((Serious Gardening))

[galanie]

I don't envy you having a neighbor like that! Two goats would not stink at all!

 

[Kassaundra]

I got one of my seed orders today (yes I am running behind already) but it has gotten me all excited again about planting these seeds. I've been working in the garden and planted a lot of things already and have a ton more to plant. I got some tomato seeds that grow and produce in Iraq, surly they can handle an Okie summer!

and some poona kheera cukes, and tatume squash, rattail radish and I'm going to try some sorghum this year.

I have also ordered from another company several seeds for herbs that are used for insect control and have been used for centuries as worming agents in humans and animals, going to do some experimenting w/ that (the animal part)

 

[simplyscrambled]

Hi everyone! I came here in hopes of reassurance.

I was reading on Gardenweb and a topic about chicken manure came up - and ALL the responses said it was too hot, and unless you composted it for a year or more, it had pathagens and shouldn't be near any plants that are grown for consumption.

Really?? My small flock free roam in our backyard, and amongst the tomato plants and garden. They've been super about eating up all the bermuda grass and bugs and snails. I mean, old time farmers always had free ranging chickens, right?

So I came here looking for other chicken loving gardeners. Do you keep your flock away from your vegetable gardens? Is it really a danger that the Gardenweb folks say?

I'd be a sad panda if I had to fence off half the yard to keep the girls out of my tomato plants.

 

[Kassaundra]

I have only had my chickens and gardens for almost 2 years, but my chickens live in my gardens (I rotate the garden / run areas to non growing areas for the chickens to live in) But the woman (author) I got the idea from Linda Woodrow has been having chickens in her food growing gardens for MANY years w/o any problems.

 

[harveyhorses]

Thanks for the suggestions about goats. I had thought of that, but our 'lovely' neighbour vetoed that one. Complained they would smell - well compared to the stink of his cigerettes they would be fragrance personified - he's a right royal pain in the a..., only tolerates the hens because they are no where near our shared boundary. Even complained our cats kept walking across his shed roof and looking in his sitting room. Trouble is, this is a suburban area and many residents are real townies (city folk I guess is the US equivilent). According to my mother-in-law, cows are wild animals - you get the idea!

We are prepared to put in the hard work and get our back garden back to something resembling a back garden. However we do have to put up with neighbours, this time directly below us, who cannot mend a hole in the fence and their ****** dog keeps escaping. On it's last 'adventure' it murdered our sweet little Australorp hen, Alice. It's been escaping for at least 4 years and is not the nicest natured animal I have ever met. (I volunteer at an animal sanctuary with feral cats, so don't back down from much with 4 legs, this animal meant serious business when I tried to catch it to get it off the road). Our hen breeder suggested a 12-bore shotgun, an idea but one both the neighbours and Police would have 40 fits at, I considered 2 very bad temered ganders. Will be settling for strands of electric wires going through the new hedging I intend to plant. (Even out vet suggested an air-rifle, but thes neighbours, yet again would be an issue).

I'm seriously considering a joint attack on the mares tail, using a systemic herbicide (much against my better judgement) and masses of thick black plastic. Apart from not looking pretty, there would be little the neighbours could moan about. I have tried to get an electric brushcutter for the bramble, but they only seem to come using either petrol or a battery, both of which are too heavy for me to cope with. Unfortunately a drunken driver left me with damage to not only my back and legs but also to the nerves in my neck and arms, so weight of things is a bit of an issue. What do you all think about using systemic herbicides? I feel very uncomfortable about using it, but we do have quite a large area to clear. In England a quarter of an acre garden in a suburban area is a massive garden. These days, gardens coming with new build homes are about the size of a postage stamp, so we are lucky to have this size garden.

Over here, it seems that animals are not available to be rented out for land clearing for instance. If they were I'd be after a couple of pigs later on to plough up a veggie patch for me!

Your setting sounds beautiful! i am battling honeysuckle and green briars, and privet.
About those goats, don't feel too bad that you can't 'rent' them, we borrowed a couple and it was one of the worst experiments ever. We
had to tie them out because they found a tree they could scramble up and jump out of the fence.It was an amazing jump. They then proceeded directly to our azaleas. We tied them out with NOTHING they could hang on (this is while we were trying to find them new homes) they would wrap themselves, and all 50 ft of rope around the stake in the ground. They were horrible. I know there are huge goat advocates out there, I am just not one of them.
Wish I had some suggestions, but a little at a time, seems to be the only way we can cope here. Good luck!

 

[galanie]

Hi everyone! I came here in hopes of reassurance.   I was reading on Gardenweb and a topic about chicken manure came up - and ALL the responses said it was too hot, and unless you composted it for a year or more, it had pathagens and shouldn't be near any plants that are grown for consumption.

Really?? My small flock free roam in our backyard, and amongst the tomato plants and garden. They've been super about eating up all the bermuda grass and bugs and snails. I mean, old time farmers always had free ranging chickens, right? 

So I came here looking for other chicken loving gardeners. Do you keep your flock away from your vegetable gardens? Is it really a danger that the Gardenweb folks say?

I'd be a sad panda if I had to fence off half the yard to keep the girls out of my tomato plants.

The reason those folks are all telling you that is that someone told them that and they all believed it. No, it doesn't have to be a year old. Even the regulations on Organic Farms only sets the bar at 90 days. Yes, it's too hot if you pile on the fresh poo, and yes I wouldn't put any fresh stuff on my lettuce for fear of pathogens, but a poo here and there or something composted or even just stacked somewhere for a few months is perfectly fine.

The possible pathogens in a few scattered fresh poos aren't going to jump 2-3 feet up to your tomatoes and infect the whole fruit. Just wash them.

 

[CluckyJay]

If less than a year old chicken doody kills plants, don't tell my great grandmother and grandmother and mommy and me that. We might look back and see our big gardens were really fried vegetables, lol.

I just toss the manure in a pile with old bedding for two or three months and use it on the garden. I'm more careful with root crops and leaf crops though. I transplanted corn that my hubby thinned out of his patch and used the manure like hat and my corn transplants did better than his he seeded.

I am using the deep litter method and most of the doody and browns are already pretty well composted. Its wonderful.

Good luck with ya'lls gardens this year!!!

 

[NanaKat]

Chickens are wonderful bug eatters...and will take little catepillers right off the cabbage plants...just can't let them in the garden until the plants are big enough for them to prowl under without scratching them out of the ground.

 

[Kassaundra]

I think this is the thread we were talking about comfrey a while back. I planted my roots this past fall and so far this spring from 12 plants I have havested 2 30 gall buckets full of comfrey. Just harvested my 2nd batch today.

 

[krcote]

I think this is the thread we were talking about comfrey a while back. I planted my roots this past fall and so far this spring from 12 plants I have havested 2 30 gall buckets full of comfrey. Just harvested my 2nd batch today.

I just looked this miracle plant up! You will have to keep us posted on how you use it and how well it works for you.