Yard clean up, spring cleaning, raised garden beds, and Marshalls first day outside

Today was too nice of a day to be spent indoors. It was above freezing and some of the last snow was melting away. I decided today was the perfect day to let Marshall see what being outside is all about. I am not yet done with his permanent pen, so he used another extra dog crate that I haven't yet started to convert. I flipped it upside down so he could munch on some of the new grass that is coming to life. The pan was secure even upside down, so it was used to provide some shade and shelter. He also had a fresh bowl of water and a nice stick I trimmed off a tree for him.

At first he didn't act sure of what to do. After a few minutes he was nibbling the grass, stretching up to check out the top of the crate and eventually even zooming back and forth. I think it's safe to say that he is enjoying spending time outdoors.

Having the crate upsidedown does allow him some access to the grass, but the width of the bars does bend the grass over, so it is not ideal. The crate I am working on will address this issue, but until it's done, I give this a thumbs up, and so does Marshall.

While Marshall was enjoying himself, my son and I made the rounds around the back yard picking up downed tree branches and sticks. It's amazing the damage an old tree takes over the winter from the snow, ice and wind storms. If you are ever wondering what to do with all the branches, they can go in a compost pile, or you can use them as a base to a new raised garden bed. Last fall I put together 2 new raised beds, but I have not yet ordered the soil to fill them. If nothing was put in them but soil... It would cost quite a bit, and be a lot of work moving all that dirt. With filling the bottom of the beds with yard waste, you take up space in the planter, it will compost down over time giving nutrients to your plants, and it also saves you money.

So far this is my one. It's mostly sticks and some veggie scraps from the house. The soil will settle in and around all the branches and I think it works out quite well. There will be settling over time however, and you will probably have to top it up a bit the next year. My rabbit waste is also being dumped into my other raised bed. It's some pine shavings that he's been using as bedding, som hay that he hasn't eaten before I clean his pen, and if course rabbit poop and urine. Rabbit poop is great fertilizer. It's considered a cold fertilizer so you do not have to wait for it to heat up and start to break down. It is ready for use the second it comes out of the rabbit. So far this is my one. It's mostly sticks and some veggie scraps from the house. The soil will settle in and around all the branches and I think it works out quite well. There will be settling over time however, and you will probably have to top it up a bit the next year. My rabbit waste is also being dumped into my other raised bed. It's some pine shavings that he's been using as bedding, some hay that he hasn't eaten before I clean his pen, and of course rabbit poop and urine. Rabbit poop is great fertilizer. It's considered a cold fertilizer so you do not have to wait for it to heat up and start to break down. It is ready for use the second it comes out of the rabbit.

Walking the yard also let me see where I needed to do some pruning and see if anything blew into the yard and has been hiding under the snow. I do live in town and have a fully fenced back yard, but we have had some nasty wind over the winter, so you never know what is hiding in the snow. There wasn't anything too exciting. A water bottle, some plastic bags, the usual culprits.

Another plus to Marshall enjoying some time outside, is I got to deep clean his inside pen. Scrub his tray, sweep and mop my floors, and enjoy a couple hours of bedding not being flicked out and onto the floor. The joys of an inside bunny being temporarily raised in a dog crate. It works, but it isn't perfect.