West Coast Family's New East Coast Garden Coop

When the Woolworth family moved from Oregon to Charlotte, they may have said goodbye to the Pacific Northwest, but their love of organic gardening came east, right along with them. Homegrown organic produce and backyard eggs were an everyday part of the couple’s life out west. Now the Woolworth’s are a busy family of four and their two small children were just as eager as mom and dad to find the right nook in the backyard for their new chicken coop. 

Tall shade trees line both sides of the family’s backyard, and we quickly identified several sites that had the right combination of sun and shade. While winter sometimes serves up cold weather here in Charlotte, keeping a backyard flock cool in the summer is usually more challenging than keeping hens warm in winter. With this in mind, we selected a site beneath several trees, that gets morning sun and shade in the afternoon. This site is right across the backyard from the kids play set, and within easy view of the windows along the back of the house. Backyard chickens are surprisingly entertaining, and it’s way more fun when you can see them!

With the coop’s location picked, the next step was to choose the right design. Although they weren’t new to backyard chickens, the Woolworth’s are a lot busier now, with two careers and two small children. They wanted to start with a manageable flock of three hens, and a coop that was large enough to keep them safe and comfortable, even if the birds don’t come out to forage every day. In Oregon, the couple experienced firsthand just how determined predators can be, and they were understandably concerned about the security of their new chicken coop. 

But the Garden Coop had all the strength and security they wanted, plus an attractive design that fit right into their upscale Charlotte neighborhood. 

The Garden Coop’s burly, red cedar frame sits on eight concrete piers that put the it on a level foundation and prevent contact between the wood and the ground. This substantially extends the life of the coop’s frame, and any outdoor wood project, for that matter. Rough-sawn red cedar lumber, milled to a true 2”x4”, gives our version of the Garden Coop a tremendous amount of strength, that frustrates even larger predators like dogs and coyotes. Smaller, but perhaps more wily bandits like raccoons don’t fare any better with the Garden Coop’s 1/2” steel mesh siding, that’s buried around the entire perimeter of the coop. Since wild animals don’t have the body mass to shove a coop door open, they’ll use their claws to try and pull outward to open doors.The Garden Coops’s ultra-secure entry door opens inward, and has a tight fitting threshold design that makes it impossible for dogs, raccoons, coyotes, possums, and other common chicken predators to pull the door outwards.

One of the outstanding features of the Garden Coop is the fully covered run that’s built into the design. Tinted polycarbonate roof panels, with a generous overhang, keep a backyard flock dry, and provide extra shade on hot days, and needed sunlight during the winter months. 

The roost box features a simple egg door - well out of reach of raccoons - that allows access from outside the coop to the double nesting box. Inside the coop, the large hinged door on the side of the roost box makes cleaning the Garden Coop a task that can be checked off quickly and easily. 

We think chickens would rather climb and roost on live branches than milled lumber, and we’re always looking around for good roost branches the same way some people score vintage furniture on the side of the road. But we didn’t have to go far to find the roost branch and ladder rungs for the Woolworth’s coop  ; a small sapling that was growing right in the middle of the coop floor, and a large branch that we pruned from a nearby tree, lived on as chicken ladder rungs and a sturdy perch.

The Woolworth family may be a long way from Oregon, but with their new Garden Coop completed, they’re a lot closer to that new backyard flock. The kids think their new backyard coop is pretty cool, and neighborhood wildlife are already sizing up the stout new structure, puzzling over how to get inside.  And the new flock? They’re sure to love their new home as much as we loved making it - especially those re-purposed ladder rungs and roost branch.

Free Building Plans for Fun Outdoor Projects

Have you ever made a cool outdoor project with redcedar? We have. Many, many times. It’s awesome! We love making things with red cedar and we think you will too.

“But I’m not a builder”, you say. “I’ve never made anything with wood before.”

So what? Remember that LEGO Millennium Falcon you built? Sure, it took 7 hours, but you faithfully followed the directions, and the end result perfectly matched the photo on the box. And there wasn’t a single leftover piece, either. Or how about those glazed pork chops you made in 2005 that everyone still talks about? All you did, then, was humbly follow the recipe to the letter. And that was just a single meal that didn’t last two hours. What if you made your own red cedar adirondack chairs, cedar dart board cabinet, or tiki bar? Do a good job on those, and they’ll probably still be out there years from now. All you need is a little determination and a good set of building plans.

Working from a set of building plans really isn’t that different from following a recipe in a cook book, or the instructions that come with a LEGO set or a piece of IKEA furniture.  

Most wood project plans include a list of all the materials and tools that you’ll need, pro tips for helping the project go smoothly, technical illustrations, and and step by step instructions that guide you from the first cut to the final nail. Some project plans  - like these free DIY plans at realcedar.com - even have 3D Google Sketch Up renderings, and videos that show the completed project.

