Garden Managing

[fullysfarmfresheggs]

Hey y'all, my name is Fully, and I am looking to start a garden. I have the land for it, I know I will have to keep the chickens out of the garden though. I have some chicken netting to put around the outside of it, but I am worried that the garden will get eaten by grasshoppers also. It is on big loop hole. If there is any tip/tricks y'all know please help a fellow farmer out.

Thank y'all,
Fully

 

[igorsMistress]

Hi Fully Welcome to BYC. I don't know about grasshoppers but if you ask in this thread some folks there might. Good luck!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-garden-today.670277/page-2252#post-22677182

 

[R2elk]

Hey y'all, my name is Fully, and I am looking to start a garden. I have the land for it, I know I will have to keep the chickens out of the garden though. I have some chicken netting to put around the outside of it, but I am worried that the garden will get eaten by grasshoppers also. It is on big loop hole. If there is any tip/tricks y'all know please help a fellow farmer out.

Thank y'all,
Fully

Check with your local county conservation district. Mine sells grasshopper bait to us at subsidized prices. The grasshopper bait will not harm your chickens.

One recommendation is to make sure the vegetation surrounding the garden is kept low as it provides a deterrent to the grasshoppers to keep them from entering the zone.

 

[B40chick]

My mother in law was my teacher, southern born and raised. She knew when to plant what and how to manage pests. I could share, but it is what works in southern Georgia/Alabama. Find others in your area who garden. Also go to a mom and pop style farm center and get good tips

 

[SE WA Guy]

I "lucked" into organic farming. I grow a lot of raspberries, corn, melons, chiles, tomatoes and squash. I started out not knowing exactly what I hoped to accomplish, but all I knew was that I didn't want to just bombard my produce with pesticides from day one.

And lo and behold, not dousing the garden with pesticides drew in a bunch of praying mantises. Really, they were first attracted to my raspberry patch, but then set themselves up in all of the various plants. Those buggers still freak me out to no end, but man do they eat up all the insects that want to eat your plants.

Are mantises native to your area? If so, you should look at stocking them in the garden. I was very lucky in that my 'tribe' just showed up on their own. But people routinely stock ladybugs to kill aphids and mantises to kill the larger pests.

 

[fullysfarmfresheggs]

Hi Fully Welcome to BYC. I don't know about grasshoppers but if you ask in this thread some folks there might. Good luck!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-garden-today.670277/page-2252#post-22677182

Thank you so much! I will check it out.

 

[fullysfarmfresheggs]

Check with your local county conservation district. Mine sells grasshopper bait to us at subsidized prices. The grasshopper bait will not harm your chickens.

One recommendation is to make sure the vegetation surrounding the garden is kept low as it provides a deterrent to the grasshoppers to keep them from entering the zone.

Thank you! I will look into that and call them today.

 

[fullysfarmfresheggs]

My mother in law was my teacher, southern born and raised. She knew when to plant what and how to manage pests. I could share, but it is what works in southern Georgia/Alabama. Find others in your area who garden. Also go to a mom and pop style farm center and get good tips

Thank you! I know a couple of farmers in the area and I will ask them about it.

 

[fullysfarmfresheggs]

I "lucked" into organic farming. I grow a lot of raspberries, corn, melons, chiles, tomatoes and squash. I started out not knowing exactly what I hoped to accomplish, but all I knew was that I didn't want to just bombard my produce with pesticides from day one.

And lo and behold, not dousing the garden with pesticides drew in a bunch of praying mantises. Really, they were first attracted to my raspberry patch, but then set themselves up in all of the various plants. Those buggers still freak me out to no end, but man do they eat up all the insects that want to eat your plants.

Are mantises native to your area? If so, you should look at stocking them in the garden. I was very lucky in that my 'tribe' just showed up on their own. But people routinely stock ladybugs to kill aphids and mantises to kill the larger pests.

Praying Mantises are super native here and I enjoy seeing them, and they kill a bunch of bugs. I know I have some Garden Spiders (I think they are also called Banana Spiders) which will help keep the bug population down too. Likewise, I would like to try to avoid any use of pesticides in the garden. Thank you for the information.

 

[SE WA Guy]

Praying Mantises are super native here and I enjoy seeing them, and they kill a bunch of bugs. I know I have some Garden Spiders (I think they are also called Banana Spiders) which will help keep the bug population down too. Likewise, I would like to try to avoid any use of pesticides in the garden. Thank you for the information.

I can't tell you how many times I've reached in to grab some raspberries or pick an ear of corn, and my forearm would come out with a 5" long mantis just checking me out. They are very nimble, and they seem to know that I'm a friend in some way. I know that's not real science, but I honestly do my best to not disturb them and let them have full reign of the garden space. I don't have holes in any of my leaves, not rotten/infested produce. Nothing.

I attribute it all to growing these alien giants in my plot.

I wonder if they'll turn on me now that I have chickens that could eat them?....