Mobile Hen Enclosures - Fitting Them To Your Needs

I'm really a fan of the farmers who make or purchase those mobile hen enclosures that you see on youtube.  They look similar to the following image:

Now there are several reasons to like these enclosures:

• Hens get fresh air and fresh food daily (new day = new spot)
• New fresh spot means that it is free of hen droppings accumulating over several days/weeks
• They are fertilizing each new patch of land day by day
• The little guys get to travel (hey, they don't have facebook, so let them live a little)

Most folks who live in rural areas who dream of farming may be on the verge of getting some chickens. Does that sound like you? If so, you may wonder about the expense of either purchasing or acquiring a large commercial hen enclosure like the one shown above.

The trick with farming is to ease your way into it. Start out small and take baby steps, just like in What About Bob...

Recently I was at an open house (open farm?) over at Squash Hollow Farm in New Milford, CT. The owners, Austin and Kendra Martin, are very nice folks who have also eased into farming and have really done things right. If you are in or around the New Milford, CT area you should really drop by and get to see what they have been able to do.

What really encouraged me was how they used some conventional ideas but innovated them to work for their specific needs. Here is a quick example: They wanted to have an enclosure for some of the hens that were not quite full grown, however building a monster sized mobile enclosure was over kill.  Instead, look at what they created to fit their needs:

This is two views of the same pen. It is small enough to drag around easily, while having plenty of room for the little ladies to play in the sun, or sneak inside if they like. Fresh food for the chicks, and fresh fertilizer for the lawn, what could be better?

This is just one clever example of what any homeowner could put together in their spare time, without having to necessarily spend a fortune on a gigantic hen enclosure.

Choose Your Watering Containers Wisely

My Cup Poureth Over

Most folks use a hose to water the garden, while some folks prefer to use a watering bucket of some kind. It depends primarily on what watering methods you have available. It also depends on how mature your garden is. If you just have little seedlings barely starting to peek out of the ground, then you may want to desist from blasting them with a fire hose.

I prefer using a watering bucket as well as smaller clear glass containers. Now, granted, this is a little more work, but in my case time is less of an issue whereas getting extra sunshine (Vitamin D) and exercise is much more desirable.

There are several reasons why I like to use both types. Here are the reasons why I like to use the big plastic watering bucket for part of my watering:

• More volume - I can water much more with the larger watering bucket.
• It seems to be the best fit for the larger, more mature plants like tomatoes and peppers.
• It has a built in sprinkler spout for watering over blanketed plants like lettuce and arugula.

That being said, there are a few reasons why I also like the smaller bottles as well:

• They are glass vs plastic. (Since I use both, this makes a weaker argument in court.)
• The glass containers will warm up quicker than plastic if you leave them out in the sun prior to watering.
• The are F-F-F-F-FREEEEEEEEEE!  (Now, that's sustainable!)
• They are easier to handle for small children, whom you may be teaching.
• When you use glass, you have re-purposed the bottle that initially contained your vinegar, etc. (Less Carbon footprint, good job!)

Below is an example of a few of my glass watering bottles:

Displayed here are 4 used 16.9 ounce bottles of delicious Spectrum's Organic Balsamic Vinegar and a 32 ounce bottle the famously delicious Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar.

Notice that the bottle to the left has the little plastic topper so that the water will come out slowly, which takes longer, but will not damage tiny plants, like the very young arugula in the background. The bottle to the right has no plastic topper, so water will gush out more quickly. This is better if you need to put out a fire or if you are trying to finish up before your favorite show comes on, but you need to be careful with smaller plants. You can shake it back and forth a little to soften the blow.

There's no comparing the large bucket (left) the the little bottles.  Display next to the 2 gallon bucket are 4 16.9 ounce bottles (call it 2 quarts) and a 1 quart bottle (Bragg's). All 5 little bottles represents on three eighths of the big bucket.

