Backyard Homestead | The Kuntry Klucker

Building a Grape Arbor in your own backyard.

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Noelle K. Moser

Building a Grape Arbor is something that has been on my to do list for the past 10+ years. Grapes are a wonderful crop to grow on your own land as they grow very fast, are fairly pest resistant and easy to grow. They do require regular maintenance, pruning being the chief requirement.

As a child I remember visiting my grandparents farm during the summer and eating ripe grapes from their vine. It is a memory that I cherish and look forward to eating from my very own grape vines once more.

Building a Grape Arbor is a DIY project that you can tackle yourself. It takes some hard work, several partners, effort and time, but if you are diligent, you can build a Grape Arbor in a week.

Why I wanted to build a Grape Arbor?

Building a Grape Arbor has been a dream of mine for a very long time. Not only functional as a trellis for the grapes to grow on, Grape Arbors add a majestic presence to your backyard or garden. They command attention as you enter their sacred space. To make the most of your time and effort, you can attach a porch swing or hammock swings. Installing solar light to Arbor creates a romantic and relaxing seating area in your backyard.

Building a Grape Arbor.

We chose a traditional style Pergola for our Backyard Grape Arbor. I wanted something that would not only serve as a trellis for grape vines, but a place that I could hang some backyard Hammock Swings. Above is the final completed project of the Arbor in our backyard. It is 8 feet tall is roughly 12 feet long.

Shopping list for a backyard Grape Arbor.

**Pick up truck full of lumber for the Grape Arbor.**

Posts: (4) 4×4 @ 7’6.5” and (8) 2×6 @ 8”.

Beams: (2) 4×6 @ 12’

Braces: 2×4’s

Runner on to of Arbor: (11) 2×4’s @ 5’8”. For a decorative look, cut the ends of the 2×4’s at a 45-degree angle or bevel. This is optional.

1 box of 2” deck screws and 1 box of 4” deck screws.

After we unloaded the wood, we cut the 2×4’s and 4×6 beams to size and beveled the ends at a 45 degree angle.

**Preparing the wood by cutting 45 degree angles on the ends of the 2×4’s which will form the canopy of the Arbor.**

Before building the Arbor, we prepared the ground by digging the footings. We dug 4 holes at the dept of 4 feet. To accomplish this, we rented an Agar to dig the depth of the holes.

**Digging the holes for the Arbor support beams**.

After the footings were dug, we connected two 2×6’s to each of the 4×4’s then cemented them in place.

Next, we lifted the large 4×6 beams on center over the pair of 4×4 posts. These beams sit on top of the 4×4 posts. You can screw them into place if you wish, we decided to let gravity do the work for us.

**4×6 beams sitting on top of the 4×4 posts.**

Next, we attached the 4×4 pairs to each other using a 2×6 cut to length. We then toenailed them with 4” deck screws connecting them to the 4×4 posts.

**4×4’s forming the canopy of the Arbor. Each held in place by braces connecting the 4×4’s to the 4×6 beams.**

Next, we attached the (11) 2×4’s to the top of the Arbor to form the canopy. Each 2×4 is held into place and connected to the 4×6’s using braces.

**Braces securing the 4×4’s to the canopy.**

Nearing the end of our construction project, we cut the remaining 2×4’s to form diamond supports connecting the 4×4 beams to one another. These braces add beauty and strength to the Pergola. They are attached to the main support beams with pocket hole screws.

**4×4’s forming diamonds as supports also adding esthetic beauty to the overall look of the Arbor.**

Finally, we added lattice boards to each side of the Arbor. This adds a touch of sophistication to the Arbor while giving the grape plants something to grasp onto as they climb to the canopy.

Lattice boards secured to each side of the Arbor. They add an aura of distinctive quality to the finished look of the Arbor. The lattice boards also give the young grape plants something to grab onto as they climb to the canopy.

From start to finish, it took us 1 week to build this Pergola Grape Arbor. The finished product is stunning!! It brings a sense of completion to our backyard, complimenting the “coop-hood” (a.k.a. chicken coops) with an aura of dignity.

Fi (Silver Lace Polish Hen) perched on a hammock swing under the arbor.

My favorite activity is to lay on my hammock under the Grape Arbor, read, listen to the chatter of my girls and watch the grapes grow.

**Enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon reading on my hammock lying under the Grape Arbor.**

I cannot wait for the grapes to grow and reach the Arbor canopy. Until then I will sit under my Arbor, read, sip on some wine and look forward to the day that I can eat fresh grapes from my very own grape vines.

