Chickens do well when they have an area to scratch and peck apart from their nesting zone. General guidance is that each chicken should have at least four square feet of living space in a coop. This assumes that during the day they get to walk around and stretch their little chicken legs outside. Without walking room, the recommended living space increases to ten square feet per bird. That could mean a pretty large coop for a small flock. To avoid building a chicken mega-coop, add a chicken run.
 
While some chickeners let birds roam free around their property, for those of us who live with the threat of predators it's a better idea to give our flock protection when outdoors. A chicken run is a dedicated and protected chicken space outside the coop.

There are many coop and run combinations available for purchase. I find that many of them are either too small to give chickens adequate space or are very expensive, or are both. With minimal carpentry experience, you can build a chicken run.
 
Basically, a chicken run is a structure with enclosed walls that is attached to the coop. A door gives the chickens access to the run from the coop. While the run can be made from just about any material I recommend a simple wood and wire structure.

My chicken run is built with pressure-treated 2 x 4 lumber and covered with a combination of chicken wire and welded-wire fencing. It has four walls and a top; it's covered with panels to keep the rain out. The corner pieces are 4 x 4 posts. Because my coop is inside the barn the run is attached to the side of the barn.

I framed the lumber into a big box. My run is eight feet wide and 12 feet long, dimensions that allowed me to buy wood in 8-ft and 12-ft lengths and minimize cutting. The construction is similar to that for a shed or a house. For the walls there's a bottom piece and a top piece and vertical joists in between. The walls of a shed or house need to support heavy plywood and a roof so the joists are often spaced 16 or 18 inches apart. The chicken run walls are wire so the joists can be spaced much wider apart. Mine are at four-feet intervals.

All around the lower walls I attached welded wire fencing material with metal fencing staples. This four-feet tall fencing is sturdy and helps hold the entire structure together.

Of primary concern is to make the run as secure as the coop. That means keeping predators out and chickens in. Identifying potential predators is an important step. I have dogs, cats, coyotes, foxes, and hawks that would all love a chicken dinner. Many people also have to be concerned with raccoons, weasels, possums, snakes, and bears.

Many of these predators will dig under a fence to gain access to the tasty birds. To keep them out, the sides of the run should extend at least 12 inches below the soil surface. My welded-wire fence extends that deep. Digging a trench all around the run during construction helps make burying the fencing easier. Having a single piece of fencing on each side, underground and above, makes a formidable barrier. If snakes or rodents are a concern, you can bury half-inch hardware cloth to help keep any small burrowing animal out.

To make the structure even stronger and to keep the paws of predators out, the entire run is also wrapped with chicken wire. The double barrier will deter all the predators I face. It extends above the walls and forms a partial roof; on top of it are the 8-ft panels to keep rain off and provide some shade. The covered run also prevents hawks from swooping in for a chicken meal and keeps climbing predators at bay. Plastic or fabric bird netting will keep wild birds out and chickens in.

The door between the coop and run doubles as a ramp to help them run up and down for entry. It's on a hinge so I can swing it up at night with a cord that I access from inside the barn. This adds an extra barrier to any animal that might make it through the run's walls and want to get inside the coop.

To give the run extra strength and stability consider burying the corner supports and anchoring them in concrete. For freestanding, permanent structures this makes the run as strong as it can be. If you plan to move your coop the run needs to be portable too so permanent anchoring should probably be avoided, but be aware it's not as strong.

Access to the run from the outside is important because at some point you'll want to get inside to mingle with the chickens, make repairs, or clean it out. I added a wide door to one wall. Two latches make it more secure. My wife convinced me to add the ability to open the door latches from the inside; you don't want to be stuck inside if the door slams shut and you're all alone.

Providing the chickens water access is a very important consideration. While they may find plants and insects to eat while outside, their primary food source is usually in the coop. But water needs to be available inside and out. Chickens can become dehydrated very quickly on a hot, sunny day.  A pan of water, a chicken waterer, a dripping hose, or any automatic system will work. I installed an automatic chicken nipple system that enables me to fill a bucket every four or five days and gives the chickens continual access to water.