 

Most of the projects at realcedar.com are beginner-friendly with lots of, simple, straight cuts - Perfect for a weekend project the whole family can help with. Just choose your project, download the plans, pick up the tools and lumber you’ll need, and follow the directions. You’ll surely succeed and want to build another cedar project. Before you know it, you’ll have heaps of cedar sawdust in the garage, and an assortment of beautiful red cedar garden benches, pergolas, picnic tables, and adirondack chairs - all of which you made yourself.

 

And just because the free DIY plans are there to help sell Western Red Cedar, doesn't make these outdoor projects any less awesome. 

After all, Western Red Cedar is certainly well suited to these outdoor projects. But you can easily substitute other long-lasting wood varieties, and if you live in the Eastern half of the US, you may find that Eastern Red Cedar is just as durable outdoors - perhaps even more durable -  but is easier to find and costs less. 

But the plans call for REAL CEDAR. So which redcedar variety is the REAL CEDAR -  Eastern or Western Redcedar? 

 Both of these redcedars are actually members of the Cypress family, and both are famously resistant to insects and decay. But they are two distinctly different tree species. Western Redcedar,Thuja plicata, grows in the Pacific Northwest, from Southeast Alaska to northern California. Eastern Redcedar, Juniperus Virginiana L. is the most widely distributed eastern conifer tree species - native in 37 Eastern US states.

We’ve built many outdoor projects with both Eastern and Western redcedar, and have found them both to live up to their storied reputation for outdoor durability.

If polish and presentation are any measure, then it would seem that the humble Eastern redcedar falls short of its well-branded western cousin. After all, they have professionally produced videos with actors wearing branded apparel. We don’t even have a logo. Heck, we’re still out at the sawmill in overalls and bare feet. And the last thing we need is another East Coast/West Coast rivalry, but our aromatic Eastern redcedar sure does smell good and that iconic grain pattern makes any outdoor project more special.

 

 “But enough!”, you say, “which one is the REAL cedar?”

 Maybe it just depends on where you live and who you ask. 

 According to one veteran sawmill owner, “The only true cedar in the world is the Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus Libani”.

 

Three Ways to Propagate Herb Plants

Culinary and medicinal herbs are some of the most useful plants to have in your garden, but they take soooo long to grow from seed that most gardeners opt to buy their herb plants from nurseries. But even with professional grow equipment and staff, nurseries can’t really speed the process up much more than a home grower, and it shows in the retail price of herb plants. But if you’ve ever dreamed of propagating many herb plants from the few you already have, and saving some serious coin in the process, then read on. Use any or all of these time-tested methods to bypass the slothful process of growing herb plants from seed, and grow herb seedlings faster, from propagation.  

 Stem Cuttings

With a sterile blade, cut 4” sections of stem, taking up to three cuttings from a single, healthy stem, with no flowers. Prune off any leaves from the bottom half of the stem. Make the bottom cuts at a 45 degree angle to increase the rooting surface area, and dip it in an organic rooting agent, which increases root cell division. Gently push the angled end of each cutting about an inch deep into a wetted, soil-less grow media. You’ll increase your success rate by maintaining the ideal temperature and humidity around your new cuttings. A thermostat-controlled heat mat placed underneath them will help maintain the ideal soil temperature of around 80 degrees, and a plastic dome placed overhead will help keep a high humidity level while the cuttings begin to develop new roots. Compact florescent grow lights can also help new cuttings develop roots. Fluorescents produce a gentle light and very little heat, which means they can sit just a few inches above the plastic dome, and run for up to eighteen hours a day. Once the new cuttings develop roots, remove the plastic dome, and run a small fan to increase ventilation. Once they show new growth, your new herb seedlings will be ready to transplant.

Simple Layering

Layering works best with plants that have healthy, flexible stems. Begin by digging a small hole next to your donor herb plant, and amend the hole with organic compost. If the donor herb plant is growing in a pot, simply use another pot filled with organic soil placed right next to it.  Make a small slit in the bottom of a stem, and gently push the sliced section of stem down into the prepared soil. Secure the stem with a sod staple or similar item to keep it fixed securely in the soil. Water the buried section of stem as needed, and before long, new roots will grow. Once a strong new root system has developed, the rooted stem can be cut off from the donor plant, and transplanted.

Root Cuttings

Start by gently digging up the roots of the donor herb plant, and look for young, healthy roots about the diameter of a pencil. Avoid fibrous looking roots, and if you plan to keep the donor plant, leave the majority of its root system intact. Cut out segments of roots about 5” long, making a straight cut at the top end, and an angled cut at the bottom ; this way you’ll know which end is up. Dip the root segments in an organic rooting agent, and gently push the angled end down into a wetted, sterile grow media, until the top end is even with the soil surface. Carefully spread any thin rootlets out to the sides, and cover the root cutting with a thin layer of grow media. Once new leaves begin to grow from your root cuttings, they’re ready to transplant.

