COOP-SCAPING. Help a brother out.

[OF65]

Not necessarily...if you want mint on the ground and not in pots...put it where it can be mowed regularly. You just might be lucky and mint not spread but that would certainly be Luck of the Irish!

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you stay on top of it, yes. But if you find yourself getting too busy and putting things off, there might be more mint than you expect. Mint likes to shoot out runners in all directions, so by the time you see a new sprig pop up, there's going to be more runners underneath going elsewhere.

Mint does die back in winter but will pop back up in the spring.

As far as what variety to get, since you're not planning on eating it almost any variety will do. Pick whichever looks nice to you!

 

[Rose Quartz]

Nasturtium isnt mint. it has pretty flowers it grows pretty low to the ground about 4"high.

There are xifferent types of mint. Grab whichever you want. Theyre a taller plant usually around 8" - 18" in height. They spread like crazy. If you ever decide yeah i dont like this plant here itll be hard to get rid of.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

First, I want to commend you for having your coop finished before chickens.
Since you want to landscape it, I think some various sized shrubs, hardy ground covers to give chickens something to forage and a few fast growing trees. Chickens need shade and places to hide when hawks are about.
I wouldn't confine yourself to HD for plants. Go with natives that will better survive the hardship of living with birds that compact the soil, tend to eat anything green and scratch holes in the ground.
Look at viburnums (which should be at HD) - varieties like arrowwood, blackhaw and nannyberry. Eastern Ninebark and Downy Serviceberry are fast growing and hardy as well. Look at places that carry native plants. Those are all very plants.
For ground cover, I'd go with tender forbs rather than grass. They are less fibrous and more nutritious. Clovers, alfalfa, beets, radish, forage type turnips like 7-top, buckwheat in summer, field peas in winter.

 

[Foster's Freehold]

Very nice coop! Whatever you plant is gonna get a good going over by the chickies. You could put the plants in a half bucket, buried in the ground, with a piece of hardware cloth over it before it really starts growing. That gives it a chance to root well and toughen up before the chickies get to them. And it keeps them from scratching down to the roots.

Mint is very invasive, but it can be handled. It mows ok, if it get somewhere you don't want it. Bonus is a nice smell while mowing.

 

[Living_Legend]

First, I want to commend you for having your coop finished before chickens.
Since you want to landscape it, I think some various sized shrubs, hardy ground covers to give chickens something to forage and a few fast growing trees. Chickens need shade and places to hide when hawks are about.
I wouldn't confine yourself to HD for plants. Go with natives that will better survive the hardship of living with birds that compact the soil, tend to eat anything green and scratch holes in the ground.
Look at viburnums (which should be at HD) - varieties like arrowwood, blackhaw and nannyberry. Eastern Ninebark and Downy Serviceberry are fast growing and hardy as well. Look at places that carry native plants. Those are all very plants.
For ground cover, I'd go with tender forbs rather than grass. They are less fibrous and more nutritious. Clovers, alfalfa, beets, radish, forage type turnips like 7-top, buckwheat in summer, field peas in winter.

1) I still need to put netting up but I have hawks covered for my controlled free range area. plus I am taking this picture from a walnut tree that fills out and will provide extra cover and shade

2) These? Can I just stick them and forget them?

3) Easy easy... getting out of my ballpark here. Just going to grab some things quickly plant them and leave them. if they work out they do if they dont they dont. Just looking for simple quick no mantance or thinking

 

[Living_Legend]

---- I have a 60 inch zero turn tractor i use for 5 acres and if the mint gets out of control i will just chop it up in a few seconds.

 

[Living_Legend]

Well I am a simple guy and everyone said mint so mint it is. My wife wants a garden and that will be next year’s project so 1 thing at a time. I spent almost 4 months now basically on here and YouTube learning everything I can before I am getting chicks. When I get into a hobby its 100%, it’s just not gardening yet.


So with the mint. I can just put it in the ground April 1st and just walk away? Chicks won’t have access to it for at least 2 months and even after that I can fend them away from it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

IMHO, you can't get more low maintenance than natives.

 

[Foster's Freehold]

oooh oooh, if the wife wants a garden, start saving chicken poo and bedding lol. There are lots of ways to get the chickies to aid in the garden. Number one, the absolute best compost there is.

Are you gonna do deep litter? If so, that's composting on site. Toss in veg and fruit leftovers, what the chickens don't eat, will compost faster. Toss in a handful of scratch every so often and they will do all the turning for you.

If not deep litter, start a compost pile wherever you like, toss all compostables in with the litter and poo and bob's your uncle, great compost. Except with a pile, you have to turn it.