Chickens like to take a dust bath and an outside run with a bare earth floor gives them plenty of opportunity to get dirty. It also gives them a chance to swallow small stones to help their digestion. Very quickly they'll have eaten or scratched up any plants inside the run so you may consider supplementing their outside diet with kitchen scraps and garden cuttings. They're smart birds and have learned very quickly to come running when I approach; I often have a snack of grubs or grasshoppers.

I'd overlooked installing a roosting pole when building the run and I came out one day to see a chicken resting on one of the horizontal wall supports. Adding a long branch to the inside gives them something to rest on.

When constructing the run consider drainage around it. You don't want to discover too late that you built your run in a depression that gets all of the rain or snow run off. Chickens don't do well in mud. If you're forced into a bad spot, consider adding a trench or drain around it to divert excess water.

Chickens also don't like to walk in snow. I plan to add 18-inch tall siding all around the base in the fall. This will help reduce the amount of snow blowing in and still allow them to spend time outside even on cold days. The roof on my run has been very efficient at keeping it dry on rainy days and should help keep snowfall out, but wind is still an issue and protecting the birds from snow drifts is beneficial.

I'm confident that my chicken run will protect them from every conceivable threat. The only thing I'm remotely concerned about is a bear problem, but so far we've seen no signs of bears in this area. They are the only creature strong enough to break through the run. Aside from a concrete and steel structure, bears can get into just about anything else. I'm not worried about it though; I dealt with the issues I have.

After initial construction we decided to board horses so they're a minor issue now. While not a chicken predator, horses will rub or lean against the run walls and add unnecessary stress. So I added buried fence posts a few inches from the run walls and will add horizontal boards to make a barrier fence to keep the horses from causing damage.

Every coop and every run is different. Each chicken owner needs to assess individual situations and do what's best for the chickens. Each morning the chickens are awake and ready to get outside. As soon as I open the door to the run they're scurrying out to explore. Their coop is nice but they clearly like the outdoor access. They love their run.

Gardening is good for you. Many nontraditional approaches to gardening are improving the world around us. Hospitals and assisted care facilities use gardening in patient therapy programs. Schools are incorporating gardening programs into youth development classes. Communities are developing urban garden projects to aid the homeless. Wounded warriors are using gardening programs to heal their bodies and minds.

Those of us who live the life of a gardener know intrinsically that it makes us feel good and improves our well-being. I have some theories on why this is and have found sources that substantiate them medically. Gardening activities stimulate the release of brain chemicals that make us feel good.
 

I stumbled across an online article from Permaculture College Australia on "Why Gardening Makes You Happy and Cures Depression". The article refers to research that getting our hands dirty literally brings us into contact with soil bacteria that stimulate the release of serotonin in our brains. According to WebMD, it is believed that serotonin deficiency plays a role in depression. While difficult to measure and quantify, increasing serotonin levels can make us feel better. I always wear gloves when I work with wood and wire, but when it comes to planting, the barehanded approach is the only way to go. Getting my hands dirty makes me feel good.

An article in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience on "How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs" references studies that show that "serotonin may be associated with physical health as well as mood." They suggest that low serotonin levels may "predispose healthy individuals to suboptimal physical as well as mental functioning." In other words, you aren't performing as well as you should mentally and physically if your serotonin levels are low.

How do they recommend increasing serotonin? Bright light. Numerous studies show that exposure to light makes us feel better and helps us avoid depression. The article draws a correlation to our society's increasing depression problems when compared to generations past when we lived with agriculture as a bigger part of our lives. People who work outside in the sun tend to have fewer depression issues than people who are cooped up inside all day. Gardening is an ideal way to take advantage of the sun and its optical benefits. I definitely feel better when gardening in the sun.

