January 14
In my haste to get all the things we talked about recorded in my last entry, I totally forgot to update how the half-drown, half-frozen baby bunnies from last weekend are doing. Let me just say they are doing WONDERFULLY! They are healthy, have almost doubled in size and are strong enough to jump out of the nest box! This weekend I will turn the nest box on its size. We typically turn the nest box on its side at around 2 weeks. This gives the bunnies a bit of shelter from a breeze, a place to snuggle together, but avoids them being able to get out of the box but not get back in. The box will be completely removed at three weeks, and as soon as they are eating food consistently, they will be moved to the grow out cages. This usually happens at 5-6 weeks. The mama’s are then given some time to recuperate before being bred again. Many people breed their rabbits much more frequently than we do, but we like the idea of having healthy mamas that aren’t overly stressed with raising their young. Right now we get three litters a year, as they are bred every 4 months. We may look at a breeding schedule that would give us 4 litters a year. But we will also have to consider the space it will take for growing them out. They are not usually ready for the freezer until 10-12 weeks, so having the extra litters would mean more grow out space, or butchering them slightly smaller and a little sooner.
The more I thought about Jessa’s idea about using the IBC totes as raised beds, the more torn I was. They will definitely save a TON of money, but I was concerned with what they would look like. I don’t like to think of myself as homesteading “snob”, but I have to admit, while I am considering the functionality of a setup of any kind, I also consider how it looks. So, with that in mind, I decided to get online and do some looking to see if anyone had already tried this and what the beds actually looked like in a garden. I was shocked! Not only, is using these containers a “thing”, but they are used to make wicking beds! Wicking beds are built on the premise that a water reservoir is designed in the bottom of the bed, a layer of landscape fabric separates the soil from a gravel/sand layer. The reservoir of water remains in the bottom and “wicks” upward to water the plants growing the upper layer of soil. According to the research, this cuts watering during the hot dry months down to once or twice a week. There are other considerations to doing these beds, such as drain tubes and fill tubes….but that is the general concept.
From what I’m understanding it will take just a few dollars per bed to create a wicking bed, and the long term savings on water and time will make these beds not only cost efficient but also time efficient. Our plan is to design some inside the greenhouse first. This area will be harder to change out later, so we will make it the priority and the trial error for the wicking beds. If we do not have the time to get them finished for outside planting, we can still plant in the ground as always. Time will become an issue, along with finding enough totes to create the number of beds I want to have. We will see how time/supply goes. As for the looks of the wicking beds, they aren’t too bad. I have seen some, where the esthetics were very important (like in an urban garden) where they actually covered them with wood or tin to make them a bit more visually appealing. But I don’t think that added expense will be necessary for us, at least not initially.
Because I’m so excited about the wicking beds and have found numerous resources that explain the building and use of them, I am going to post some links below for easy reference. I think I will pop some more pictures below the links for inspiration. Jessa gets full credit for this one….much to JD’s dismay! LOL
Modifications to Rob Bob’s Wicking Beds
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