A Little Backyard Homestead Project

[frustratedearthmother]

Wow - I'll bet your DS thinks you're finding buried treasure! Progress....even if slow is still progress!

 

[Beekissed]

What a cute slide! And a bonus find, for sure! I'm really loving that you found this place and get to discover all the things left behind. I see major repurposing and recycling in your future as you go along.

I've found some really great stuff left behind on overgrown farms and homesteads.

 

[sumi]

More treasures today. I cut a box of sticks for the fire from the first pile of branches this morning and then investigated the second pile further into the backyard, which was covered in dry grass. There are some lovely pieces of wood here! I tossed it all out on the grass for now to dry out in-between rain showers. As soon as I have the chickens' pen up I'm going to cut it and store it in the shed (where the chickens are sleeping at the moment)

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Yay!

 

[sumi]

I had a thought cross my mind this morning… The dead grass (as can be seen in the above pic of the wood) covers most of the backyard. There is a lot of it and I was thinking of just piling it right at the back, where I got started with a compost heap. But can make good bedding material for the chickens and I'm now also thinking of putting a thick layer of the stuff down in the chicken pen/run area when I camp that off for them. I should help keep the mud under control in there and over time with their scratching around in it and crapping on it, break down into something resembling decent compost….

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Sounds like a great idea!

 

[Britesea]

I love dual-purpose!

 

[milkmansdaughter]

@Britesea, Very nice new picture!

@sumi, You've really been busy. Is the slide usable? Or is it really rusty? If it's not safe as a toy, it might make a great trellis for beans or peas or even flowers to grow on. I can imagine that as a trellis for your wild roses... Your chickens are lucky! Mine would love all that grass, but here, I'd be afraid of snakes. Looks like you're finding lots of firewood though. It's always great to find free wood.

 

[Beekissed]

Great idea to start building your DL in the chicken's enclosure now and especially with the variety of materials you are finding. Adding woodier stalks in between the grasses will help keep air spaces there and promote better break down of materials, so if you have any twigs you want to get rid of, they will be good in there too.

Before you do that, you may want to add a small, solid barrier around the base of the fencing there, in order to hold in your materials well when the chickens start scratching around. Easier to add it BEFORE the materials than after.

 

[sumi]

I started clearing the patch where I plan to put the chickens, wisely it turned out. There was a fair bit of rubbish hidden in there. And worryingly, a pair of shoes, a bed sheet and a jacket I'm still waiting for their pen to come though. With access to my backyard all across neighbouring properties and the only sort-of "right of way" route very overgrown and hazardous… It's a huge headache.

Thanks for the tips @Beekissed! I decided for now to just pile up the materials on the future compost heap and then start adding it to the run once I have everything in place for the chickens. If I wait longer for the pen to come, I'll keep putting off clearing the back and end up doing nothing further. Good news is the soil I'm uncovering under the mess is simply beautiful! My landlord told me he grew vegetables in the back here years ago and had great crops. I can believe it.