New Garden Project

[Chickweed9]

We did math and science outside today! This is my first attempt at raised bed vegetable gardening. I lightly broke up the ground in the beds and lined the bottom with cardboard. I used plastic sheeting to line the wood to try and give it a little extra life. My dirt is a combo of top soil, cow manure compost and peat moss. I went with the square foot gardening approach. I want to plant bush beans in the empty squares.
QUESTION:
Do you let your chickens free range your gardens or do I need to put up something around these when I let my birds out to free range the backyard?
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[Chickweed9]

Ummmmm... I have no idea why my photos are in there twice.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Did you punch some holes in that plastic sheeting? Ideally you wouldn't use anything like that in a raised bed as it interferes with drainage and keeps beneficial critters like earthworms out. I have hardware cloth as my "liner" just to keep voles out.

Surrounding the beds with chicken wire will keep them out, otherwise they will very much enjoy removing your plants for you and rolling around in the dirt.

 

[Chickweed9]

Did you punch some holes in that plastic sheeting? Ideally you wouldn't use anything like that in a raised bed as it interferes with drainage and keeps beneficial critters like earthworms out. I have hardware cloth as my "liner" just to keep voles out.

Surrounding the beds with chicken wire will keep them out, otherwise they will very much enjoy removing your plants for you and rolling around in the dirt.

The plastic is only between the soil and the wood frames. I lined the bottom with cardboard after lightly tilling the soil.

 

[Acre4Me]

Fresh dirt + chickens = dust bath.

yes, you’ll likely want to keep the girls out. Once the plants are much bigger/established, it’s not as important. But, they will eat the plant leaves and the fruit ( beans, peas, tomatoes, etc) if they can reach them. They willfind the shade great and decide to lay eggs in the soft dirt.

not sure where you are, but must be warmer than here. Too cold still to plant outside anything not hardy or cold tolerant!

we planted beans last year -green beans, soybeans, pole beans and bush beans for drying (use in soup). it would have been helpful to have supports for the bush beans so the pods were not in the dirt.

the plastic may or may not help keep the wood from deteriorating. however, you’ll get at least 1 year out of untreated wood, so enjoy the beds!

 

[moniquem]

yes, you’ll likely want to keep the girls out. Once the plants are much bigger/established, it’s not as important.

I have to lock my chickens in their own side of the yard otherwise they tear up my garden, established plants or not.

I usually do 2 raised beds of bush beans as well. Last year my EE jumped over her fence and made a bee line into my strawberry patch and my bush beans. She pulled up some of the bean plants and pecked holes in almost all of my strawberries. Its to cold to start planting here in Washington but after Mothers Day!

 

[Acre4Me]

pecked holes in almost all of my strawberries.

The horror!!!! Fresh garden strawberry are such a treat!

Last year my EE jumped over her fence and made a bee line into my strawberry patch and my bush beans

Lol. One of our chickens flew over the fence and daily nestled among the climbing peas and laid her egg. After a week or so she figured out how to fly back into the run on her own. But, she would fly out for her special egg spot! Another couple also flew out, but mostly to eat my garden things - leaves and pods and fruit, anything under a certain height was impacted!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Last year my EE jumped over her fence and made a bee line into my strawberry patch and my bush beans. She pulled up some of the bean plants and pecked holes in almost all of my strawberries.

Strawberries are such a huge hit with my chickens (and dog) - they love the red color and the sweetness and since I grow some alpine ones, they're perfectly chicken sized.

I have a flower bed/island next to my driveway that's a headache to maintain due to weeds and size (but it has large bushes and a tree so not practical to demolish it either) - getting pretty close to turning it into a giant island of strawberries. They're a pretty good ground cover and fairly low maintenance to boot.