The Quack Shack

[Supercow]

I was just reading about planting peas and beans after squash and also after tomatoes to put the nitrogen back in the soil, so I am thinking about doing that, but I don’t wanna eat all those green beans and peas. They’re a pain in the butt to pick.- and you just gave me a great idea!! For the Dux! Can they eat the leaves and stems too?

I think that if you decide to let them eat the peas up while still green, yeah they likely will eat the whole plant. We harvest fodder peas by combine though as we want dry seed to use soaked during winter.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Our crop of fodder peas was super mediocre but the ducks love it. Next year, fodder peas in our main field (2 x acreage) and sunflowers in the rest. The grains we can get just about anywhere, plus this year's spelt will last 2 years easily if not invaded by bugs. Country life is the life!

So, fodder peas? I have tried to grow peas and beans here, the peas (sweet peas) sprouted, grew two or three leaves then died. Same with the beans, except a handful of green beans which I used for a pot of green bean soup.
No idea if I do something wrong or the soil isn't good for legumes or the weather or...
I thought about sweet lupines, those can be threshed out on a tarp, the straw is good bedding and they also collect nitrogen in the soil, but after my pea and bean experience...

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I think that if you decide to let them eat the peas up while still green, yeah they likely will eat the whole plant. We harvest fodder peas by combine though as we want dry seed to use soaked during winter.

Wish I had access to a combine with all wheel drive or a piece of flat land...

 

[Supercow]

So, fodder peas? I have tried to grow peas and beans here, the peas (sweet peas) sprouted, grew two or three leaves then died. Same with the beans, except a handful of green beans which I used for a pot of green bean soup.
No idea if I do something wrong or the soil isn't good for legumes or the weather or...
I thought about sweet lupines, those can be threshed out on a tarp, the straw is good bedding and they also collect nitrogen in the soil, but after my pea and bean experience...

Do you have any idea about whether your soil is maybe chemically extreme = very acidic or very alkaline?

Beans are also in general quite sensitive to drought but some fodder pea cultivars are quite tolerant. Eso for example - we had Eso this year and there were basically 4 months of drought. The pea kernels were not exactly plentiful and are small but they plump up nicely when soaked and are given a warm welcome by the ducks.

Soybeans (cooked as they should be) in contrast are not that interesting to them, they eat some but meh.

I would love to try sweet lupines but haven't yet done anything about it.

Here's what Perplexity says and based on this I'm getting the impression that lupines would not be a "ooooh cocaine" situation that one gets when feeding peas; and also that it might be necessary to shell the seed which adds cost or creates a problem if there is no practical way to do it at scale: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/can-ducks-eat-sweet-lupines-an-Grfsyz.uRPu.GTcw1YbxOA#0

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Do you have any idea about whether your soil is maybe chemically extreme = very acidic or very alkaline?

Beans are also in general quite sensitive to drought but some fodder pea cultivars are quite tolerant. Eso for example - we had Eso this year and there were basically 4 months of drought. The pea kernels were not exactly plentiful and are small but they plump up nicely when soaked and are given a warm welcome by the ducks.

Soybeans (cooked as they should be) in contrast are not that interesting to them, they eat some but meh.

I would love to try sweet lupines but haven't yet done anything about it.

Here's what Perplexity says and based on this I'm getting the impression that lupines would not be a "ooooh cocaine" situation that one gets when feeding peas; and also that it might be necessary to shell the seed which adds cost or creates a problem if there is no practical way to do it at scale: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/can-ducks-eat-sweet-lupines-an-Grfsyz.uRPu.GTcw1YbxOA#0

Thank you very much for the rapid response!
I have not (yet) tested my soil, outside of the cultivated beds its ≫West Virginia Concrete≪ - a mix of red/yellow loam with plenty of rocks.
I assume the droughts we had during the past years were the reasons why my legumes failed so miserably. I need to find a balance between the water bill and saving on feed-cost. Last year i got a >200$ water bill and abandoned the tomatoes, as i can buy a lot of tomatoes for $200 at the supermarkets...

My idea of sweet lupines is:
- Nectar for bees and mostly bumblebees
- Straw for the duckos
- Lupine seeds as winter-feed add-on
- Nitrogen added to the soil
- Lupine roots break up hard soil

The last one is most important, the only piece of flat land i have is so compacted and low-quality, pouring actual concrete over it would improve the soil quality...

 

[Supercow]

Thank you very much for the rapid response!
I have not (yet) tested my soil, outside of the cultivated beds its ≫West Virginia Concrete≪ - a mix of red/yellow loam with plenty of rocks.
I assume the droughts we had during the past years were the reasons why my legumes failed so miserably. I need to find a balance between the water bill and saving on feed-cost. Last year i got a >200$ water bill and abandoned the tomatoes, as i can buy a lot of tomatoes for $200 at the supermarkets...

My idea of sweet lupines is:
- Nectar for bees and mostly bumblebees
- Straw for the duckos
- Lupine seeds as winter-feed add-on
- Nitrogen added to the soil
- Lupine roots break up hard soil

The last one is most important, the only piece of flat land i have is so compacted and low-quality, pouring actual concrete over it would improve the soil quality...

As I understand it fodder peas would achieve the same objectives apart from the straw part as there is simply not that much plant material vs. the lupines.

For soil improvement, the usual approach is to smother it in organic material, for example dump a ton of wood chips / manure / various compostable stuff on it and let it sit for a year...

At the very least you can dump used duck bedding on it.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Get some rabbits. Their droppings are *perfect* for soil amendment!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

As I understand it fodder peas would achieve the same objectives apart from the straw part as there is simply not that much plant material vs. the lupines.

For soil improvement, the usual approach is to smother it in organic material, for example dump a ton of wood chips / manure / various compostable stuff on it and let it sit for a year...

"smother" something into that soil would require explosives .
I have started to cover that area with woodchips, but its a slow process and the weeds enjoy the new soil too much.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Get some rabbits. Their droppings are *perfect* for soil amendment!

Colleagues recommend goats for the same reason. Goats also would take care of the autumn olive shrubs...

 

[Jenbirdee]

Colleagues recommend goats for the same reason. Goats also would take care of the autumn olive shrubs...

OMG-I-NEED-GOATS!!