Volume 2, Issue 11
Hidden Gems of the Miller Library, Part II:
Reinventing the Chicken Coop by Kevin McElroy and Matthew Wolpe
reviewed by Jessica Anderson

As a new graduate of the University of Washington’s Library and Information Science Master’s program, I began volunteering at the Miller Library in July 2011. I had some experience in academic libraries, and had worked as a student assistant in the UW’s Natural Sciences Library. After I began volunteering, I started reading and checking out several books on fruit and vegetable gardening. The books were great, and really helped me learn how to grow food.

I decided to add chickens to my urban garden, making it a small urban farm. One of the best books that helped me prepare for my chickens was Reinventing the Chicken Coop by Kevin McElroy and Matthew Wolpe. The book contains 14 coop designs. It covers chicken coop essentials including space requirements, roosts, ventilation, and nesting boxes. This information was very helpful to me as I was learning what it would take to keep chickens in my yard. In the Coop-Building Basics chapter the authors explained, “One of our goals for this book was to keep things simple, using ordinary shop tools and building with similar materials and repeatable processes as much as possible” (p. 21). In the end, my husband and I built our coop using their design, SYM, which is “much more than a chicken coop; it’s a symbiotic urban farming system” (p. 106). This was exactly what we needed. The step by step instructions were easy to follow and it didn’t take too long to build this simple yet stable coop for our new flock. Reinventing the Chicken Coop is a great resource for building chicken houses with ease and low cost. Most pre-built coops cost twice as much as the materials used for building your own coop. I enjoyed the collection of contemporary designs and my chickens love their little home in my city backyard.

Now, I am a librarian at the Miller Library, with two years of experience in chicken husbandry and a growing knowledge of year-round vegetable and fruit gardening. I take pleasure in being knowledgeable on these subjects and plan to continue learning, expanding my understanding of urban farming.

Paintings and Prints by Molly Hashimoto
exhibit opens November 5

Seattle artist and teacher Molly Hashimoto explores the flora and fauna of the West, from both garden and wild habitats, in watercolors and block prints. This year's exhibit features all new work, including many birds, and prints of Western conifers of the coast and timberline plus watercolors of favorite flowers playfully painted from her own garden. Molly's work is published by Pomegranate as cards, calendars, puzzles and books, and many of those items will be offered for sale with the prints and paintings.

Molly's work will be on display in the Miller Library November 5 through December 28, and she invites you to an opening reception November 5 from 5 to 7pm.

Ask the Plant Answer Line: How can I save my bulbs from squirrels?

Q: I am trying to plant some bulbs but they are being disturbed and eaten by the squirrels. Do you have any tips and tricks to protect my bulbs from being eaten?

A: Here is an excerpt from a 2009 article by Sally Ferguson in the online archive of BC Living magazine on preventing squirrel snacking:

Squirrels can be terrible pests! They won't bother daffodils and other narcissi bulbs (which taste terrible to them!), but they find tulips and crocus in particular to be worth the effort to sniff out and dig up.
...
Bulbs are most vulnerable in fall immediately after planting when the soil is still soft and worked up. Digging then is easy! Squirrels often "chance" upon bulbs when burying their nuts in soft ground. Or they are attracted by "planting debris" such as bits of papery bulb tunics and other bulb-scented bits from the bulb bags. Don't advertise your plantings: clean up and keep those squirrels guessing!

Here's one neat trick that garden writer Judy Glattstein has found to work: after planting new areas, lay old window screens in frames on the ground, covering the newly-worked up soil. The screen weighs enough to foil the squirrel, but allows for air circulation and rainfall. Once the ground has settled, remove the screens and store for future use.

Another remedy that some find successful is to feed the squirrels during the fall and winter. The theory is that the local squirrel population, when offered a handy plate of peanuts or other easy-to-get treats will leave your bulbs alone. At the White House, the gardeners put up six peanut-filled feeding boxes to satiate the furry denizens there -- and reduced squirrel damage on bulb beds by 95 percent! Many gardeners claim success with commercial repellents, but these are often sticky and unpleasant to deal with, or wash

 Read the full question and answer in our online Garden Answers Knowledgebase.

New to the Library October 2015