Exercise also helps boost serotonin levels. Exercise can improve your mood. The Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience article introduces tryptophan as another chemical that acts as an antidepressant and "increases agreeableness, decreases quarrelsomeness and improves mood." Exercise, particularly exercise to fatigue, is associated with an increase of tryptophan in the blood. Gardening can certainly be a physically demanding activity and after a full day working outside my muscles and bones may ache, but I sure feel good about it.

I've written many times about how good I feel when picking the ripe tomato, plump pumpkin, or juicy strawberry. Permaculture College Australia tells of research that they call the "Harvest High". There is a release of dopamine into the brain when we harvest our garden. Dopamine can trigger mild euphoria. In addition to the physical process of gathering our crops, the dopamine release can be triggered by sight or smell. That helps explain why I can't suppress a face-filling smile when I spot the perfect fruit ready for plucking.

I've theorized that endorphins play a role in making me feel good when gardening. When you exert yourself your body produces endorphins. They make you feel really good, similar to morphine, and are commonly attributed to the euphoric feeling you get after a good workout or athletic performance; they produce the "runner's high". A WebMD article on "Exercise and Depression" specifically identifies gardening as a moderate exercise that can help depression. The blissful feeling after turning over the last shovel of soil when I stand erect and survey a prepared garden plot may be a quick rush of endorphins.

Then there are the emotional aspects of gardening that can't be easily studied or researched. There are some things about my passion that don't need to be explained medically or scientifically.

Digging in the soil, finding a few grubs, and feeding them to my chickens produces a wide range of brain chemicals at each step of the experience, but all I know is the chickens are as pleased as chickens can be and I like doing it.
 
Seeing the face of my grandson when he pulls a long, orange carrot from the soil and grins at his accomplishment is all about pleasure. His response might be explained by the dopamine in his body. But mine is more. It's about family, and love, and memories, and the joy of youth.

When Carrie tells me she loves my blog and shares my gardening ideas and activities with her parents it brings forth feelings of accomplishment, pride, and satisfaction. It feels good to know I'm making a difference, however small, in the happiness of someone else and it makes me want to do more.

The friends I have who are also gardeners are among my dearest. The love of gardening may have brought us together initially but we love each other for who we are. We are much more than gardeners, while gardening makes us better people.

Gardening makes me feel younger than I am. It brightens my day even when the sky is cloudy and a cold wind blows. Gardening helps take the physical pain of aging away by replacing it with a body ache that relishes to be repeated.

Science shows us there is a chemical reason why gardening makes us feel good physically and mentally. Experience shows us that gardening makes us feel good emotionally. With so many issues affecting our lives and so many activities vying for our precious time, it makes sense for gardening to find a place in our schedule. Gardening helps us put everything else in proper perspective.

I garden because I like to. It turns out that my body and brain substantiate the positive aspects every time I do it. When it comes to taking drugs, I'll keep pumping serotonin, tryptophan, dopamine, and endorphines into my body. I'll keep making a difference and keep making memories.

Gardening is good for me... what a great concept.

Biochar may become the future of gardening, though not many gardeners are aware of it. So if you know the answer to the title question consider yourself one of the knowledgeable few.

Biochar increases soil fertility and increases plant production in the garden as a soil amendment. On a global scale it works to sequester carbon from the air into soil, helping to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, and effectively removing the greenhouse gas for centuries. Whether as a garden soil amendment or a global greenhouse gas reducer, biochar is clearly beneficial for all of us.

Biochar is commonly compared to or confused with basic charcoal but it is much more. You have seen the basic process of creating charcoal. A campfire or woodstove filled with sticks and logs of varied sizes burns, produces heat, and often leaves behind black, carbon-rich chunks that didn't burn to ash. The blackened chunks are raw charcoal. When charcoal is added to soil it essentially becomes biochar.

This basic principle of improving soil fertility through the use of charcoal is attributed to the natives of the Amazon basin who burned their jungles in smoldering mounds to create charcoal. Large amounts of charcoal, bone, and manure were mixed into their infertile clay soils to create extremely fertile soil that is still visible today in Brazil where sections of "Terra Preta", or "black earth", reveal this innovative, ancient practice. 

