Seeds of Sustainability Issue 2

From Scratch: Veggies, Chooks, and a Fresh Start with Homegrown Vegetables and Eggs

We were thrilled to discover that our new place came with an established veggie patch — two big raised beds, a greenhouse, climbing frames, and even a berry section. The garden has clearly been loved and used over the years, and the existing fruit trees were a bonus. We know one is a delicious plum tree (we enjoyed its fruit soon after we arrived) and there’s another mystery tree we’ll have to wait to identify. There’s also a dwarf Meyer lemon tree that was looking worse for wear when we moved in, but with a little TLC, it’s making a comeback.

The veggie area was a bit tired, though — the raised beds were full of weeds and slowly falling apart, the corner where a large walnut tree once stood had become a grass-clipping dump, and everything was crying out for a refresh. We started by clearing the grass clippings and setting up our composting system — a mix of a vintage rolling composter, a stackable bin setup, and a couple of trusty black bins.

But the very first job was settling in our three brown shaver chooks, who made the move with us. At one point we had a flock of twelve, with all sorts of breeds and colours (including one very cheeky black hen who stopped laying years ago and then decided to become a “rooster” — complete with a terrible crow!). But as the cost of eggs kept climbing, we went back to brown shavers — reliable layers and less likely to go clucky.

Our old chook house was attached to the fence at the previous property, so we borrowed a small prefabricated coop from a friend for the first few weeks, then attached it to the new house as a small run area. While perfect for a single bantam or a few chicks, it wasn’t quite roomy enough for three grown shavers. As a housewarming gift, my mum bought us a taller, more spacious coop (thankfully my height!),in exchange for a constant supply of eggs and we set to work converting the 30+ year old, run-down tunnel house into their new run.

We raised the chook house off the ground on sawn-off post ends to keep vermin out, reinforced the tunnel house base with concrete posts and stones to prevent digging, and recovered the frame with bird wire to keep out sparrows and starlings. The old gazebo roof became a rain cover, keeping the interior dry and sunny — perfect for dust baths.

People often ask why we don’t let the chooks free-range, but the answer is simple:

"Why didn’t our three chooks cross the road?

Because their run is the perfect viewing platform — dogs go past, fantails flit about, and the sparrows make (unsuccessful) lunch-theft attempts."

Free-ranging isn’t practical here — we have dense hedging that would make finding them a daily game of hide and seek, the property isn’t fully dog-proofed (and we’ve already had two dogs visit at once!), and the sheer number of wild birds means mites and disease would be an ongoing battle. Plus, the chook house is designed to comfortably house 15+ chooks, while the run is best suited to around 5–6 birds at a time. With just three girls, they have plenty of room to scratch, sunbathe, and live their best lives.

Winter came and went, and with spring arriving, the girls are starting to lay again after their untimely winter moult (why they choose the coldest months to go practically naked, I’ll never know!). We’ve trimmed back bushes to let more sunlight into the run, and the chooks seem very pleased with their new home.

The Veggie Garden

Our plan is to completely rework the raised beds. They’re large — too large to reach into without climbing in — so we want to dismantle one bed entirely and turn the other into three smaller, more manageable beds. But with winter (and life!) getting in the way — from a family bereavement and a round of illnesses (including COVID and an infected tooth), to a milestone birthday celebration — we decided to wait until spring to tackle the job.

Now that the weather is warming up, we’ve made a start. We’re planting rows of potatoes in the bed we plan to remove, so it’s still productive while we focus on rebuilding the other one. This means we’ll still have fresh veggies over summer while we take our time getting the layout just right.

The lemon tree has been moved to a sunnier spot, fenced off with a repurposed portable dog run to make frost protection easy. It’s looking much healthier and is producing lemons again. We’ve also added a dwarf peach tree (a birthday gift!) nearby, and it’s currently in full blossom.

Spring is doing its thing — the weather is all over the place, but the garden is coming alive. Blossoms, bulbs, and hidden plants are popping up daily, giving us little surprises as we walk around. Right now, the veggie garden is the focus, but slowly the whole backyard is starting to feel like ours.

Coming Next…

If all goes to plan, our next chapter will be all about rebuilding the raised beds — turning one giant, unmanageable space into three smaller, easier-to-reach beds ready for summer crops. Fingers crossed, we’ll have photos of fresh soil, tidy frames, and maybe even some seedlings taking off.

Until then, we’ll be here planting potatoes, collecting fresh eggs, and enjoying the view of the daily dog parade — chooks included. 🐔🌱🐾