John Seymour would be proud.

New chicken run and "house" for Gatsby and his wife.

Seeing as neither of this pair are at all productive in the traditional sense I wanted to find a way for them to contribute to their upkeep.

 I also needed them out of the brood pen as Blossom is sitting on two eggs which should hatch any day now!

So anyway, here it is.

  

The run itself is made from plastic water piping, which we've had round the back of the shed for years doing nothing, and old stock fencing, topped with chicken wire. This makes it super light to move around.

The "house" is made from a broken wheelie bin, its not puuurty, but its water tight and (hopefully) fox roof, and highly movable. It even has wheels!  

The run is simple for two people to move, so this pair will get moved around the garden, weeding and manuring as they go.

Also, the ore green food and bugs they get to eat, the less I need to feed them in grain!

Its a win, win.  

A pic here of the old muck heaps, sporting their own crop of potatoes and onions. Because why  take the muck to the veg., when you can cut out the middle man ; )

Paying homage to the slug gods, and other things to do in June.

We're all getting busy, now the weather, and earth, has warmed up considerably, its an endless round of weeding, watering, hoeing, mulching, planting out, bring on, netting and about a million other jobs too.    

Salad leaves and pak choi in Tesco boxes. 

Just planted out cabbage seedling and naturally I had to pay homage to the Pagan god of slugs....

..... Pennies around seedlings to give slugs and snails little, coppery, electric shocks... @20p per plant, and you get it back at the end of the season.   

The main vegetable garden is slowly taking shape. Another two beds have been added this week alone. 

Love little glimmers of Permaculture....

.....mixed salad leaves from plants that seeded themselves at the end of last season.

Strawberry flowers.

After losing two hens to the fox a few weeks back, I relented and allowed blossom to sit on another two eggs.

Apple blossom is late this year, but this means no blossom drop after late spring frosts.   

The horses are still generously donating poo...

Jerusalem artichokes. 

Potatoes.

Potatoes in an old compost bin, experimenting with yields this year. 

Courgette.

Some of the apple trees.

This space, behind the steading, is earmarked to become a walled orchard!

Onions growing in an old muck heap....

....as are these potatoes.

Fencing nearly finished for the "Paddock paradise" track, for Badger and Mousse. 

Little caravan, tool shed, needs a new lick of paint. 

More potatoes, in an old chest.

Carrots.

Cabbage seedlings put to bed.

Temporary tomato house.

Sage and Marjoram.

Chives 

Broccoli 

Salad leaves

Basil and Parsley

More salad leaves.

Extra peas and (hopefully) squash.  

Another experiment, carrots in 2lt bottles. 

New book!!

First book I've come across that doesn't assume that frosts end in March. 

The gardens. Picture update.

The Forest garden                 

                                     

The forest garden is really starting to take shape.

                                   

One of the tractor tyres, full of stable muck and compost, rotting down to plant in next year.   

Hazel

A potato experiment in an old compost bin (Bird cherry and blackthorn in the back)

Two bird cherry saplings, planted in tyres to protect from errant strimmers and make weeding easier.

Raspberry and gooseberry 

Compost tyre in use.

Jerusalem artichokes... You will have them FOREVER!!

The front garden

This garden will be made into a mostly non-edible garden next year, but this year we still have a little in it.

Garlic, planted in December and growing strong now. 

Rhubarb!

Vegetable garden

Trunk has early potato's in. The black tub, carrot and the green tub, late planted garlic. 

New rhubarb bed.

Lungwort. This bed will also have wild garlic in it so it will be my wild herb bed.

Strawberries in an old trough.

Small hedge planted. hawthorn, black thorn and goarse.

Chicken runs.

Bird cherry in the summer run.

Small tree in the winter run. Never even knew it was there before the chickens cleared the ground!!

View of the winter run, from the back fence.

And also............ 

I have a few shelf baskets in the house.You're meant to use them like this........

                                    

Owen obviously thought around that.... Obviously, looking at objects in another way is in the genes ;)