The Chicken Lady

I'd heard rumors of a woman living in unincorporated Jefferson County near Cahaba Heights who operates a chicken coop rental business. I've always enjoyed various types of pets, and as a novice urban farmer I decided to learn about the service; fresh eggs and ready-made fertilizer seem like a fabulous way for a pet to earn her keep! I got in touch with Melissa Allphin, also known as The Chicken Lady, and asked if I could see her setup. She was happy to show her wares and the fine ladies she... Continue reading

Shoe hanger garden

This is my first year as an active winter gardener. My assumptions up until now were that winter was a time you just didn't garden. I've learned differently and now I'm trying a number of ways to keep production of homegrown foods and herbs going throughout the year. I came across a discarded shoe hanger, and after seeing a number of projects displaying herbs grown in vertical indoor containers, I thought I'd try my hand at a version with a bit of "sole". My intention was to overwinter herbs... Continue reading

Oh, yes — you CAN have a garden in winter!

How I managed to reach age 50 and never get the memo that garden-time runs all year long is beyond me. I've gardened for at least half of my life; mostly herbs and flower beds, and my M.O. has been to give up on gardening in late summer. As the days grew shorter, I would lose interest in the garden and let it run riot. My assumption about gardening and the onset of winter was, "game over, dude", so I'd store the tools with great plans for the next coming spring. A couple of years ago I began... Continue reading

A quick-and-dirty greenhouse

Readers of this blog know that Jean is an avid gardener. One of the problems we face each year is what to do with many of our plants during the winter to protect them from the cold. Most of the time, our decision is to bring all the plants inside -- and with our small house, that is no easy feat. This winter, we decided to do something different. We had taken down our frame pool for the season and were wondering what to do with the space in the backyard when Jean came up with the idea of... Continue reading