that services the garden. We soon realised the original 13,500 litre tank would not suffice and replaced it with a 15,000 litre

and two 10,000 litre tanks cunningly concealed between two sheds.

Last summer was particularly dry and the tank levels were worryingly low (we actually had to buy water to fill the tanks in 2020). We decided to add another 15,000 litre tank to the arsenal before the winter rains. After receiving two very prompt quotes, we set about preparing the base. As the tanks are linked to fill in unison, the trick was to have the level precise so all would reach capacity together. We started with a frame

and filled it with earth.

In came a couple of cubic metres of crusher dust

followed by a trip to the hire shop for some fun with a wacker packer.

We filled and packed in increments, making sure the base was level after each addition.

Of course, Poppy was on hand to oversee the project.

A soaking to settle the dust

and we covered our masterpiece to protect it from tree detritus and big-footed nocturnal creatures.

I would like to point out that I did participate in the physical labour, not just lounge around drinking beer and taking photos. Two weeks later, our tank arrived right on schedule.

Fortunately, the driver had access to a paddock for a very proficient three-point turn of the 19 metre truck and trailer.

He parked alongside the prepared base

and assured us it would just take a push to land it in place.

He was right!

Some minor manhandling positioned it perfectly.

The driver went on his way to the next delivery

and, with strong winds forecast, we took the precaution of securing the tank with ropes.

A few days later, the plumber completed the installation

and we are now confident that 50,000 litres will see us through summer.

I can’t recommend Orion Tanks highly enough. From the timely response to my initial enquiry through the website to the seamless delivery that went without a hitch. The driver was amazing, very professional and instilled great confidence and ability. If you’re in the market for a rainwater tank, be sure to contact Orion.

veggie patch revamp

Posted on February 18, 2023 by kathy

When we created our veggie patch, we used reclaimed hardwood roof trusses to make the raised beds, thinking they would outlast our time here. Eleven years of Tasmanian weather proved us wrong and the timber was starting to rot, the screws were no longer holding and the boxes developed all sorts of twists and turns.

After weeks of mulling over possible solutions, we came up with the idea of reinforcing each box using metal sheeting on the inside. Our local Colorbond supplier was very helpful. We gave them the measurements of each piece required and they cut them from ends of rolls that would otherwise have been discarded (at a reasonable price). After digging away the soil at the edges,