Oh MY! Trampolines!!

If you recall in that long first post of all the pictures, the trampoline game made quite a pile of boxes. I'm not a person who wastes things like that....



My sainted mother (she's the most patient person I know!) removed all the staples from the boxes, there was no tape. Then I laid them in my garden paths.



And covered them with straw (the bales were out all winter, pretty rotted straw, some of it's slippery!)



And Hey! Presto!! The trash was used up extremely well! They'll keep the paths clear all summer, it's really heavy cardboard.

You know you are a permie when you are excited by the trash pile as by all those damaged trampolines!

There's no such thing as waste, only stuff in the wrong place!  
The boxes are in their right place now.
YAY!!

I am known as the box queen at work. I drag all the shipping boxes home and put them in the garden. I lay them out and cut holes to put the plants in. Presto,  no weeds and it breaks down into soil. Learned that from Ruth Stout

Me too Pearl. My family is addicted to Amazon. The large boxes are used for weed control, and the small ones go through the shredder for the worm bin, and compost.  Waist not want not.  I'm looking forward to seeing what becomes of the rest of your treasures.

We picked up a broken, old trampoline 2.5 years ago (how has it been that long?!) and turned it into a mobile duck yard! (More pictures here on my SKIP post)

Our mobile duck yard!

We put galvanized chicken wire on the top and sides, leaving one panel open for a gate. It has, literally, been a life-saver. Since we built it, we have not lost one duck (or goose) as long as they were in there. I move it everyday to fresh grass. It's actually not too hard to haul around, even up our hill. We probably need to put some fresh fencing around the base, as it's gotten a bit loose over the years, and we actually stake in wooden boards around it now, because the ducks like to squeeze under the looser fencing.

All in all, this thing is one of our best investments in time and money., especially since people often give these trampoline frames away for free. We just paid for fencing.

I actually have a second trampoline frame that I'm still trying to figure out what to do with. My neighbors gave it to us when they left, and I don't know if I should make an arbor, another mobile yard, or something else....

Nicole Alderman wrote:We picked up a broken, old trampoline 2.5 years ago (how has it been that long?!) and turned it into a mobile duck yard! (More pictures here on my SKIP post)

Hey Nicole, I looked at your PEP post and am wondering, how do you get the ducks and geese from their sleeping place to the trampoline and back again?

Jenny Wright wrote:

Nicole Alderman wrote:We picked up a broken, old trampoline 2.5 years ago (how has it been that long?!) and turned it into a mobile duck yard! (More pictures here on my SKIP post)

Hey Nicole, I looked at your PEP post and am wondering, how do you get the ducks and geese from their sleeping place to the trampoline and back again?

Ah! Ducks and geese herd relatively easily. We've taught them to come to our singing (which sometimes works), and we don't give them food until they're in their trampoline. I also use two pieces of fencing that I set up on either side of the trampoline to kind of help them funnel in (These fences then go over the trampoline's entryway and we put that big 5 gallon jug of water in front of the fences to keep the "door" closed so they can't leave).

It also helps that we don't usually move it too far each day. So they kind of know where to go. I try to always put their water tray and bucket in the same places within the trampoline, in hopes that makes it easier for them to locate the door.

I must admit, though, that my biggest tool is my 8 year old son. He's an excellent duck herder, and it's really handy to have him herding the ducks from the back, while I lead them with the buckets. Sometimes my husband takes the place of my son, and sometimes I do it all by myself...but I do like having someone there as backup just in case the ducks decide to try to go the other direction, or in case they're feeling mighty stupid that day and they want to totally miss the door and go in circles around the trampoline, or in case the geese are feeling really obnoxious, etc.

I totally wouldn't try this with chickens. They don't herd, and you'd have to manually move them. (I mean, I've tried setting up a yard like this for chickens, and we ended up having to carry each individual chicken too and from it's coop, and that's more work than I want to do, even with just 4-5 chickens!)

Ten years ago, when I needed to create a second paddock for my horses, I used an old trampoline as a shelter from the sun for them. With help, I simply lifted and fastened the trampoline onto 4x4's that had been fastened into some of those quick, deck supports. A few years ago, my horses went to live at my friend's place, but the 'temporary' shelter is still (literally) hanging in there.