Why would you ever use both? One thing to think about is when the kids want to help you in the garden. You use the big bucket, but then let them use a smaller bottle with a topper on it.  Try to find bottles small enough for them to get their hand around. The 32 oz bottle shown with no plastic topper might not be good for a really young child as they will have to two hand it, thus possibly obscuring their field of vision (partially) meaning that they might be over-watering smaller plants.

In conclusion: You need to consider which watering methods are best for you. Hopefully this short article wil have given you some helpful ideas. Also, every glass bottle or jar that you hold on to for plant watering represents one bottle that will not need to go visit a landfill. That's another reason to feel good inside.

Got Ticks? Do This One Thing To Shield Yourself

Got Ticks?                                    

There is nothing dear about our adversary, the deer tick, or his related buddies. Many people spray and utilize other means to resist them (like moving to the Bronx). However, what are some less extreme measures than spraying chemicals? (I like the Bronx.) You may find yourself enjoying the great outdoors in a place where you are not the property owner, and hence have less control over the tick control. Should you armor up like IRON MAN?

You could. People might think you are a bit touched though.

Example of Tick Control Overkill.

Here is one simple tip, and it works.  It may come across as slightly less than cool, but I mean, how cool is getting Lyme Disease? Simply tuck your pants into your socks. (Ankle socks won't work.) This works well because Mr Ticky can't seem to penetrate the sock/pant leg barrier. (Remember, Mr Ticky isn't packing a huge brain.) However under normal circumstances Mr Ticky can become Mr Tricky (Mr Slicky) and sneak right up your leg when the pant leg is exposed. Not good.

Now, as a guy who does this in my backyard garden, the hand me down boots from a friend's high school kid and my Wal-Mart socks are fine.  Style is not an issue.  If you are a kid though, have one of your parents do it, so that you look less uncool. If a bunch of people are all doing it on a hike, then you become the cool majority. If you are under 10 years of age that last sentence will probably mean nothing to you. That's actually a good thing.

In conclusion: Tuck in your pants! In less time than it took to read this blog you could have protected you and your kids.

Don't throw away the root end of your produce, it can be regrown! - Part 4 - Celery

Regrow Celery

This final posting is just to prove to you that you can also regrow celery, it's just a little slower of a process. Green onions will grow back in a week, Romaine lettuce takes longer, whereas Leeks will take longer still. Celery on the other hand seems to be in no real hurry.

Simply take the root portion and place it in water at first. You will see a little growth soon enough. (Please use filtered water.) Once the plant looks like it really has decided to work with you then plant it in soil.  Now, don't promise the kids when it will be done, simply forget about it for a while.

This is after a few weeks of regrowth. Notice how the new growth shoots out of the center. The existing stalk material is not regrown. It is old and unappreciated. No wonder celery has such attitude!

Don't throw away the root end of your produce, it can be regrown! - Part 3 - Romaine Lettuce

Regrow Romaine Lettuce

How many times have you cut up a head of Romaine, gobbled up the good part, and then tossed the remaining parts? 

Have you ever heard about, tried or maybe considered replanting the root to see what happens? It actually works! A root is even better than a seed, because it is the seed after it did a lot of work. By the way, the root never stops working, even on weekends. People replant all the time with green onions.

I usually start a Romaine root off in water, for convenience, but then i quickly move it over to soil.  The water is convenient because when I am cutting up lettuce, and thus eating food, I do not want to be playing with dirt too. Here's why I like soil better though for long term benefit:

• Water has only two basic nutrients, Oxygen and Hydrogen, with trace amounts of other minerals.
• Tap water, as opposed to well water may also contain Chlorine and Fluorine, both in highly toxic amounts.
• Soil has many of the plant specific nutrients ready to go. (I never use Miracle Grow or other things like that, but you do what you are comfortable with.)

Note: If you have a well  or public water, please always take the time to filter your plant water first, just like you would if you were drinking the water yourself, because eventually, if you think about it, you will be. 

