Growing veg inside coop?

[mommydearest]

I am new to gardening and limited in space. I was thinking of adding a grow box inside the chicken coop and trying my hand with carrots and beets. I am worried that they will be able to uproot them. I will have a cover on it so they can peck at the greens but i want the veg to survive. Has anyone had experience woth this?

 

[lazy gardener]

I would not put any plants I intended to eat in the coop or run. Even if the birds don't poop on the plants, there can be a fair amount of fecal material kicked up in the dust they create when scratching around in the bedding/soil. As well as fecal material being splashed on the plants when it rains.

 

[donrae]

In addition to the above concerns, I don't think your birds will allow enough greens to grow for the root crops to establish. The root needs the green top to harvest energy from the sun, to become that nice fat carrot, etc. Your birds will denude any greens they can reach, essentially starving your root.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

All those are good points. Furthermore, how will you get enough sunlight in the coop for the plants to thrive?

 

[ldawntaylor]

I don't know how well carrots and such would do in my situation.

But I have a window planter. It is called an earthbox I think. Anyway, it is inside my home. Sitting next to a window with blinds where I can let the sun in on the plants. At this exact moment I have two swiss chard plants and two strawberry plants. I have been harvesting chard periodically all winter long.

Just a thought....

 

[wolfrosie]

Instead of putting plants inside the chickens house can you build and put planters on the outside? Have them elevated on the wall so that the chickens can't get to them and then maybe put mesh or something around the edges so they can't perch on them. I think that would be a good alternative versus inside. Won't need artificial light, birds can't get to them, chickens keep their coop space, have more space for multiple planters… and you can even position them to catch the water run off if you plan on growing things that do well with lots of water with good drainage. You can also do the same idea anywhere else around the yard.

 

[JerseyGiantChic]

Planting after the chickens?