Wild Hope Homestead

The Great Vege Garden Expansion Plan is back on track and it is exciting. First, I had to turn off the water pump and move the carport tap from one side of its post to another, so it was out of the path of the next raised bed to be built. Then I re-did the splash pad around it made of concrete bits that I had found around the place.

Then we got some more of our favourite 150 x 50mm rough sawn timber from the local timber mill for the next raised bed, the second blueberry bed, which joins onto the first one that is along the side of the back carport. With a little help from The Little Fulla, I built the raised bed.

I installed the rest of the wire mesh fencing from the Raspberry Bed so that it goes all the way from the garage to the head of the new bed. This leaves an opening between the new bed and the Herb Garden/Vege Garden fence for a gate. Next, The Little Fulla and I filled the raised bed with many loads of dirt and compost dug out of the chicken pen and planted the two blueberry plants that we already had waiting. The Vege Garden is now almost enclosed, with this being its ultimate boundary on the west side. I am really happy with this progress! I have made a gate, which is awaiting the acquisition of gate hardware so it can be installed. There is also some timber left to begin on the next piece of The Great Vege Garden Expansion Plan, which is an extension of the Long Bed, adjacent to the new blueberry bed.

The only other gap into the Vege Garden is around behind the potting shed. I have cleared out all the remaining timber pile from behind the potting shed and am in the process of sorting through it. It is not a good place for timber storage as it got wet and very weedy behind there. Now that the space is clear I am, of course, pondering what to do with it; specifically, whether I could grow some kind of bramble berries along the back wall of the shed… Meanwhile, aside from the next raised bed to build, other projects topping the list of importance include:

• Installing the long wooden gate and fencing across the side of the house.
• Building a chicken tractor (a movable chicken enclosure).
• Building framing and legs for the outdoor sink.

Concerning the chicken tractor, the plans changed again. First, I made a plan for one made with electrical conduit (pipe) for the framing. Then I decided that the house needed to be made of plywood to reduce noise, which would be too heavy, so I made a plan for one made with timber framing. Then, I had a stroke of genius one day and wound up with this, for free:

Now I am figuring out what timber I need to turn this frame into a chicken tractor!