This is a from a Romaine root that is a few weeks old. Notice that it is unbelievably tasty and crisp. It is outside, but not in a garden. It is in a pot right by my front door. If you plant lettuce in an un-fenced garden, then every woodchuck in town will receive a text message that "there be lettuce". When they are done with it the plant will still be rooted, but will look like it was weed whacked. See, even animals believe in re-purposing.

Here is a shot of several roots at work in different stages of growth. The two in the front right were planted the same day, where as the leafier ones are a few weeks old. That is FREE FOOD! Notice too that although the plants are indoors, I have them right by a South facing window with plenty of light.

In Conclusion

This is not only a great way to save a few dollars, but it is enriching as well. Plus, never discount the positive effect that several small green plants can have on a person's physiology inside a closed up home in the dead of winter.  Those little guys pump out the oxygen 24/7.  You should notice a higher level of energy, etc. Plus, rumor has it that the body actually enjoys seeing the color green as often as possible.

So why should you spend money on plants, and then more money on food, when instead you can regrow lettuce and have your free plants become your free food?

Don't throw away the root end of your produce, it can be regrown! - Part 2 - Leeks

Regrow those Leeks

Ever cut up a huge leek, taken the good part, and then chuck the rest? Most folks do, but why shouldn't you? Here are two green ideas of how to re-purpose the tiny scraps:

• Compost
• Chicken feed (seriously, either your's or your neighbor's)

The better option however, could be to use the top green leafy parts as compost, ground cover or chicken feed, while taking the bottom white root part and replanting it. Whoa! You might think... "Replant it? Why would I do that?". The reason why most people don't do this isn't because they shouldn't. It is because nobody else does it. Is that a great reason? Please don't get me started... The food growers would hate if we all did this. However, there is really no good reason not to.
 
When you consider the price of produce you may start to see the wisdom to doing this. Sustainable produce. If you are like me and only buy organic food, then you can see the financial reason even more acutely as organic produce runs higher in price.

How To Replant Leek Roots

You can plant the roots in small containers. You can initially do this indoors of you like, if it is cold out. Tip: Don't skimp, The taller the root the faster the regrowth. Think of the root as the size of the 'growth engine' since that is exactly what it is.


What can you expect? All situations will vary based on light, heat, soil and most importantly, the replanted root size. Here are a few pictures of some of my replantings:

After only a few days in water. (Cat not included.)

You can see that after a few days I plant the root in soil (right). The leeks grow fast.  From seed they take 120 days, so you should see much quicker growth when starting with the engine (root) already built.

Eventually I plant these guys outside. The plant in the garden is substantially larger than the one in the previous picture, but it is not so easy to tell.  I will enjoy leeks from this plant all Spring, Summer and Fall as long as I just cut what I need. Uprooting it would end the golden goose. 

In conclusion, this can be a great little project for parent s and kids. You will get to see something positive for your efforts, save a little coin and bond with the little guys.

Don't throw away the root end of your produce, it can be regrown! - Part 1 - Green Onions

Regrow those Green Onions

How many times have you cut up a huge leek, taken the good part, and then tossed the remaining parts? What about with Romaine lettuce? At the very least, you should make some effort to re-purpose these scraps. Assuming that you do not live in a city, desert or condo, here are at least a few ways that they can be re-used with very little effort:

• Compost
• Chicken feed (seriously, either your's or your neighbor's)

However, if you want to spend only a few more minutes you can really get a lot more out of them by replanting the root portions. People do this all the time with green onions. With green onions you can just put them in a glass of water and they will grow back in about a week. There are just a few things that you need to remeber with green onions:

• The water needs to be changed once per day, or it gets toxic smelling
• Nutrition Factor

Green Onion Nutrition Factor

Water may seem like the easier approach when compared to planting the green onions in soil, however is is just about saving a few moments? Here is what needs to be understood:
Water will need to be changed every day, whereas soil will not. This means that while planting in soil may take a few more minutes, it is much lower maintenance in the long run.
Water alone isn't nearly as nutritious as soil for several possible reasons:

• Water has two basic nutrients, Oxygen and Hydrogen, with micro amounts of other minerals.
• Tap water, as opposed to well water may also contain Chlorine and Fluorine, both in ultra high amounts.
• Soil has all kinds of nutrients ready to go.

