Arizona Chickens

[carnivore]

Beware of giving plants too much shade.  Most of the recommendations I've heard say 30% shadecloth for most garden plants.  Good luck finding 30% shadecloth at a retail outlet.  I had to order it online. It was a while back and I don't remember where I got it from, but I ordered 100' of it.  I won't be running out any time soon.  My tomato, squash and pepper plants were very happy with the 30% shade overhead.  They get late afternoon shade from a nearby tree.

For my chicken coops I use 70-80% shadecloth which you can get at Home Depot or Lowes.  Unlike Gallo, I haven't been able to get anything green to grow over my run, so I stick with shadecloth and everyone is happy.

I am running the 70% on my greenhouse, and all the plants are loving it, but I do have it open on the east and west ends, so I'm getting morning and evening sun, just heavily shaded during midday hours. Will be starting the tomato and chili harvest tomorrow!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

So what kind/where for the shade cloth? This is to protect them form the evening sun right? I'm getting some straw bales here pretty quick and am going to transplant my veggies into them once I've treated them with manure and stuff.

I have the 70% from HD on the chicken coop and 40% Aluminet on the greenhouse. In my searches the best source I've found for shade cloth is the Greenhouse Megastore. They have just about everything at competitive prices and really good service. I really like the Aluminet, but it's wickedly hard to cut. Unless you're covering a greenhouse, I'd get the fabricated sizes with reinforcing tape and grommets along the edges.

In case you missed it, I posted about the buffalo grass here. I haven't had it in the ground long enough to know how it will perform and I have it fenced off from the chickens until it gets fully established. I'm very hopeful for it since it's native and requires much less water than Bermuda.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

......for this hard Arizona clay that I also have in Mesa, I get Gypsum in a big bag and then I add garden soil (Kelloggs brand made locally) and I mix usually at least two parts of dirt to 1 part of garden soil with many handfuls of gypsum to help break down the clay in the native soil. Feel free to add dried chicken manure, but mix it in well as for trees it can be acidic, so maybe less for the new trees. The Garden Guy is on the Web and is local in Tempe for additional info. Channel 3, I believe has him on their morning News. I have grown things sent to me from Tennessee, ( a bare root )cocktail pear tree is doing well, ( two varieties took). I also have a lime tree, peach tree, Fuji apple, & a Dorset apple tree in the front yard w/ a huge orange tree, little grapefruit Ruby and many other vegetables grapes, sugar cane, bamboo, Bell peppers, assorted Chiles, tomatoes, garlic, gauva plant, banana etc

Your plant collection sounds wonderful! I too am a big fan of gypsum. I couldn't count the number of bags I've bought over the years. I went to buy some a couple months ago and realized that the price of it at Home Depot has doubled in six years.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote: I plan on visiting Louisiana for several months. They have so much to offer, understanding of good food and good friends.

I lived in New Orleans for 10 years. That was 16 years ago and I still miss it.

 

[Syl in Tucson]

My grandparents were from Louisiana. Took my kids out there about 7 years ago and we had a blast. Funny how you grow up hearing words and phrases, not knowing why NOBODY knows what you're talking about. Then we showed up in New Orleans and my kids were saying "oh THAT'S why momma talks like that!" Couple generations OUT of Louisiana and the lingo still remains. Lol

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

I had been planing on selling my house, moving to Louisiana. Been on the LA thread. I have had nothing but great experiences there. The fishing, the hunting, the independent life, farming, food, and so much more. The weather is not so great in the summer and let's face it, we have had a quite spill for all typs of storms. We will be having ever worsening hurricane, tornadoes and rising sea leaves, globule warming is spreading up the process, but keeping it in mind still a great place. They know how to fix shrimp, crawdads, and fish. Gumbo from mild and spicy to hot and hotter. They understand that the heat is not to cover the delicate tastes of sea food. That there should be more shrimp to fish when you batter it and fry it the the batter. Long John Silvers is only for tourists. And crawdads are the best, you can suck the heads and get the best, no other waters give you such succulent little zip of flavor. Oysters, don't get me started. Blue crabs....... It is a slice of heaven.

(I worked as a fisherman once upon a time, fishing was 95% of what I did and in my thoughts. I never thought I would be stuck in Arizona for 29 years. Not until BYC did I know anyone in AZ.)

 

[K9Dave]

I miss home so much. Haven't been back since 2005 after Katrina. I move here in 04 so barely missed it. Crawfish is my favorite food. I make Crawfish Etoufee all the time. I usually do a Shrimp Etoufee to kick off LSU football season. Global warming has only contributed a 1degree Fahrenheit rise since 1880 from what I've found.

 

[carnivore]

I miss home so much. Haven't been back since 2005 after Katrina. I move here in 04 so barely missed it. Crawfish is my favorite food. I make Crawfish Etoufee all the time. I usually do a Shrimp Etoufee to kick off LSU football season. Global warming has only contributed a 1degree Fahrenheit rise since 1880 from what I've found.

The sky IS falling, and your attempt to obscure that with FACTS is reprehensible!!!

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

City farm: are you going to or have you found a way to get the fire wood and pots? Between wood and pots a truck load.

MY CHICKENS HAVE TO GO! I have 3 days to find homes. I really like to see Lucy to have a good home. Rosa lays a nice large egg. They are all beautiful girls.

 

[bellsbeauties]

What breed are they? I am interested. I currently have a flock of 7; 3 EE, 2 RIR, 2 barred rock. They are all very spoiled and spend the day free ranging in my back yard. Are your 3 flighty? If you don't mind me asking, why are you rehoming them?