Garden next to coop.

[Dogfish]

Cool,

I'll put some hardware cloth up against the fence between the two, and then take it down as they mature.

 

[flgardengirl]

I wouldn't put the morning glory there. You could plant stuff like daylily, nasturtiums, squash (squash flowers are edible), marigolds etc. If you want a vine you could plant some minature pumpkins or cucumbers. I saw a Martha Stewart show where she was planting gourds next to her chicken runs to provide shade. Grape vines might be nice also.

 

[Cluckhead]

Quote:
But a parrot is a bird.

http://birds.about.com/od/livingwithabird/tp/poisonousplants.htm

Poisonous is poisonous.

 

[Akane]

If we are calling out morning glories then we also have to say grapes are dangerous. They've killed dogs.

I still say the odds of either killing a chicken are pretty darn close to 0. They'll more likely die from predators long before that.

 

[bethandjoeync]

I think putting up hardware cloth so the plants can grow a bit is a great idea. you can put it up in panels and then take down panel by panel so they only have limited access to the garden goodies..and don't hog it all down in one day. I know dandilions are considered a weed, but the dark green leaves are good for chickens, though they are a diuretic in large quantities. I think pumkin would a good one too. it's a fast growing vine, with nutritius rewards. squash or zucchini would be good too. good luck! and enjoy!

 

[toletiquesbysam]

My garden is next to my coop as well, sharing one of 3 sides with the run. Both are fenced though which does limit the chickens sticking their heads into the garden area. If some of the plants stretch into the run then they are up for grabs with the chickens but nothing I've planted near that side is harmful to the chickens. I plan on weeding and throwing the weeds into the run, so having it close by is handy!

 

[gottsegnet]

Hey, there are beneifts to having chickens near your garden as well. I thought this was cool and is sort of what we're planning on doing:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1988-05-01/Garden-Pest-Control.aspx

 

[Dogfish]

I like that idea. I may give that a try next year. Chicken moat. Hmmmm.


The chicks have taken out all of the grass along the edge of the garden by reaching through, so I might make the barrier 12 inches high or so to protect the base of the plant. 3 oz. of sugar pea seed were $1.25, so we'll see how those do. Planting part of the garden today.

 

[Randy]

Made the mistake of planting morning glory on the garden fence one time. For the next couple of years I had to fight that stuff coming up in the garden.

 

[biddyboo]

Swiss chard is my hens' favorite garden veggie. Once established, the leaves keep replenishing as the hens peck the outter leaves. Perfect! ~G