Re-using

I know this is an obvious one, but re-using stuff takes more work and is more time consuming than just buying new. As we are on our second month of not buying anything except food (and this month food only consists of fresh fruits and veggies from the farmer's market and milk and eggs from the store), I had extra incentive to re-use the cute little picket fence that used to enclose my garden. We have started clearing the side yard and are getting ready to dig out the new beds, but the picket fence cut the yard in two and shaded too much of the garden. Therefore, it had to come out. I was going to reinstall it to keep out the chickens, cats, dogs and children from my new garden.

However, there are a few problems. The first is that whoever installed it to begin with, set the posts in cement (which is good, but heavy) however, they buried the fence posts too deep and have since rotted...So, I ended up digging up cement and have a fence that is only semi-useable. 

So here is my question - do I really need to enclose my garden with a fence? Although the chickens are currently free range, it cannot continue. They poop on the patio - A LOT. The dog will not be staying here that much longer and I think I can convince the kids to stay out of the garden...So, maybe I can get away with making a bigger run for the chickens and the garden wont need one?

I am amazed at how much space I now have for my veggies! I am getting so excited that I am allowing myself an hour a day to work on it (no more than two hours) so I can get in ready in time for planting and still work on my homework!