Updated, kinda, with a bit of history. Will get onto the story of the new chookhouses another day.

http://yeehahsgarden.blogspot.com/

looks good, ill read it more later.

that’s good yeehah.

know what you mean Yeehah. nowadays i spend about 30 mins on computer max. prefer more doing other things, like gardening or whatever.

aquarium said:

know what you mean Yeehah. nowadays i spend about 30 mins on computer max. prefer more doing other things, like gardening or whatever.

When we build the new house, and we don’t have electricity for a while, we probably won’t even have the internet on because dialup will be the only solution and where we’ll be the phone lines are so dodgy the internet drops out all the time anyway (so the neighbours report). The only way I can imagine I’ll get near the internet is if I check my email at work, or book half an hour at the library when I happen to be in town.

Mind you, I’ll be too busy to feel the need to hang out on the computer a lot anyway. The reason I’m here a lot these days is largely due to pure unadulterated boredom!

fully enclosed gardens are appealing because of the sparrows around here. your tunnels will give you secure growing conditions and hopefully guaranteed results.
its a lot of work and i’m still gardening open to the sky.
great blog.

pepe said:

fully enclosed gardens are appealing because of the sparrows around here. your tunnels will give you secure growing conditions and hopefully guaranteed results.
its a lot of work and i’m still gardening open to the sky.
great blog.

Sparrows will still get in, Pepe. The holes in the chicken wire are 4cm x 4 cm, sparrows can get through that very easily. Where I had the “old” chook tunnels the sparrows used to sit in their hundreds on the electricity wires just outside the fenceline. No matter how often I dusted them my chooks seemed to never get rid of their lice problems – probably continual reinfestation from the feral visitors.

But because I’m planning to have all the small fruit in them, the new chook tunnels will at least keep the bigger birds out – cockatoos, galahs, rosellas, etc. I had a heck of a time with the bigger birds eating apples, plums and sunflowers. Mr Y and I are still trying to figure out how we can economically net the orchard area (26 – or was that 36, can’t remember – trees already, and that’s only the beginning!), which will be about a quarter of an acre. Polytunnels aren’t the answer in that case. We have plenty of trees we can use for posts, but we also have lots of very active termites on site. Can’t afford metal posts, but the free wooden posts have a very limited lifespan. Sigh!!

Yeehah said:

pepe said:

fully enclosed gardens are appealing because of the sparrows around here. your tunnels will give you secure growing conditions and hopefully guaranteed results.
its a lot of work and i’m still gardening open to the sky.
great blog.

Sparrows will still get in, Pepe. The holes in the chicken wire are 4cm x 4 cm, sparrows can get through that very easily. Where I had the “old” chook tunnels the sparrows used to sit in their hundreds on the electricity wires just outside the fenceline. No matter how often I dusted them my chooks seemed to never get rid of their lice problems – probably continual reinfestation from the feral visitors.

But because I’m planning to have all the small fruit in them, the new chook tunnels will at least keep the bigger birds out – cockatoos, galahs, rosellas, etc. I had a heck of a time with the bigger birds eating apples, plums and sunflowers. Mr Y and I are still trying to figure out how we can economically net the orchard area (26 – or was that 36, can’t remember – trees already, and that’s only the beginning!), which will be about a quarter of an acre. Polytunnels aren’t the answer in that case. We have plenty of trees we can use for posts, but we also have lots of very active termites on site. Can’t afford metal posts, but the free wooden posts have a very limited lifespan. Sigh!!

yeah so your starting more of a Permaculture garden. and becoming really sustainable not sure if i be able to do that here what ever i want to do has to go past dad first.

yes the chook wire does let the sparrows in. i’m going to try growing large seedlings to overcome the bird problem. i’m hoping my fourth walled garden (future dream) will be covered in aviary wire.
birdnetting and hard pruning is the answer on fruit trees but that’s a lot of work as well.
i don’t have any permaculture or BD training.

Yeehah said:

Mr Y and I are still trying to figure out how we can economically net the orchard area (26 – or was that 36, can’t remember – trees already, and that’s only the beginning!), which will be about a quarter of an acre. Polytunnels aren’t the answer in that case. We have plenty of trees we can use for posts, but we also have lots of very active termites on site. Can’t afford metal posts, but the free wooden posts have a very limited lifespan. Sigh!!

Could you start with the wooden posts, and gradually replace them with something longer lasting?

There’s a block near where my dad lived in the rural parts of Darwin. I hate to think of the size; maybe 6 large surburbian blocks square (ie 6 × 6; absolute minimum) and it was all netted. Growing mangoes. The flying foxes love them. The Man wants a mango tree but I’ve said NO WAY! I hate the smell of the fruit between when the foxes get to it and when it finally falls off. And I’m not taking on mango pick up duty BLURGH. But I have almost convinced him that a row of fruit trees across the end of the driveway would be a good idea LOL. Still got nearly a whole year to work on him. By next winter he should be thinking it was all his idea LOL.

Mr Y and I are still trying to figure out how we can economically net the orchard area (26 – or was that 36, can’t remember – trees already
——————————-
There are a few sub-tropical stone fruit orchards near me and they are all fully covered in shade cloth. Flying fox, cockatoos etc give fruit a beating round here.

Late last year we had a tornado thingy go through the area and one of those orchards lost all of their shade cloth and most of their trees. I assume they were insured for it but it was heart breaking to see.

pepe said:

yes the chook wire does let the sparrows in. i’m going to try growing large seedlings to overcome the bird problem. i’m hoping my fourth walled garden (future dream) will be covered in aviary wire.
birdnetting and hard pruning is the answer on fruit trees but that’s a lot of work as well.
i don’t have any permaculture or BD training.

Mmmm, a walled garden! That’s on my “someday” list, but for different reasons than you’d probably have. I want to grow frost tender plants like citrus, and need to create a microclimate that gives them a decent chance. My other idea was a filled-in verandah off the house with dwarf citrus in pots, on wheels, and wheel them out for the sunshine on clear winter days. That’s on the “someday” list, too.

I’ve seen different ways of netting fruit trees, I think in the end we’ll just plant them and figure out the netting later.

SueBk said:

Yeehah said:

Mr Y and I are still trying to figure out how we can economically net the orchard area (26 – or was that 36, can’t remember – trees already, and that’s only the beginning!), which will be about a quarter of an acre. Polytunnels aren’t the answer in that case. We have plenty of trees we can use for posts, but we also have lots of very active termites on site. Can’t afford metal posts, but the free wooden posts have a very limited lifespan. Sigh!!

Could you start with the wooden posts, and gradually replace them with something longer lasting?

Compulsory is no choice, as me mum always said.