**Grape clusters on a Muscadine Grape Vine.**

I hope you enjoyed this post. Building this backyard Grape Arbor was a worthwhile endeavor, bringing a completion to our backyard homestead.

You too can build a Pergola Grape Arbor in your own backyard or garden and reap the benefits of growing your own grape vines.

***Me, relaxing in a hammock swing below the Grape Arbor.***

***The girls working hard to keep the grape vines free of bugs and weeds.***

***My “hen-helping” crew, keeping the grape vines healthy, bug, and weed free.***

Today May 2022

Three years after construction, the grape vines are prolific and rapidly climbing to the canopy. This year’s harvest (2022) will be the best yet! 🍇

***Grape Vines loaded with tiny grapes.***

Fi (Silver Lace Polish Hen) perching on a hammock swing in the shade of the Grape Arbor

I am a published author, multi-disciplinary writer and blog contributor. If you like this blog, please visit some of my other sites.

Knowledge of the Spheres – Exploring the Celestial spheres!

Coffee and Coelophysis – A blog about Dinosaurs!

Chicken Math Univeristy – Adventures in Homeschooling

If you liked this post, peck the subscribe button. As always, thanks for reading. Till next time, keep on crowing!

~ The Kuntry Klucker Crew ~

Deakey, Fi, and Brian (Polish Hens) perching on a hammock swing, relaxing under the shade of the Grape Arbor.

It’s Times Like This…

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Noelle K. Moser

***Empty egg cooler at my local Walmart.***

As a backyard chicken keeper and blogger, I am always presenting the advantages of keeping chickens. Chickens offers many advantages such as compost tenders, gardening associates, extermination forces, companionship and of course egg producers.

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and preparation for the impact on communities, people are taking steps to ready themselves. One of these readiness techniques is to stock up on goods and staples for an extended period.

Normally when this is done in an orderly fashion, stores are able to keep up with demand. However, when the impact of a crises hits suddenly, stores are often overwhelmed unable to adequately supply the demand needed by the public. In these cases, empty shelves and vacant freezers are a common sight. Barren store shelves have another sociological effect, Panic! When shoppers planning to stock up for the foreseeable future are greeted with empty shelves, the gravity of the situation becomes all too real. The scarcity of goods creates yet another threat to our situation often times solved by our primal instinct of “the strongest will survive”. As a result, fights over seemingly random items such as toilet paper, paper towels, canned food and essentials like bread and eggs are reported across multiple locations.

It’s times like this that I am so glad to be a backyard chicken keeper. While most people were raiding the stores for essentials and staples, I was quietly and methodically stocking up on chicken feed and other poultry essentials. It is often said that a country girl/boy will survive, this is indeed the truth, one of the benefits of being self-sufficient. With a freezer full of frozen veggies from last year’s garden and fresh eggs being laid daily, we are often able to weather just about any economic crises.

As the stores run out of important staples such as eggs, I am in the fortunate position to help out my friends and neighbors. People often forget about us backyard chicken keepers till an egg recall or shortage is faced, then we are everyone’s favorite neighbor. In past supply shortages, I have had complete strangers come to my door inquiring about purchasing eggs from me. I oblige when I am able to do so.

These events remind me again and again how fortunate I am to be able to keep backyard chickens. There have been times they have provided us our “survival food”. When natural disasters or other economic crises occur, there is just something about knowing that although the stores are bare, the girls are still laying. Completely unaware of the situation unfolding around them, the girls go about their days sustaining us and others around us. There is a purity in not being totally dependent on the supply chain, but rather your own land.

There are many benefits of keeping backyard chickens. Times of crises are one of those benefits. This is often forgotten till a situation arises that forces us to take stock. It’s times like this that I am ever grateful for my girls. They are a blessing that sometimes is not fully appreciated till situations arise and we become dependent on them.

When faced with uncertainties, people have their own ways of preparing. While most people were braving the long lines at the stores to ready their plans, I was preparing for my girls. I sustain them by making sure I have their essentials stocked for the upcoming crises. They will in turn sustain us and others in need through their eggs.

I wish everyone the best in weathering this storm. If we all follow the recommendations by our federal Government and local Public Health professionals, we will survive. This is not the first time that humanity has been faced with an invisible enemy, it will not be the last. Take care and take care of those around you. If we band together, we can fight this invisible foe.

I am a published author, multi-disciplinary writer and blog contributor. If you like this blog, please visit some of my other sites.

Knowledge of the Spheres – Exploring the Celestial Spheres!

Coffee and Coelophysis – A blog about Dinosaurs!

Chicken Math University – Adventures in Homeschooling

If you liked this post, peck the subscribe button. As always, thanks for reading! Till next time, keep on crowing!