Whether you have well water or tap water, and whether you are using water alone or you are watering the soil, please always take the time to filter your plant water first, just like you would if you were consuming the water yourself, because eventually you will be. In addition, soil is easier to maintain, because you just snip and eat. The onion will keep growing. With onions in a glass of water, you have to take them out, cut them, stick them back, etc.

Don't Throw Away Those Wood Ashes - Part 2

In our last post Don't Throw Away Those Wood Ashes! - Part 1 - Soil Treatment we discussed the many key reasons for the application of wood ash on garden soil as a liming agent. In this next segment we will be discussing yet another very down to earth (so to speak) beneficial household use of common wood ash. That use is for cleaning dishes, pots and pans.

Note: In this article, we will not be talking about the use of a dish washer appliance, but the act of washing dishes by hand in the sink.

Does that seem at all strange to you? A little barbaric even? It shouldn't. These next few thoughts may be a real eye opener for you. Please read on.

Why it works

The main ingredient of wood ash is primarily calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate has a load of commercial and industrial uses from cement manufacturing to being a primary ingredient of cleaning products. It has lots of desirable qualities. BTW, when you mix some wood ash with water into a paste and then start scrubbing pots and pans with it you might be surprised as to how much the aroma resembles that of either Ajax or Comet cleansers.

Rumor has it that you can even make a paste made from calcium carbonate and de-ionized water which can then used to clean tarnish off of silver. Wood ash is about 25% calcium carbonate. You can even make your own lye out of wood ash if you know what you are doing. (It's work, but it's completely doable.)

Note to men, since women already know this: Since wood ash from the fireplace is unrefined and slightly abrasive, it may not be wise to use it to clean your antique china or expensive crystal wine glasses.

How Much Should I Use?

A little wood ash goes a long way. I usually sprinkle a little bit onto the sponge and then go to work. If I have a huge item like a pot or pan that needs commando level scrubbing, then I will pour a generous amount onto it so that the added water will make a paste; however, I try to only use what I need. Then I make sure that I have the items completely rinsed off. The calcium won't hurt you but the alkalinity can slightly raise your body pH and that may not be what you would want to do. BTW, the wood ash also does wonders for cleaning the tub.

Lastly, since the pH of wood ash is slightly alkaline, you may want to re-acidify your hands afterwards. Women a smart and wear gloves when washing dishes, however men are slightly more Klingon about it and think that nothing will hurt them. When my hands need a little acid I don't use any kind of store bought meds or lotions, I go right for some wet coffee grounds (which always seem to be in supply). I find that the wet coffee grounds provide me with immediate relief. (Of course, then I become wide awake while doing dishes which sucks the fun out of it...)

If you happen to take the family camping during the warmer months you may also be familiar with using the wood ashes to facilitate the cleaning of the cooking and eating utensils. When you do this, make sure to perform the cleaning at least 20 to 30 feet away from any bodies of water like streams or ponds.

Grossness Factor

Some folks may have a problem with this thinking that using 'dirty wood ash' is repugnant. Question: Ever go camping? Ever see campers use wood ash to clean dishes? Why is it okay then? Does standing on linoleum alter your perspective when you are indoors? it shouldn't. Get over it.

For the faint of heart, meaning when I have company, I have a small container of store bought dish detergent. This isn't so much to appease the conscience and/or sense of aesthetics of others, as it is to keep the machine wheels greases when company inevitably offers to do the dishes after dinner. Why make life (your life) any harder?

What are the Benefits?

I can think of two really big benefits:

• Free Cleaner
• No Chemicals

You can't beat the cost, it is literally free, when you consider that you are burning wood anyway. There is also the smaller benefit of having to make less trips to the trash can. (Yes!)

