INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

@Faraday40
Thank you! I'm definitely going to check those out. I want easy when it comes to my edibles and that sounds right up my ally.

 

[Leahs Mom]

OH... Tell me about the cherry pitter.

 

[hbrown322]

Sounds like it's normal for her View attachment 1049203

Seriously, I think each bird's hormones are different. Have you ever let her brood any eggs?

Sounds like it's normal for her View attachment 1049203

Seriously, I think each bird's hormones are different. Have you ever let her brood any eggs?

No, I don't have a rooster so there wouldn't really be a point.

 

[Indyshent]

No, I don't have a rooster so there wouldn't really be a point.

Ah but lots of people don't have roosters but do use broodies to hatch eggs! Get the eggs from elsewhere, then pop 'em under your broody for worry-free incubating and flock integration. All the motherhood without the crowing and bareback ladies.

 

[wheezy50]

Anyone growing a garden this year? Flowers? Herbs?

I'd love to see photos

Here's my small raised bed gardens. Tomatoes and 1 eggplant on the left, peppers (jalapeno, banana, Tabasco, habanero and bell) are in the right bed with cucumbers growing up the trellis. The back bed with the pyramid is all new strawberries. I had a really prolific strawberry bed but was too close to chickens. If I let them out they tore it up, so I decided to move it. These new plants are only 2 months old. The cucumber really took off in the last 2 weeks. Peppers are struggling somewhat, not getting very big yet. Tomatoes are growing well but not thick and bushy.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I realized that I asked folks to post garden photos but I don't think I put any on.

I HATE weeding and tending a garden. Once I plant it I want to forget about it as much as possible. I guess I'm definitely a "lazy gardener" (though we have "lazy gardener" on the BYC forum and I don't mean to take away from her chosen name!)

Anyhow, we try not to have to plow or have to pull weeds. And we don't use chemicals (either fertilizer or herbicides, pesticides, etc.)


When we first started this little garden it was just grass yard. We removed the sod in 2013, planted, then put cardboard on top of the bare earth around the plants. I think it was 2014 when we dug some of the deep litter from the chicken run we were using and put on top of the cardboard that year. We've continued to plant then place cardboard every year. We have not had to till or weed EVER.

[I do wonder if there may be anything harmful in cardboard but haven't spent a lot of time researching it. I have to say that the worms LOVE the stuff and totally proliferate in this garden under the cardboard.]

Last year we had 2 brush goats and we put most of the soiled litter on the garden at the end of the season.


This is the garden area this spring. I let the chickens in before season and in the fall after season to enjoy the bountiful worms. I set up the temporary tarp as a hawk deterrent so they feel more comfortable going out there under wide open skies. This is the first year I used the tarp and I'll continue to do that spring and fall each year as it really encouraged them to go out there. Also have the dog house (we got for $5 on the side of the road) and plastic deck foot stools for them to get under if needed.

Photos from a couple weeks ago after planting. You can see the cardboard then we put some wood chips on top this year since we have them thanks to the local tree service that is careful to only bring non-poisonous chips and chips that aren't from sprayed yards only. We bring the wood chips over wheel-barrow loads at a time. We've brought a few more over since.

I also like the garden to be close to the house as much as possible. I've found that I'm more likely to tend or pick if it's right where I pass every day.

Here is a new planting along the deck. These are some black currants that some friends gave us from starts off theirs. More chips coming soon. Also some mint covering the ground.

Back of the deck. Green peppers planted here then wood chips.

Other side of the back of the deck. Zucchini plants here. They make some really nice landscape plants!

The pretty side of the deck. Lavender, echinacea, butterfly bush, mint, daylilly, etc. There are a few more perennial flowers added since this photo. I try to use as many perennials as possible so they come back.

@Faraday40
Also working on making the landscaping more perennial edibles as possible while we're replacing old landscaping plants that were removed. I'm excited to see that cherry bush as I've wanted various fruits but not full sized trees so I'm literally right now reading and researching various options for the edibles!

 

[Leahs Mom]

@wheezy50

Love your new beds! Tell me about your strawberries. I'm considering doing some. I had thought about using some of the varieties that are more "clumping" as ground cover but I haven't found one I'm sure of yet. I prefer some larger berries and the clumping kind that I've seen so far seem to be small.

View attachment 1054537
Here's my small raised bed gardens. Tomatoes and 1 eggplant on the left, peppers (jalapeno, banana, Tabasco, habanero and bell) are in the right bed with cucumbers growing up the trellis. The back bed with the pyramid is all new strawberries. I had a really prolific strawberry bed but was too close to chickens. If I let them out they tore it up, so I decided to move it. These new plants are only 2 months old. The cucumber really took off in the last 2 weeks. Peppers are struggling somewhat, not getting very big yet. Tomatoes are growing well but not thick and bushy.

 

[Faraday40]

@Leahs Mom
I really like your idea of using zucchini as a landscaping plant. I never thought about it & always hide mine way out back. (Years ago I used to grow a few veggies between my rose bushes..... which was against the homeowners association. LOL But, I really wanted some fresh veggies & our townhouse was on the end, soooo....)

 

[akorte]

So I bought two cheap incubators. Then I bought a step up, the incuview. Twice I have left the house and the temp in the cheapos has spiked too 104. I have mixed them to the basement so hopefully that won't happen again. We are only at the end of day 4. If I candle, will I be able to tell anything? Some of the eggs are white and some are light blue. This is my first time incubating. Thank you!

 

[Nyla]

You should be able to see development if the shells are light enough. But if you don't see any or is difficult, give it a couple more days.

So I bought two cheap incubators. Then I bought a step up, the incuview. Twice I have left the house and the temp in the cheapos has spiked too 104. I have mixed them to the basement so hopefully that won't happen again. We are only at the end of day 4. If I candle, will I be able to tell anything? Some of the eggs are white and some are light blue. This is my first time incubating. Thank you!

View attachment 1054840