3R Home and Barn Project

[stumpfield]

Rob, Just like all your other projects, awsome chicken coop! Can't wait to see what's next..... Tom

 

[Arkaybee]

Rob,

There is a noticeable change in color of the tilled garden soil from reddish toward black. What amendment did you add to the soil to get this color change? I saw some piles of black-looking stuff in one of the pictures showing tractors and implements. It is compost or some such soil amendment? Any organic amendment would be very good for your garden soil. BTW the plastic mulch that Jinman mentioned works well for weed abatement and water retention; however, it is a pain to manually put down so that it is tight to the raised beds (the drip tape goes underneath the plastic first) and get the edges covered. This could be another innovative project for your genius, i.e. make a 3RRL version of a plastic mulch laying, drip-tape installing implement (there are several commercial versions in production) which would take much of the stress and strain out of the process.

For drip irrigation supplies for garden-sized projects see irrigation-mart (Ruston, LA). They have kits for such including all you will need. They are true professionals in agricultural irrigation. HTH.

Arkaybee

 

[Arkaybee]

Rob,

There is a noticeable change in color of the tilled garden soil from reddish toward black. What amendment did you add to the soil to get this great color change? I saw some piles of black-looking stuff in one of the pictures showing tractors and implements. It is compost or some such soil amendment? Any organic amendment would be very good for your garden soil. BTW the plastic mulch that Jinman mentioned works well for weed abatement and water retention; however, it is a pain to manually put down so that it is tight to the raised beds (the drip tape goes underneath the plastic first) and get the edges covered. This could be another innovative project for your genius, i.e. make a 3RRL version of a plastic mulch laying, drip-tape installing implement (there are several commercial versions in production) which would take much of the stress and strain out of the process.

For drip irrigation supplies for garden-sized projects I use irrigation-mart (Ruston, LA). They have kits for garden sized applications which include all items you will need. They are true professionals in agricultural irrigation. HTH.

Arkaybee

 

[TBDonnelly]

If you want to reduce your water requirements, you can cover those raised beds with poly and keep the moisture in. They are doing that with melons and some other crops around here. For a small garden, it may be more trouble than it is worth, but I'm going to experiment with poly next year in my own garden.

I was in California this past February and happen to snap a few pictures of the Poly covered farm fields where they were growing strawberries, lettuce and artichokes.

Don

 

[TBDonnelly]

If my memory serves me right there was mustard plants growing along with the artichokes. I believe the mustard plants were used as a natural insect repellant.

Don

 

[Mrs3RRL]

I am still in the process of thinking of where I am going to put the chickens that I am growing as well. ITs my first time and have 6 chicks that is about 2 weeks old now. they seem to be outgrowing the box i put them in. .

It's our first time, too! Looks like we'll be able to share our 'first time' stories together.

 

[Mrs3RRL]

Do you think the chicken wire is small enough to keep out rattlers?

I doubt it. It's one inch diameter... for sure a small rattler could get in. I didn't think about that.

That tiller really does a nice job too. You and Loretta will love that fluffy soil. If you want to reduce your water requirements, you can cover those raised beds with poly and keep the moisture in. They are doing that with melons and some other crops around here. For a small garden, it may be more trouble than it is worth, but I'm going to experiment with poly next year in my own garden.

I had soooo much fun with that tiller! It was a little tricky to get used to the best way to do it... and my first passes were pretty crooked, but then it got to be second nature.

I've thought about putting black plastic on the parts that I haven't planted yet, just to keep out the weeds. Since this is freshly tilled, I'm sure I'll have my hands full keeping the weeds out.

 

[Mrs3RRL]

There is a noticeable change in color of the tilled garden soil from reddish toward black. What amendment did you add to the soil to get this color change? I saw some piles of black-looking stuff in one of the pictures showing tractors and implements. It is compost or some such soil amendment? Any organic amendment would be very good for your garden soil.

Yes, that's compost. When we did our 'lawn', I found a place 'locally' (well, within an hour's drive) that would deliver truckloads of compost, mulch, rock, gravel, sand, etc. I had ordered a truckload of the stuff for our lawn, and we ran out and had to spread it very thinly. So, when we decided to do another part of our yard, I ordered TWO truckloads... and then we decided not to put lawn there! So we had that huge pile there for almost a year. But it has now been put to good use. I hadn't even noticed how much different the color was until I saw those photos.

For drip irrigation supplies for garden-sized projects see irrigation-mart (Ruston, LA). They have kits for such including all you will need. They are true professionals in agricultural irrigation. HTH.

I'll have to take a look. Right now, I'm hand watering, but I"ll need to put down some kind of drip system soon.

 

[Mrs3RRL]

So, I have to tell a little story on Rob.....

I've been wanting chickens forever, and I've been poring over the catalogs and online. But we just really didn't need one more project. So I've tried very hard to keep my mouth shut.

Then one day, Rob forwarded a TSC email ad to me, it said they had chicks... I playfully asked "can I get some?", but I got no answer... which I figured was an answer in itself. But when we went to TSC to look at irrigation stuff, I figured this was my chance, and I got the 4 chicks.

Rob, of course, made fun of me, and the chicks, and tried very hard to ignore them.

Well, until I caught him sitting next to the box calling softly "chick ,chick, chick-a-dee".

He finally has admitted that he likes the little boogers

While we were building the chicken coop, I brought their box outside and cut a door in it so they could forage around. They had never been able to do that, and it took a while for them to be interested in coming out.. but soon they were roaming around, and even coming into the barn to see what Rob was doing. Soon, they were checking him out while he was welding, and walking under his feet while he was trying to work on the coop...... By the time I got out there after work, they all thought he was their 'dad', and they barely gave me the time of day

 

[jinman]

I've thought about putting black plastic on the parts that I haven't planted yet, just to keep out the weeds. Since this is freshly tilled, I'm sure I'll have my hands full keeping the weeds out.

Loretta, what I've seen here and in Virginia several years ago was white poly. The white poly reflects the sun up to the plant, whereas the black poly absorbs the heat and warms the ground. If you are planting early season crops and need warm ground, the black poly will be good, but sun-loving crops will like the reflective white poly. Either one will inhibit weed growth. The pictures that Don showed are exactly like the shaped beds I've seen except for the color of the poly. That is an expensive way of planting and very tedius, so you know the payoff has to be pretty good or they wouldn't do it commercially. One watermelon farmer here told me the cost per acre of just the poly was around $1000. However, I think it is reusable over several years.