In addition, you are not subjecting your self, your spouse, your kids or your pets to the harmful chemicals in dish washing detergent. Have you noticed lately how dish washing detergent bottles don't always list the ingredients? Have you considered why this might be true? BTW, it's really difficult to attach a monetary value to this benefit, your health is priceless and so is your family's health.

What's the Downside?

Although we have already mentioned the "Freak-Out Factor" that some folks might have, it would help to maybe store the ashes in a non-threatening looking container, like a used spice shaker, for aesthetics sake. (Just don't pour ash flakes onto your cheese burger or pizza!)

Also, we touched on the fact that your skin needs to maintain a certain amount of acidity, so if you are not in the habit of wearing gloves when washing the dishes then you may want to re-acidify afterwards. This can be as simple as rubbing some wet coffee grounds onto your hands. This gives me immediate relief whenever my hands feel 'dried out'. and water is not usually enough to calm them since it is pH neutral.

Will the Wood Ash Hurt My Septic?

Why would it? How do you harm a septic to begin with? (Aside from huge super bowl parties or driving heavy equipment over them...) The way to kill a septic is to shut off its ability to quickly break down its contents. The way that you do that is by killing off the bacteria in the septic. The way that you do that is by adding chemicals, like bleach, ammonia and detergent.

Its really counter-intuitive, but dish washing soap is actually much more harmful to a healthy septic (yes, 'healthy') then wood ash residue. The detergent is full of chemicals that you wouldn't probably drink, so why would they be good for the septic bacteria? Wood ash is all natural and contains basically plant food and minerals. It will probably increase the over all health of the septic bacteria.

In Conclusion

My advice would be to start out slowly and ease into this. See what techniques that you can come up with on your own that have not been stated in this article and then please feel free to share your thoughts.

Also, have a bottle of detergent ready to go so company will not freak out. BTW, the company Earth Friendly Products makes a 100% natural dish washing detergent that you can get at the health food store. It's not cheap, but it is better for you and the environment than the typical bargain brand detergents. They also actually list the ingredients on their bottle since they have nothing to hide.

Don't forget: Wood ash is also both readily available and usually free. That's the word 'free' with an 'f'. You have to love the price. When we re-use wood ash either in the home or outside the home, as a liming agent for example, then we are guaranteed that we are saving our environment just a little more by not dumping them in a landfill where they will patiently have to wait it out for about a thousand years.

Thanks for taking the time to look at these last two articles. Please feel free to reply with any questions or concerns.

Don't Throw Away Those Wood Ashes! - Part 1 - Soil Treatment

If you live in the Northern part of the US like I do, then you may be a prodigious burner of wood during the winter. Wood is a great fuel source for several reasons:  

    1. It's inexpensive in comparison to electric heat as an example.
    2. It's much better for the environment than burning fossil fuel oil.
    3. The left over wood ash is a valuable resource as it has several practical uses.

I wanted to go over just one particular use for wood ashes at this time, which is for the organic gardeners and the bio-dynamic gardeners among us. This use is the application of wood ash to garden soil, as an alternative to using store bought bags of lime. BTW, this is something that I actually do, not just something that I thought would be nice to write about. Also, before we get started, let’s first mention that a level of common sense needs to enter the picture. I am going with the assumption that you are burning good clean wood and starting the fire with clean newspaper and/or clean cardboard.

Anything that is questionable, that you should not be burning, like plywood, pressure treated wood, painted wood, plastic, antelope carcasses, spaceship materials or plutonium would probably lessen the value of the wood ash. Therefore, we are going to make the assumption that you are fist of all burning responsibly.

Using Wood Ash on the Garden

We'll be discussing how you can use wood ash as opposed to lime in the next few sections. There is an awful lot of information online about this subject. You can get very specific details about how much of each mineral is in a typical pound of wood ash, etc.

