Chook Yard Makeover

Having removed three old chook sheds (see previous posts) I have worked to exhaustion for some weeks to give the area a bit of a makeover. It is still in progress and moves slowly but I thought you might like to see it so far.

 The old sheds are gone.

 I was left with a mountain of 40 year old chook poo.

 I am now making a sunken vege patch. Luke and Alex helped me plant pumpkins and sunflowers today. Luke (below) is pointing to where we planted the pumpkin seeds. After I had planted the corn and planted enough beans elsewhere, and allowed room for pumpkins near the corn, I read about "the three sisters" cropping from South America - corn with beans climbing the plants and underplanted with pumpkin to keep the soil cool. What a good idea! Maybe I'll plant more beans when the corn is tall enough to take them (15 cm).

 I have also planted silverbeet, tomatoes (thanks Helen & Bob), rhubarb, eggplants, rosemary cuttings. I am also chook-proofing the garden so that I can strip feed the chooks. I am engineering the mesh fence so that I can move it as needed. The chooks should be able to dig over empty bits of vege patch if I manage it all correctly.

In fact I am planting any hungry plants that I will actually eat (or the chooks will eat). So if you have any ideas for hungry plants please let me know. I am slowly digging out chook poo to take to the block or stockpile for home so am keeping it dry under the sheets of metal so it is easier to handle. If you would like to dig your own just make a date to do so.

Endnote: we put in the wooden paling fence soon after we bought our house in 1971. We had a working bee with friends - probably Dad as well. That makes it a pretty old fence. If the neighbour wants a new one I guess I can do that but he seems to have solved his problems with corrugated iron sheets.