BYC gardening thread!!

[lazy gardener]

Are you planning to have this garden in an area that the chickens can visit? Those 3 pics are beautiful. I used to have gorgeous flower gardens, with lots of mulch around all of the thriving plants. Now I have chickens. My flower gardens do have some flowers interspersed among the dust bowls and craters created by the enthusiastic chickens. They have their own idea of what a well landscaped yard should look like, and they will be delighted to help with that project. Those rocks: will be dug out, over turned, and scattered far and wide in the search of bugs and more ground to dig up. Perennials: will be shredded from the top, if not dug out by the roots. Baskets, planters, and decorations: will be perched on, pooped on, and have the paint pecked off them. That mulch: will be flung far and wide across that nicely manicured lawn. That lawn: will be dug into oblivion. Not to worry though. Chickens make great lawn ornaments.

 

[trailrider330]

Are you planning to have this garden in an area that the chickens can visit? Those 3 pics are beautiful. I used to have gorgeous flower gardens, with lots of mulch around all of the thriving plants. Now I have chickens. My flower gardens do have some flowers interspersed among the dust bowls and craters created by the enthusiastic chickens. They have their own idea of what a well landscaped yard should look like, and they will be delighted to help with that project. Those rocks: will be dug out, over turned, and scattered far and wide in the search of bugs and more ground to dig up. Perennials: will be shredded from the top, if not dug out by the roots. Baskets, planters, and decorations: will be perched on, pooped on, and have the paint pecked off them. That mulch: will be flung far and wide across that nicely manicured lawn. That lawn: will be dug into oblivion. Not to worry though. Chickens make great lawn ornaments.

Are you suggesting I save myself time and money and forget the landscaping? Am I fooling myself into believing they will leave it alone?

We have chickens that free range. We have found that they stay away from the landscaping where we have rocks that are a little smaller than fist size. Hence, I am hoping if I use even larger rocks, and plant everything in a rock/container garden (picture flowers from photo 2 in a setting combining photos 1 and 3), they would leave it alone for the most part. Please tell me your chickens don't actually overturn rocks?

Have you found any perennials that your chickens stay away from? I have not noticed them touching my Rose of Sharon, lilies, phlox, hydrangea, rhododendron, daylilies, lilacs or other shrubs/bushes. I also have several planters with herbs, vegetables and flowers that they have also left alone. Even the area we have mulch is relatively untouched by the chickens. The only thing they have not left alone is a rose bush that refuses to die. I have dug it up several times but it keeps coming back. They can mess with it all they want as far as I am concerned. I am just trying to figure out if they will leave these other plants alone as well.

 

[lazy gardener]

You are doing well to have them leave fist sized rocks, and mulch in place. Mine are currently undermining the rocks that support the cement post holders at the corners of their coop. I need to get out there and beef that area up. One thing that I have found helpful is to use deer fencing around anything I don't want them to get into. It's practically invisible, except for the little fiberglass posts. It can easily be cut with scissors. I cut a 100' x 7' roll in half to give me 200' of useable fencing. That would be a good back up plan for you if they absolutely won't leave your gardens alone!

 

[hennible]

My free Rangers toasted my garden... Even ate a fox glove, decimated my Lilly's and the list goes on... I switched one bed to a rock and shrub garden, they still messed it up... Lol.

 

[lazy gardener]

Funny, but I enjoy the time after harvest, when I can let the chickens in to glean even more than the rest of the garden season!

 

[Bugseye]

I'd let the girls in, but after they demolished the kale last year, maybe not. There will be new things in the garden in a few weeks, and the summer crops are still coming in.

 

[lizardandchicks]

Today's harvest. May not be much, but I feel proud of it.

 

[hennible]

Hey that's awesome!
More than a lot of people grew themselves.

 

[dan26552]

Hey that's awesome!
More than a lot of people grew themselves.

x2!

 

[dan26552]

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/19...1260183_1_great-tomato-vine-ripe-mature-green