Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Brennigan]

I'm planning to get my garden started tomorrow. I still don't know what to plant beyond tomatoes and peppers!.

I'm going bigger this year, set off a 20x20 space (might bump that to 25x25). I need to get my tiller running tomorrow, and start putting stuff in the ground saturday/sunday. I feel like I'm super behind.

Any suggestions on what else to plant?

Zucchini -- so great for bread & muffins, but also sautéed and in omelets (!) and on kabobs! Cucumbers are great, too! Salads and I like to make refrigerator pickles. The chickens love the extra! Green beans are a favorite here!

I second an herb garden. Nothing beats some fresh rosemary, cilantro or lemon thyme!

 

[wannahomestead]

I'm behind on the garden mainly because It's virgin land. I've had to cut down the 2ft grass and till the area.

I'm still actually working on this, it's taking A LOT of work, even w/ the tiller. I ended up taking a break since the sun was getting to me and I was starting to get a headache .

I need to add some soil to help break up more the thick, clay dirt.

I'm not sure if I'll get plants in teh ground this weekend. I may end up spending most of it prepping the area and giving the grass clipping and what not a little time to break down.

I don't know what I'm doing, I'm just playing in the dirt

 

[wannahomestead]

Of course of all the areas around my property, apparently a bumble bee is taking up shop right in the garden area I'm working on. The chickens were scratching away and there was a loud buzzing, then emerged an angry bumble bee and chased us all away

 

[snowflake]

Of course of all the areas around my property, apparently a bumble bee is taking up shop right in the garden area I'm working on. The chickens were scratching away and there was a loud buzzing, then emerged an angry bumble bee and chased us all away

I'm surprised the chickens didn't eat the bee, I had a nest in the tree in the run when we first got chickens, they jumped up in the tree and ate every bee that came out

have you thought of putting down newspaper,or cardboard,or heavy paper, then putting your dirt ontop, plant in that, grass will die off and paper will decompose, much easier then tilling maybe hard if you are planting a very large area.

 

[1muttsfan]

Unfortunately if you just till without removing the grass and weeds they will just come back. As Snowflake says you can smother them under paper or cardboard, or thick black plastic staked down for a few weeks. . I usually remove the sod and flip it over, which will kill a lot of the grass - but that's much easier to do over a large area if you have a tractor.

 

[wannahomestead]

Unfortunately if you just till without removing the grass and weeds they will just come back. As Snowflake says you can smother them under paper or cardboard, or thick black plastic staked down for a few weeks. . I usually remove the sod and flip it over, which will kill a lot of the grass - but that's much easier to do over a large area if you have a tractor.

Valid point about covering the ground. I kinda forgot about that, lol.

I wanted to mix some of the straw from the run in w/ the dirt as well. I need to clean the run anyway, and thought it may help break up some of the dirt and add some nutrients.

It sounds like an idea anyway.

 

[KaoticKrafter]

Hello! I am new to BYC, new to chicken keeping, and new to Michigan! We lucked out and bought a house in February on 2.5 acres of agricultural land smack-dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood, so the first thing we did was buys some chicks :0) We got two Araucanas Ameracunas, two Wyandottes (sliver laced and gold laced), and two bantams. One turned out to be a rooster, so we are waiting to see how noisy he is before we decide what to do with him. Legally we can keep him, but I don't know if I want to fight with the neighbors our first year here ;0)

I look forward to learning form other Michigan flocksters!

 

[iamfivewire]

welcome K.K. - if you can get to Lansing on june 11th, we are having our yearly "chickenstock" picnic where we get together in person .
Candy442 has the links in her sig for the details.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! Chickenstock is a fun gathering, please do come! Mary

 

[taprock]

How long does it take to break a broody duck?

The poor ducks have had nest problems this year. The first two frozen with snow storms. Then the next two were raided by Ravens, which have been a huge problem this year. So toot my little white call girl found the perfect spot, in her mind. Our property is next to our township cemetery. Toot found that the storage shed had a poorly maintained door with a gap just duck size for her to get in, and it's locked so I can't remove her. After three days I was finally able to grab her when she came out for water and put her in a cage in the coop. She is not pleased! Any idea how long it takes to break their broodiness? She seems much more determined then the hens.

Yesterday I planted flowers in all the pots that line our drive. The gardens are no where near ready for planting yet. I have to get my son to work on them. He just spent the last month with drivers training so the garden didn't get much done. Driving tractor just isn't as cool now that he can drive the car.