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Home

zone 6b garden

Welcome to our happiest place! 

My husband and I designed this zone 6b garden in the spring of 2017. We didn’t have a plan, a vision, or a strategy, but he knew that minimizing cuts on the galvanized sheet metal was a top priority!

summer garden with raised flower beds and a stock tank pool in central kansas zone 6
Our summer garden in Central Kansas, gardening zone 6B.

How to plan a raised bed garden?

Our zone 6b garden has many challenges: deer, chickens, dogs, (children- ha!), extreme hot and cold temperatures, wind... We had tried to grow our vegetables in a traditional in-the-ground garden for several years before admitting we needed to invest in something different if we wanted to be successful.

We began by designing beds that each required three sheets of 8x4 foot metal.  The beds were designed with a full sheet on each side, then a half sheet on the ends.  We used old fence wood 4X4's for the inner frame and trimmed the beds with cedar toned pine for a more finished look.

Each bed measures approximately four feet by eight feet wide and about three feet tall.  Due to our lack of building plans, you will have to use a little ingenuity to create your own based on our design, but I am confident that if we could do it, you can to!

our chicken coop and garden plot
This is the very first picture of our future garden! The area was leveled and the coop was set in place.

How to choose the right size for a garden?

We had a large area available to plan our garden, knowing that we wanted at least six raised beds and a chicken run.  Going back to our 'least amount of cuts as possible' rule, we based the size on the width of the hog panels that we used for the fence! 

Our garden is approximately twenty-four feet by thirty feet.  Aaron loved that we could frame the panels in cedar toned pine and build the fence fairly quickly!

nearly finished raised bed garden progress
The raised beds and stock tank pool are in place and the fence is nearly complete. We were honestly pretty shocked that it had turned out so well.
building a garden fence using hog panels and cedar toned pine
Aaron designed the fence using hog panels from the local farm store. We might have impulsively bought a stock tank pool, too. It would have been a shame not to fill the trailer, right?

How to stop chickens from destroying garden?

One of my favorite features of the garden is the custom chicken run that allows the ladies to roam around the perimeter of the garden.  They follow me around while I work, knowing that I will toss them scraps.  I think it is so entertaining to watch them catch grasshoppers that try to sneak into my veggies! 

We have learned from years of free ranging that hens are incredibly destructive to landscaping, so this was a creative way to give them both freedom and boundaries.

A FEW TIPS FOR INCORPORATING CHICKENS INTO A GARDEN DESIGN

  1. Use fencing, wire tunnels & runs to deter chickens.
  2. Protect your seeds and seedlings: chickens will scratch them out!
  3. Raised beds offer some protections, but remember chickens can jump and fly!
  4. Provide dust bath areas for the chickens.
  5. Have a way to let the chickens in and out of the garden on YOUR terms! (see our trap door to the chicken run in the photo below?)
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Meg | Ninnescah Homestead (@ninnescahhomestead)

Would you like to see more?

I've been documenting our garden journey on Instagram @NinnescahHomestead.  I'll begin adding pictures and info here as well! Here is a post that tells the story of how we came up with our garden inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by!

Affectionately yours, Meg

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STILL HUNGRY?

Broccoli and cheddar soup in a white stoneware bowl with a swirl of cream to garnish.
An italian cream cake on a white cake plate covered in toasted coconut
A freshly baked loaf of chocolate sourdough banana bread on a wood cutting board with chocolate chips, creamy butter and a glass of milk.
Cadbury mini egg easter cookies on a baking sheet with glasses of milk
Three yogurt parfaits in mason jars with maple syrup and berries.
A trio of sourdough bagels in a round aluminum pie pan served with cream cheese.
four street tacos on a vintage white platter with limes and cilantro garnishes.
Hot tomato and mozzarella crostinis fresh from the oven on an aluminum baking sheet with tomatoes and basil for garnish.
A white stoneware bowl filled with caprese salad made with strawberries, mozzarella, Avocado, basil and tomatoes.
three bowls of butternut squash curry garnished with limes and tomatoes.
A platter of apple slaw on a brightly colored napkin with apple and scallion garnishes.
3 plates of Pulled pork and garlic mashed potatoes served with barbecue sauce.
A freshly baked cheesecake tart with fresh blackberries and dusted with powdered sugar.
a juicy venison burger served with cheddar cheese and oven fries with slices of thick cut bacon. It's being served up in a mini cast iron skillet over a bed of fresh oven fries with a frosty glass of beer.
A cast iron skillet full of freshly baked easy oven fries on a striped tea towel served with ketchup.
Freshly baked cheesy sourdough starter discard crackers broken apart and cooling on a galvanized baking sheet.
a bowl of fresh Italian soup with parsley and parmesan next to an olive wood cutting board.
the best banana muffins with einkorn flour stacked haphazardly on a stoneware plate with milk in the background.
a beautiful glazed bundt cake on a cooling rack with dried flowers in a glass vase blurred in the background.
Blueberry cheesecake muffins on a rectangular platter and fresh blueberries and lemons.
Hearty Ricotta Cheese Stuffed Shells With Creamy Pumpkin Marinara
Sourdough bread, fresh from the oven!
Creamy tuna and broccoli rotini served on a stoneware plate with lemon pepper and fresh parmesan garnish.
sourdough starter discard coffee cake on a cooling rack
Snickerdoodles on a cooling rack with some milk
Gingerbread men waiting to be decorated with royal icing.
A stack of warm gluten free pancakes piled high on a plate, topped with fresh whipped cream and oozing with maple syrup.
A generous slice of peanut butter cake drizzled with melted fudge and chocolate chunks.
Mini chicken pot pies served in ramekins in white pottery bowls, surrounded by fresh herbs.
Pizza pockets piled high on a cooling rack, ready to be devoured by hungry people!
Pumpkin cheesecake bars served on a cooling rack styled with jadeite plates and forks.
Kombucha and tea leaves and plums styled
Cinnamon rolls drizzled with frosting
Sourdough bagels arranged in a jadeite tray with white pumpkins.
Dehydrated apples, peppers and corn sitting on a farmhouse table in mason jars
Ninnescah Homestead How to make a gluten free apple galette recipe on a table with white linens, unsliced and fully baked.
Fresh margaritas in a mason jar made with lime, lemons, tequila, triple sec and plenty of frosty ice.
Chicken taquitos with cilantro garnish and a side of spicy mayo.
Sheet pan pancake served with maple syrup

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