Biochar, or charcoal in soil, improves the soil in many important ways. It raises the pH, improves water retention, increases microorganism activity, improves nutrient levels, and can even reduce metal contaminants in soil.

By many measures, biochar achieves the same benefits as compost (and you know I love compost), but does so with a mechanism that doesn't decompose as compost does. Biochar stays active in the soil for hundreds of years. Many low estimates say at least 300 years; the terra preta soils are over 1,000 years old and still quite viable.

When wood burns in a low-oxygen environment, water, chemicals, and gases escape leaving behind the simple carbon structure of the tree. The same holds true for any biological material that is burned in the same way. Within this carbon structure are innumerable microscopic pockets that once held cellulose and the water and gases. Think of it as resembling the structure of a sponge but on a much smaller scale. Charcoal looks solid from the outside but it contains countless air pockets and a true surface area much larger than the relative size of the chunk.

As biochar when the charcoal is added to soil, these empty pockets unleash their magic. Soil moisture finds its way into the empty, microscopic biochar chambers through capillary action and is retained very efficiently. These moist pockets then become home to billions of bacteria. These soil bacteria are critical to converting chemicals in soil into nutrients for plant uptake and form the bottom of the microorganism food chain. Compost as a soil amendment does the same things but compost continues to break down through the natural bacterial onslaught. Conversely, biochar's structure remains intact and continues to act as a home for water, air, and bacteria.

Biochar improves the texture of soil through it's own variably-sized pieces incorporating with various sizes of soil grains. It improves the fertility of the soil through the improved microorganism activity. It improves the structure of soil through the increase in pore space, aggregation, and soil stability. Biochar greatly improves overall soil tilth (for more about tilth see my article "The Dirt on Soil", Feb 24, 2011).

Lucky for gardeners, there are companies that are beginning to market biochar to consumers. Their biochar is made in a much more refined process that removes some of the impurities that remain after the simple smoldering pile method of making charcoal. This process, "pyrolysis", is quite efficient and reduces many of the air pollutants that burning wood releases into the atmosphere. Biochar companies use more than wood as their fuel. All kinds of organic waste, or biomass, are burned; these include corn stalks, manure, nutshells, leaves, and grass. Any biological matter that can be dried and burned can be turned into biochar.

One biochar company that I've become familiar with is "Soil Reef" Biochar. One of their founding members is a friend of mine so I do have a connection with them, but I haven't received anything by mentioning Soil Reef Biochar and paid full price for the biochar I purchased. In this evolving and emerging field, they are at the forefront and are working with Whole Foods Markets to bring their product to consumers.
 
My friend Lopa has been an advocate of biochar for years and has spoken around the world testifying to its amazing benefits. Only recently was I fortunate enough to learn about it and her company Soil Reef Biochar.

In the months ahead I'll be working with and writing more about biochar. I've set up test beds and plan to create my own kiln for making biochar through pyrolysis as I recycle my yard waste into beneficial soil amendments. I'm sold on the benefits of biochar and will document its effectiveness in my garden.

If you're intrigued by the idea find out more and purchase some biochar for your own garden. It's a new and innovative idea and you can be at the forefront.

Microclimates give gardeners an opportunity to grow plants that might not normally be successful in their landscape. Microclimates can also spell doom for plants that should grow well. As in the real estate game, in gardening it's all about location, location, location.

A microclimate is a geographical area with a different climate than the larger area surrounding it. The effect of localized weather varies in microclimates. Some microclimates cover miles of territory, but for our garden discussion we're talking about garden spots that may only be a few feet wide. Every season offers the opportunity to find microclimates in your garden (see my articles: "Look for Microclimates in the Garden", Jan 13, 2011; and "Microclimates in Summer", July 8, 2011). Spring is a good time to try and identify some of the microclimates in your garden that you may not notice at other times.