Nicole Alderman wrote:

I do like having someone there as backup just in case the ducks decide to try to go the other direction, or in case they're feeling mighty stupid that day and they want to totally miss the door and go in circles around the trampoline, or in case the geese are feeling really obnoxious, etc.

I have a plastic kids hockey stick. They know they get a fresh chance at finding slugs when I open their overnight shelter, and their run follows a rotational pattern so as Nicole also said, they have some idea where they should be going. I follow behind and can simply use their "avoidance behavior" to turn them, using the hockey stick to extend my footprint (we practice duck hockey as a non-contact sport). Some days they do it perfectly.... some days not... sigh... As a rule, Noisy ducks are "groupies" so even if they decide to head off into the weeds, I can usually get them redirected. It was *much* harder when they were just learning and when I needed to move their run to the north side of the fence, rather than its usual south side, they struggled for a day or two.

And wrote:

I totally wouldn't try this with chickens.

I guess that's why people always talk of using "chunnels" with chickens? I think chickens also have more of a "scatter" approach to predation?

My 26 year old son on autistic spectrum jumps for hours each day and we go through springs like crazy.  We have learned it is important to put on new spring when one pops off to protect the black deck from tearing.  

We buy springs by the boxful and go through them faster than usual.  My son is 6'3" and jumps alot!  You may post on Nextdoor about anyone needing the springs because someone with special needs could likely use them or just a family with kids.

I'm so thankful for this post today.  Our puppies got sick. In an effort to eliminate everything that could be the cause we removed a very large oleander.  Thank goodness there's shade somewhere in the yard because it is surrounded by trees, but the yard itself is a dusty desert, that have even the weeds struggling.  Reading this I remembered we have a trampoline frame in the barn.  My sister-in-law told me she has some pipe we could have,  We could put them together and make a great frame for shade cloth in spring through fall, and plastic in the winter for a dry area.  Yeah I'm so excited. Now I need to go hunt for the parts. I hope my father-in-law didn't decide to "help" us out and haul it off to the dump.  Wish me luck.  Thanks

Jay Angler wrote: I follow behind and can simply use their "avoidance behavior" to turn them, using the hockey stick to extend my footprint (we practice duck hockey as a non-contact sport).

We often grab some long sticks or bamboo to use like your bamboo, although most of the time we get by with simply holding our arms straight out.  Funny story: my husband and I were helping out at our kids' school, and the teacher took the kids outside for an activity. The kids started to scatter, so my husband and I both put our arms out to herd them. We did so instinctively, without realizing that normal people probably don't go herding 2nd Graders as if they were ducks

I am seeing insulation around doors and windows....around the bottoms of  buildings.... taking them apart, flattening them, and maybe even stitching them together in squares that  can be then put on top of your attic insulation?  Insulated curtains, even? a large wall hanging  for a wall or corner that is very cold in the winter?

Trampoline springs; seeing the hang up planters  thing; even seeing using them to look like cattails;  seeing put them in a circle for a wreath thing...

Practical use:  use 3 of them, put hay in a milk crate, hang on the outside of the fence, using the springs and some  wire, to feed  critters... https://i.pinimg.com/originals/87/c4/87/87c487d7d8bc39fa2ec623f760bd12d0.jpg

this person uses them to help keep her wisteria branches from falling over/breaking away from the trunk : https://www.hometalk.com/posts/outdoor/garden/metal-spring-from-old-trampoline-1848253

Hmm..maybe rainchains?  or  put them at the corners of beds/buildings that the hose wraps around to keep the hose from kinking?

Border of a plant bed?

Pearl Sutton wrote:I need help thinking about this stuff, suggestions welcomed!
No clue what I will do with the pads. They are something like 115 feet long sewn into a continuous circle, slight curve to them, and have a layer of foam in them.

pads that go over the springs

peeking inside the pads

And the SPRINGS! Oh my.... I can come up with a lot of neat artsy stuff to do with them, can we think of anything practical? These are the smaller ones, there are around 576 of them!

