Garden Crate

It is good to see the finished product after struggling to complete it for the last two weeks. 

We had a futon which was extensively used for more than a decade and then discarded and not in use for the last few years. As the wood was of good quality we decided to use it to make a garden crate 

After putting it together we used a shower curtain (again discarded) to line it. I had to use a plastic sheet inside, as a shower curtain is not exactly water proof material. The idea was to see that the crate lasted as long as possible. For the water to drain, we drilled two holes and inserted small pipes 

On the inside we made it snug fit with the plastic so that water and mud won't come in contact with the wood. 

So the futon which was in use in the garden for so many years has come back to the garden in a different form 

Maybe I will start off with some lemon trees in the crate 

The rectangular pot seen in the second picture is used for sowing wheat. Within a week the wheat grass blades are the right size for extracting the wheat grass juice. The medicinal properties of this juice is multifold. 

  

Wheat Grass

Came across a small cartoon which said “of course I use fowl language, what other language do you want me to use?”

Talking of Fowls, Schnabel, an agricultural chemist, conducted his first experiments with young grass in 1930, when he used fresh cut grass in an attempt to nurse dying hens back to health. The hens not only recovered, but they produced eggs at a higher rate than healthy hens. Encouraged by his results, he began drying and powdering grass for his family and neighbors to supplement their diets. The following year, Schnabel reproduced his experiment and achieved the same results. Hens consuming rations supplemented with grass doubled their egg production. Schnabel started promoting his discovery to feed mills, chemists and the food industry. Two large corporations, Quaker Oats and American Dairies Inc., invested millions of dollars in further research, development and production of products for animals and humans. By 1940, cans of Schnabel's powdered grass were on sale in major drug stores throughout the United States and Canada. This is as per what is mentioned in the Wikipedia
From what I have read , the three most important effects of wheat grass on the human body are: blood purification, liver detoxification and colon cleansing.
Some have even done studies on this to claim that it enhances the Hb level in your blood.
I have been extracting the wheat grass juice and using it at home
The procedure is simple.
Take a handful of wheat, tie it in a cloth and hang it for a day till it starts sprouting. (ensure that the cloth is always moist but not water logged)
The next day sprinkle these seeds in a shallow pot with ¾ mud (like the one in the picture) and cover it with a thin layer of mud so that the sprouted wheat is not visible.
On the seventh day cut the grass (which will be about 3 to 4 inches long) wash it and grind it in a mixer (with a little water)
Squeeze out the juice and it is ready to be consumed.
If you want to have it on a daily basis, have seven similar pots so that you can keep repeating the cycle.
Recently I realized that the wheat looses its nutritional property 72 hrs after it is planted.

Off late a pigeon has been troubling me. It started like this. After I water the plants in the morning, this bird used to come down, (when he was sure that the coast is clear) and have his fill of water. One day he discovered the wheat grains in the shallow pot and started weeding out more. Now he swoops down with his whole extended family !!
I don’t mind them using my place as a watering hole, but having the wheat as breakfast is putting a wrench in my cycle of extracting wheat grass juice.
I am trying ways and means of keeping them away.

Funny, I started this post with a bird and ended with a bird.