Cute Kitty Sled Riding in Cardboard Box

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.