576 of these things!

I didn't open the bigger ones, the boxes look like they are about 8 inches long. "Only" 96 of them...

William Bronson wrote:
My other idea goes the other direction.
It's slightly more practical.
The numerous and strong arches would become the structural members in the roof of a hobbit house.
Essentially a hoophouse, clad in pallet wood, plastic sheet and used carpet, then bermed with soil and planted.

I'm late to the game, and hoping Pearl has come up with all kinds of wonderful things to do with her bits and pieces, but this is a wonderful idea to me!
I would love, *love*!, to do this.
Someday.
Eventually.

I can see an arched opening to a secret garden. . .

We used a similar shape to create our hobbit garden shed.

I saw a youtube video where a guy used trampoline springs to hold together cattle panels for his pigs to forage in a wooded area, so he could rotate locations.

Jenn Fulkerson, interesting pics you posted. Wondering, are those plastic pots buried in the ground through the cardboard pieces? If so, why use pots vs. just plant into the soil?  Are the pots to keep gophers from chewing on the plant roots??

Denise got it in one.  I have had a lot of luck planting melons in this area.  Unfortunately the gophers are so bad I just can't plant anything in the ground.  This is experimental. I have much better luck planting my melons in the ground.  So I tried to come up with an inexpensive way to protect my melons, but still get the benefit of worms and soil biology.  I'm sure hardware cloth would be better, but it's to expensive.  I work at a Co-op, so the nursery pots are pretty inexpensive for me. I drilled a lot of holes in them and planted them in the ground.  Will it work?  I don't know, but I hope so.

I saw this on Telegram and of course thought of this thread! Of course, I saw after scrolling, Nicole has something like this for her ducks. :)

Source: https://t.me/davidavocadowolfe

Things I've done with them are:
Net- Wraped around a dog crate to brood chicks and Over the top of the bird pen to keep grown birds in. Over things to keep chickens out. Tied stuff up with scrap. Cut out and kept zippers and clips.

Springs- hot grill rack removers. One hangs on the side of the bird pen as a gross stuff flicker. Tarp tie downs. Fence latches. Flower pot hangers. plant markers.  Tomato staker upers (hung off tree/fence and vine loose through the end). My Dad uses them some how on John dere tractors. Lawn mower blade denters.

Poles- Electric fence ground. Emergency 'fence'. Holding up bird roost. Bird roost (not in extreme weather). Cow wackers. U-shaped them and tomato trellis. Tent legos for kids. Used a tiny exersise ones as hanging swings and lean tos for animals.

Mat- General tarp things (sturdyer but less waterproof). Grass killer. Animal shade/ rain protector mostly. I have wanted to hang a smaller one kinda like a hammock.

Connecters- Small pet rodent hideys.

I thought was certain to use my trampoline frame as a hoophouse,  but it is in the process of becoming an roundhouse instead.

It has 8 evenly spaced posts connected in pairs by 4 skids/feet.
At 13' 6" in diameter, I am hoping 3 hammocks will hang comfortably around the perimeter.
I would  like to have a mass heater in the center, so we can enjoy it this winter.


As I laid out the site  I found the trampoline springs to be ideal for keeping strings taunt.

Do you have an update for us?

the springs are delicious potted plant hooks, or perhaps hooks for hanging a hammock or swing  chair?

Either way, they're hooks

pic on  the book of faces with upcycled trampoline.
I know its not anew idea, but I immediately thought about this  thread when I saw it!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1156935537680311/permalink/9470374299669685/

https://scontent.fosu2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/343771225_673730714517238_7166973509318257560_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5cd70e&_nc_ohc=8fvpEoGmw_QAX--BObQ&_nc_ht=scontent.fosu2-2.fna&oh=00_AfDv8vSYq5HyzxczV-qm2O8hJqR-n36WRX9whjh6W4WRrg&oe=6458E002

Nancy Graven wrote:pic on  the book of faces with upcycled trampoline.
I know its not anew idea, but I immediately thought about this  thread when I saw it!

Nice! I like how simple it is.