I'll do a bit of cleaning up around everything then will take pics. Coop has been all cleaned up so we'll be ready for chickens next year (spring?).

Sounds Awesome Helicopilot.. Looking forward to it.. Are you wanting hens laying in the spring or are you wanting chicks in the spring, different planning needed for them.. is only reason I am asking?

Question of general interest... What are the rules of thumb for fruit trees pruning (when, how much, special considerations?)

As for chickens, this will be a new project for us and work might keep us all quite busy. Thinking that starting with "grown" he s might be a tad simpler. We intend on probably just do 2-3 for starters. Maybe add a couple later if the missus agrees. Big changes for her and though she's warming up to the idea of acreage living, I don't want to make it too much of a life change for her at once. Again, I'm open to suggestions of chickens/chick.

Ah, perfect, that helps greatly, in that case, I would take the winter off and just put in a order for ready to lay hens in the spring for the earliest date they will ship them in your area.. that way you can order in just a few and it will be much easier for everyone..

When you find your local feed store to you, ask them for who supplies their chicks and ask for a flyer or booklet, they might not have it ready yet for next year.. so in that case just ask for this years or the website, that way you can have a look.. typically however with ready to lay, you do not get a choice on breeds, its just order, pay, and pickup and voila.. chickens in the coop 🙂

Need more info on what kind of fruit tree, I can see about maybe seeing if we can video some of our pruning talk on the meet, I have a double certified expert coming in that is teaching just that, and I expect that she will not mind at all if we wanted to video it and share.. I can also ask on a few of my garden groups and see if I can track down who offers afternoon training classes in your area because you can watch a vid, read a book and look at photos but nothing beats hands on training.

Apple and prune trees specifically. I'm sure there's a wealth of info online but I thought about going the lazy way and just asking here ;p

Apple trees are doing really well and I frankly didn't expect such delicious apples around Edmonton.

Its that way with a lot of what we eat, when grown yourself or local it just tastes better this link explains why with apples from the store they are likely 10 months to 14 months old....I don't think most people are aware of that http://www.foodrenegade.com/your-apples-year-old/

But its like that with many things besides apples, and ofcourse we are limited to products grown for looks, or storage abilities rather than taste, another reason to grow your own.

Apple trees are doing really well and I frankly didn't expect such delicious apples around Edmonton.

Its that way with a lot of what we eat, when grown yourself or local it just tastes better this link explains why with apples from the store they are likely 10 months to 14 months old....I don't think most people are aware of that http://www.foodrenegade.com/your-apples-year-old/

But its like that with many things besides apples, and ofcourse we are limited to products grown for looks, or storage abilities rather than taste, another reason to grow your own.

I guess what I meant is that I've seen apple orchards in BC, NS, QC and ON but seldom have I seen them in the prairies or even in NB. I'm used to some folks growing "crabapples" but they taste "meh" to me. So this is a treat to have fresh stuff right in the backyard!

Oh and pics to come... as soon as I take the time to transfer them from the phone to the computer, than re-size them to fit in here. We will also have to play "guess the grapes" that grow along HP's porch!?!?

You have asked, here they are, pictures of HP's new place. Garden area have much to desire as the family decided to discontinue planting after the sale. A bit of weeding in front flower/edibles bed, orchard is also overgrown with thistles right now. Greenhouse has a couple of tomato plants in there, we'll start peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers in there next spring.

Potatoes... and a view of the chicken coop.

The greenhouse...

Only a tomato plant growing in there. After the purchase offer was accepted, the last owners discontinued planting their garden and got busy with their move. The garden is also barren.

Garden area, chicken coop. There are 3 runs off the coop, one into the garden, one into the orchard and one into the trees out back.

No chickens this year, but that's going to be on the to-do list for the spring!

Berry identification??? Red currants? There are 3 bushes of those. Haven't had much time to pick...

yes, that's current

Front flower/edibles bed. Front has potatoes and sunflowers, also a few blueberry bushes in there, thought they look like they were just planted this year.

odd to have put potatoes in a flower bed, at first I thought you had walking onions but looking closer, not regular ones that are setting to flower

So everything is fairly new to us. Looking forward to suggestions, ideas, comments etc!

hmmm...nice, I like the coop, even rainwater recovery from the roof, I can see the two chicken runs, well fenced, with the door allowing access to the garden. It looks well laid out to me. I like the trees, would I be correct to assume the back of the coop is roughly to the north, so that would make this roughly the north west corner of the property? I cant help with the berries, I don't even know what all I have.