Gardening is a long-term activity and by noting changes in your garden throughout the year you can use your time and effort to provide the best environment for your plants. Microclimates exist everywhere but until you notice their effects on you and your plants you may be wasting valuable resources.

Some microclimates are obvious. Maybe there's a spot in your yard that is always high and dry; snow melts first in that spot, grass dries out and needs more water in that spot, or maybe every shrub you plant dies in that spot. Pausing for a little analysis may reveal it is always sunny, windy, and exposed. That's a microclimate.

On the other end of the spectrum think about the garden bed that is always wet and cold. Maybe its a low spot under some trees that never sees sun and never dries out; maybe it's the spot that always has the last pile of snow in spring. That's a microclimate.

These two microclimates may exist mere feet from each other but to plants they may as well be separated by miles. A plant that can grow in one of them can't grow in the other. It's up to you the gardener to recognize the differences and act accordingly.

My wife and I have noticed an interesting microclimate in our yard. We have three stands of Aspens that are each only separated by about 50 or 60 feet (15-18 meters). The stand in the front yard always buds out first. Two or three weeks later as those trees have full leaves, the second stand begins to show signs of green. Another two or three weeks go by before the third stand finally begins to leaf out.

An analysis of the landscape reveals a minor grade in the landscape; the last Aspen stand to grow is in the lowest elevation. The upper stand also gets a little more sunshine; the lower stand is shaded by trees and the house late in the day. It's also likely that the lower stand is more exposed to wind, common in the spring; the two upper stands have some wind protection from nearby structures and other trees.

Recognizing this microclimate is important to my gardening and plant selection. And I've made mistakes by not analyzing it earlier. Initially I planted Irises under the trees in the lower stand. They get full sun in early spring before the trees leaf out and I thought that would be enough for their success. The problem comes in autumn. As you might guess, the upper Aspen stands drop their leaves first and this lower stand is the last to lose leaves in fall. That means that the Irises are still shaded when they should be getting sun to nourish their rhizomes. I never get the flowers I should because the Iris rhizomes aren't nourished by sunlight as well as they should be.

This microclimate analysis changed my approach to plant selection. First, I planted new lavender plants near the upper Aspen stand. The slightly improved sun exposure helped those lavender plants grow better than others in the back yard. This year I've planted Coral Bells (Heuchera) in that lower spot. Coral Bells like sun when it's cold and some shade when it's hot, exactly what the location offers.

Without a microclimate analysis I might spend years fertilizing and babying the Irises and other plants that were never really suited for that garden bed. Now I can focus on the proper plants for better success.

Another microclimate, that I created, is evident in my stone patio. I wanted a spot to support the growing requirements of lavender and other high desert plants. I chose a location that gets full sun and build a raised, stone patio. It is now the spot that warms quickly in spring and where snow melts first. The lavender, sedum, thyme, and iceplants are thriving in a spot designed for them.

I chose a nice location with full sun for my vegetable garden. But even in this select area microclimates exist. The raised beds are built on a slope and the upper beds are a few feet higher in elevation than the lower. The upper beds have more exposure to wind and receive late-day shade before the others. Last year tomato plants in the lower beds did better than tomato plants just a few feet away; the wind and shade made a difference even though it is barely noticeable to me. The plants obviously noticed.

Look at how your garden wakes up in spring. Note the different growth rates of plants just a few feet apart. Spot elevation, sun, and wind variations in your landscape. Take a few minutes to analyze why some plants do well while others struggle.

By thinking about microclimates in your garden and acting to match plants with the best growing environment you can improve your garden's success. We often don't think much about a minor difference in temperature, sun, or shade, but to tender plants it can mean the difference between life and death.

Before you put new plants in a garden bed and before you sow seeds notice the year-round characteristics of that spot of ground. It may be perfect for young plants in the spring but does it offer the best environment and microclimate later in the plant's life cycle? The best gardening practices look into the future. It may sound difficult but it begins by thinking about how little differences in localized climate exists from one section of your garden to another. By spotting these changes you can use microclimates to your advantage.