What did you do in your garden today?

[flowerbug]

I have chickens, but I don't let them into the garden areas for a number of reasons. They have just recently realized that they can dig, but they pretty much ignore areas that don't have bare soil. The areas I am working with are thick with perennial grasses which they seem to completely ignore. I suppose if I put 800 hens out there with no additional food they'd have it cleared out pretty quickly.

between chickens and pigs penned up for a while that is a common use to clear a garden when you have the fences in place and also have the animals to use in a rotational garden planting, but this treatment is not really recommended for an entire area as they can decimate the insects and plant diversity.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I have about 1/4 acre for veggies, then another section for animal stuff. That varies with my mood & time. Every year I "intend" to grow more animal feed. One yr I may surprise myself! My job gets in the way often. Planting & busiest seasonal work collide.

I'm "weeding" mustard, lettuce, amaranth and sorghum in the grass for the chickens. Flax is doing great and reseeding itself already. I need to include some more low growing herbals and fall/winter greens. Sort-of a forage plot for them. Eventually I suspect the forage will outcompete the grass. I do want perennials in the mix as well, I just haven't decided what.

Other than that, the only things I'm growing for them are squash.

 

[Mini Horses]

Purslane is a good nutritional. Very low growing, really tough plant as to needs. People can eat, also. Milo, more grassy and big seed head...but, taller. Clover, which is also great for soil. Turnips. Chickens love them. The roots helps soil conditioning. Tops & bulb edible. The old wheat varieties have way more root mass, plus deeper and break up soils. Comfrey...read about if not familiar. You've got the right idea.

I get the overseed to work it all in. Here, I also raise goats, so way more pastures and overseeding

 

[R2elk]

Merry Christmas!!!​

 

[LaurenRitz]

Purslane is a good nutritional. Very low growing, really tough plant as to needs. People can eat, also. Milo, more grassy and big seed head...but, taller. Clover, which is also great for soil. Turnips. Chickens love them. The roots helps soil conditioning. Tops & bulb edible. The old wheat varieties have way more root mass, plus deeper and break up soils. Comfrey...read about if not familiar. You've got the right idea.

I get the overseed to work it all in. Here, I also raise goats, so way more pastures and overseeding

I have kamut, spelt, and a couple more old varieties of wheat. My birds are finally getting the idea that they can eat over their heads as well. I have comfrey but right now it's in an area the chickens don't access until it's big enough to divide. Same with horseradish. Berry bushes will go in once they're large enough. I'm not sure how to start things like turnips without them being decimated before they can get started. Once they start to reseed, it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Mini Horses]

Turnips seed so cheap....just let them eat up and seed again.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Turnips seed so cheap....just let them eat up and seed again.

In a sense, but not sustainable. My attitude toward plants is casual neglect, or STUN. If it can't survive, if I have to keep buying seeds, it shouldn't be here and I'll try something else.

 

[Mini Horses]

Walked by...looked longingly. Promised self I'd clean a goat shed & spread poo over it all to till in.. I've already let the four old mares eat off grasses & add poo a couple months ago! Might as well let them save me the shoveling

 

[Mini Horses]

Not in it but for it -- seed, right?

A tomato that looks like a red pepper, shape & almost no center flesh. Developed for stuffing. . Hey, nothing to do & kinda cute idea. Report on results late summer.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I have two of these. The first is already full, seeds are up for broccoli, cabbage, kale, chard and marshmallow. Parsley, goji, horehound, valerian, rhubarb, marjoram and sage are not up yet.

But unfortunfortunately one of them needs to be kept for chicks. First stage brooder.

So at Walmart today I was able to get one of these half off. It only holds 28 cups, but it's a start.

Haven't even started on the annuals yet. I need to mix more soil.