~ The Kuntry Klucker Crew ~

The Kuntry Klucker Farm is in FULL Bloom

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Noelle K. Moser

It’s been a busy spring here at the Kuntry Klucker Farm. The coops have all been painted, seasonal annuals planted, and chicks flourishing in their new digs. Spring is always a busy time here, but this year has been especially busy. I did something that I have never done before, painted all the coops in the expanse of one week. If you’re asking if I am crazy the answer is, yes! It was a hard task, but with the weather not being very corporative I had to strike with the iron was hot. That meant painting all the coop in a week between strong cold fronts, ahh, the joys of spring. I usually like to pace it out a bit more, but usually I have weather patterns that are bit more subtle. But you have to work with what you can, so all the coops got a new coat of paint in the span of a week. The girls seem to enjoy their newly updated homes.

The TARDIS in particular got quite the facelift. This coop which is home to my “little Kuntry Klucker’s” Silkie’s is a huge Dr. Who fan. He named his coop the TARDIS from the beginning even painted it a TARDIS blue to match. This year during our coop painting projects the TARDIS finally got it official lettering. Might I add that he did all this work himself, he is quite the budding artist. Those that follow Dr. Who will relate quite easily to his artwork. Those that are not Dr. Who fans that is more than ok, I am a recent convert myself, so I understand. Without further ado, I unveil the chicken TARDIS here on the Kuntry Klucker Farm.

Two other coops additionally got their official lettering. Henwarts and the Coop De Ville. But first, Henwarts. Earlier this spring I added a 7th coop to the “coop-hood” here at the Kuntry Klucker Farm. This coop was named “Henwarts”. Named after the Hogwarts School of Magic only with a bent towards chickens. Henwarts has officially been added to my growing collection of chicken coops. Painted after the colors of Raven Claw, one of the four houses at Hogwart. I thought that this theme would fit well for a flock of Buff Laced, White Crested, and Tolbunt Polishes. The residents of this coop will officially move in in a few weeks. They are still being kept with the other chicks till they are old enough to move into their own coop.

Finally, the Coop De Ville. I have had this coop from the beginning. During the infancy as we were drawing up the plans for the Kuntry Klucker Farm it consisted of two large coops like the Kuntry Klucker. However, I found a need for a storage area for garden tools and so forth. So instead of attaching a pen this coop stayed as it was for a long time, an unfinished storage area. Well, this year I finally decided that it needed a name and a theme. So, I decided on the name “Coop De Ville” and the color theme of John Deere. It’s a bit of a mix match but I feel that it suites that chicken yard very well. So, showing her colors for the first time here on The Kuntry Klucker, the Coop De Ville. It’s still a storage area for garden tools, but I allow the girls to go up into the coop and lay eggs there by setting out a few nesting boxes. The girls really seem to enjoy the quietness of this laying area.

Now that the spring planting season on the horizon tilling the garden is my next task, in the meantime the girls have been helping me plant annuals. The girls know what fun awaits them when flats of flowers and bags to potting soil come into the backyard. I get lots of “hen-help” with planting the flowers in the various potting arrangement in the chicken yard area. They enjoy tasing all the different colors of the flowers and of course dust bathing in the potting soil bag. A hen’s life here is a good one.

And finally, the chicks! These were the little peeps that were in my indoor brooder just a few short weeks ago. Chicks grow so fast is almost insane. Anyway, they moved from the brooder to the TARDIS which was their outdoor brooder for a short time. Then as they outgrew the TARDIS they move to Henwarts for a short while, as they needed more space, they finally ended up at their final coop location The Kuntry Klucker. The Polishes will take up residence in Henwarts when they are a little older. They have taken to the move and adjusted well. They love the extra room for flying and of course all the meet and greets they get from the other girls as they walk by the Kuntry Klucker to see what all the peeping is about. The older girls are getting to know the new kids on the farm as the new kids are getting to know them. In just a few short months they will be out in the yard enjoying the plentiful bounty in the backyard.

Well, I think that pretty much does it for the news here at the Kuntry Klucker Farm. All feathered residents are doing well awaiting the next exciting event, tilling and planting the garden. I will start tilling up the garden in the next few days providing the weather cooperates.

If you have any questions, please post in the comments. You can also reach me at kuntryklucker@gmail.com.

I am a published author, multi-disciplinary writer and blog contributor. If you like this blog, please visti some of my other sites.

Coffee and Coelophysis – A blog about dinosaurs!

Chicken Math University – Adventures in Homeschooling.

Knowledge of the Spheres – Exploring the Celestial Spheres.

If you liked this post, peck the subscribe button.