We think about rebuilding our coop every now and then. It takes a really robust coop to keep birds safe from mongoose here, so it gets to be very frustrating if you even try to raise hens in a slightly less-than watertight area. They simply get murdered to pieces. And our coop is biodegraded to the point that I’d like to tear the structure down and then build a fresh outbuilding in its place. Maybe downsize it to a smaller, raised coop attached to the shed side of a roof pitch, well elevated with screen bottoms for poop collecting and then do an electrified, mobile paddock to let them range. We have quite a lot of bugs in the soil out here so it is easy to raise chickens without feed if you can keep them safe from predation. Anyhow, it’s a lot of work that we have decided to shy away from for now despite really missing our own fresh eggs that we knew were naturally raised. Maybe four birds next time. I don’t think that a whole flock will be in the cards for us again at anytime soon.
Re: coldframes, these are most certainly worth having in temperate growing areas. I used to live on a 70acre parcel up in Connecticut and about twenty of those were groomed, mostly pasture, but I farmed corn a few times and had a large fenced in garden (54’x54’) dedicated to half nightshades and half all remaining mixed veggies that we could get going in CT. The cold frame was essential to getting harvestable foods by June, and this involved starting tomatoes, peppers, and some other slower plants in a south-facing window during the month of February, then beginning very early hardening off within the cold frame. I’d made mine from four actually glazed sunroom windows 5’x4’ ea so the cold frame was quite large due to those windows. Lovely antiques that had no business being turned on their sides but at about 35° angle for the southern edge that could be lifted and propped up on hot days, a couple of hundred starter pots could live underneath it.
Ugh, sorry for the tough times. Sounds extremely difficult. I do hope that you are able to get into a good headspace to keep your gardening enjoyment tailored for the reasons listed. Maybe you can do a really low effort container garden during the transitional period before you spring into thinking about bigger places (if ever appropriate) and take the rewards of hobby farming forward in a different yet rewarding manner. It certainly seems like an important aspect to latch onto for your own intentions. Raising food is its own reward, and geeking out on botany is of course highly recommended for mental stimulation and zen. You’ll figure out what works. Good luck.
Re: coldframes, these are most certainly worth having in temperate growing areas. I used to live on a 70acre parcel up in Connecticut and about twenty of those were groomed, mostly pasture, but I farmed corn a few times and had a large fenced in garden (54’x54’) dedicated to half nightshades and half all remaining mixed veggies that we could get going in CT. The cold frame was essential to getting harvestable foods by June, and this involved starting tomatoes, peppers, and some other slower plants in a south-facing window during the month of February, then beginning very early hardening off within the cold frame. I’d made mine from four actually glazed sunroom windows 5’x4’ ea so the cold frame was quite large due to those windows. Lovely antiques that had no business being turned on their sides but at about 35° angle for the southern edge that could be lifted and propped up on hot days, a couple of hundred starter pots could live underneath it.