Playful Chicken Coop with a Seriously Strong Design

At last, the Cuka family was finally was ready for a backyard flock of chickens.  The fenced backyard of their new home had plenty of shade, and two eager kids were now old enough to help out with the chores. Their four baby chicks were already ordered, and the only thing left was to choose the right coop design. Naturally, it had to keep their hens safe from predators, and comfortable in harsh weather. But this coop also needed to complement the family’s upscale home and neighborhood, and with it’s elegant metal roof and red cedar trim, the Playhouse Coop design checked all the boxes, and won them over. 

Armed with loads of style and traffic-stopping curb appeal, this fun chicken coop design will extract a smile from even the stodgiest neighbors. You can select from twenty metal roof panel colors, and even more exterior stain color choices, and make your playhouse coop one of a kind. But don’t let playful touches like the window and flower box fool you, this is one rock-solid chicken coop. 

The Playhouse Coop’s rough-sawn, red cedar frame components are joined using a clever combination of exterior screws, gussets, and waterproof wood glue. The result is a robust frame that can easily withstand punishing wind, snow, and ice loads, as well as relentless testing by all kinds of hungry wildlife. 

And like our other chicken coop designs, we wrap the Playhouse Coop frame with 1/2” galvanized hardware cloth, instead of poultry netting (i.e chicken wire )  which has larger hexagonal openings. This stout, steel mesh has smaller,  1/2”x1/2” squares, which makes the coop more secure from predators. We extend the hardware cloth across the entire floor of the coop, completely protecting it from digging predators, like raccoons. 

The Playhouse Coop is large enough for up to five chickens, but makes a roomier home for three or four hens. And if you’re looking for an attractive, robust coop design that enhances an upscale setting, the Playhouse Coop is sure to please. But before choosing your coop, consider that is is one of the smaller walk-in chicken coop designs, and with the floor covered entirely with hardware cloth, your hens will be eager to come of their coop every morning to scratch around the yard, forage, and take dust baths. If your schedule or location would make it difficult or impossible to let your hens out for a little while every day, or almost every day, consider a larger coop design like the Garden Coop or Garden Loft. These two coop designs have hardware cloth buried around the entire outer perimeter instead of across the floor, allowing the hens to dust bathe inside the coop, and scratch around for grain.

Low-Tech Organic Gardening Outfit Installs High-Tech Irrigation Timers

It’s hard to imagine a more low-tech product than an 18” tall cedar raised bed filled with organic soil and chicken manure. Simple. Effective. No moving parts.

And that’s just how we like it.

The enjoyment from a garden mainly comes from learning to work with the rhythm of the seasons - a sort of dance with nature, where she always leads. There aren’t any shortcuts in gardening, and there never will be. Plants will always need pruning and weeds will keep sprouting. But there are ways to save time in the garden and make it a little more comfortable, too. Raised beds make organic gardening much easier on your back, and if they’re filled with a high quality organic soil blend, are sure to increase the chances of success. And drip irrigation saves time. A lot of time actually, and with the right watering schedule, will almost certainly improve the success of your garden.

We offer the option of including 1/2” drip irrigation when we install a Kitchen Garden raised bed with organic soil, and most customers do choose to add it. Some tie into an existing irrigation system, but many of these drip irrigation systems are controlled by a battery-powered, programmable timer placed at the nearest spigot.

Hours that would have been spent hand watering, can suddenly be devoted to sleeping in, stilt walking, or fine tuning your stand up comedy routine. And what could possibly be better than that?

A Bluetooth controlled timer that lets you set and adjust the watering schedule from inside your house. 

Now, we have to admit, that’s pretty clever. You’re late for work, and don’t want to climb through the hedge in a dress and heels to manually adjust the timer. No problemo - just pick up your phone and change the watering schedule while your bagel finishes toasting.

It’s been raining for two days, and the last thing the garden needs is another drop of water? Forget the umbrella and rain boots, just turn off the irrigation from your sofa.

DIY gardeners shouldn’t have any problem setting up the timer - just remember to place a pressure regulator and back-flow preventer between the adapter and the timer.  These two important components moderate the water pressure in your drip system to a suitable level, and prevent water from being drawn back inside your home’s water lines once it’s passed through the spigot, into the irrigation tubing.  

Of course, we’re happy to install this useful bit of new technology on one of our low-tech cedar garden beds. Just give us a call, or complete the contact form to get going. And in the meantime, you may want to think on how you’ll spend all those extra hours you’ll save.