It bears mentioning that while these statistics are readily available, all wood ashes are not equal. Hard woods and soft woods are very different. Also, local growing environments and conditions all affect the numbers. The bottom line however is that the wood contains pretty much everything that the tree needed to stay alive. The wood is an abundant source of minerals and even other plant foods, even after burning. The wood ash is a very high source of calcium. Wood ash is about a quarter calcium.

Why Use Wood Ash or Lime to Begin With?

Ancient cultures always used their wood ash from cooking as a soil additive. Think about it, what else could they do with it, make sheet rock? Many modern cultures still do this ceremoniously. But why did they do this? What were the scientific reasons?

You might think it was because they didn't have Miracle Grow. Well, they didn't but that isn't why. There are several reason, but here are the top two:

• Alkalinity
• Calcium

Let's first discuss alkalinity. You might be wondering:

Why must you raise the alkalinity, don't some plants like acidity?

Yes, many plants prefer a range of pH that is slightly more acidic than neutral. Also, plants differ as to their individual pH range requirements, but generally a slightly acidic soil pH will be enjoyed by your plants. That being said, rainwater causes some pH issues in garden soil. Unpolluted rainwater has a typical pH value of about 5.6, which is a result of something called carbonic acid. Since rain falls repeatedly the soil is being regularly acidified. If the rainwater is polluted the pH could even be much lower, to almost dangerous levels. Therefore, you may need to periodically add some form of 'liming' agent, like wood ash. Think of it as regular maintenance.

Since the soil in every gardening area can vary, you may decide to test your soil pH. that will let you know exactly where you are and then you can make the determination on whether or not to 'lime'. Most gardeners do some form of 'liming' every second or third year. It depends what the situation calls for. The next item is Calcium. You hear all kinds of wisdom about Potassium, Phosphorous and Nitrogen, but not nearly as much as Calcium. Why would your plants need Calcium? There are a few main reasons:

• cell wall development
• root and shoot growth
• proper enzyme activity
• proper metabolism
• nitrate uptake (nitrate is a usable form of nitrogen)
• physical strength in order to avoid pathogen attacks to cell walls

With all of those important reasons, it makes you wonder why there aren't the big four plant nutrients.

The best part is that wood ash is generally both readily available and inexpensive (free) if you are in the habit of burning wood throughout the winter months. Therefore, 'liming' your fields with wood ash is cost effective, biologically sound and a true expression of sustainable agriculture.

How To Do It

As you get the ashes, simply spread them out over your designated garden area. You do not need very much to make a valuable impact. You can even toss it out onto the snow if the ground is covered.

Also, always remember, never apply hot coals to the ground. Always make sure that the ashes have completely burnt out first.

In Conclusion

So, just like many other folks across the U.S. and abroad have been conditioned to do what everyone else does, and simply throw away all of the leaves raked from their yards, they also simply throw away all of their precious wood ash, right out into the trash!

You can do this too, it's certainly the path of least resistance. However, it is not sustainable. Just think what has to happen instead when you want to purchase lime. You need to get in the car, drive to the store, pay five to ten dollars for a bag of lime and then use it and store the remainder in the shed. In order to get that lime to the store it needs to mined/produced/packaged and then shipped via diesel trucks all across the country.

Doesn't that seem a little work intensive? This is especially true when you consider what has to happen to fuel the trucks that deliver the lime to the stores. In addition, other large diesel trash trucks will need to cart your ashes to a landfill when you dispose of them. Ouch. Stop the planet and let me off. Also, how much is involved for you to earn the five or ten dollars in the first place? That amount of cash may seem relatively small, but how is your thinking process in regard to this? Several of these smaller five to ten dollar expenses, if unnecessary, really will add up and can spell the difference between having to work an extra few hours or not. We need to really think 'sustainably' in all things.

Instead, by saving two whole steps, you can 'lime' with the ash that you already have. By using the ashes from the fireplace, as you get them, you can easily distribute them and let the soil slowly begin to ingest it into its intricate web of life.

You will also have the added satisfaction of knowing that you are in complete control of what goes into your ash.