What did you do in the garden today?

[LaurenRitz]

Years and years ago a pest control guy appeared at my door. I told him that if I have an insect problem the spiders will take care of it.

His expression was priceless. He didn't even finish his spiel, just turned around and walked away.

A beautiful moment.

 

[Nym]

I don’t eat dandelions, even though I know they are healthy, I want them for the chickens, I can go out and buy fresh fruit/veggies, the chickens can’t. So that is why I want dandelions for the chickens

Do your chickens like dandelions?

My broody Frizzle hen growled when I fed her dandelions. When her chicks were a few weeks old I experimented by offering more dandelions. She growled a warning, and those chicks have never eaten dandelions like they would eat cabbage or kale. I only ever see them 'tip' the odd dandelion leaf growing in the yard.

 

[Nym]

I don't eat them... I want the dandelions for my bunny, goats, and chickens. I suppose if I was starving I might try to cook the greens in something though.

Don't wait til you're starving .. you'll die lol

I have 2 kinds,a wide and a narrow. They prefer the wide. I also think they are bitter

The bitterness is the alkaloid sap. I nearly fell over one morning putting that on my tongue lol

 

[Nym]

My mother dosed her kids with generous amounts of dandelion greens as soon as she discovered their bright leaves in springtime. Yet this common plant is dismissed today as only a weed. If you’d like to explore eating dandelions, first learn how to harvest and clean this wild green.

I was one of nine children growing up during the Depression on a Vermont dairy farm. Mom regaled us with many stories of the wild-food foraging that supplemented the self-reliant family diet. Dandelions, the first fresh greens of spring, ranked high on her list of important foraged foods.

I inherited my mother’s dandelion fork, a simple wooden-handled tool with a steel shaft and a short, sharp fork at one end. Though sadly, I misplaced the fork and bought a new one (much inferior), I continued her tradition.

Eating Dandelions: Harvesting, Cleaning, and Cooking

 

[LaurenRitz]

Do your chickens like dandelions?

My broody Frizzle hen growled when I fed her dandelions. When her chicks were a few weeks old I experimented by offering more dandelions. She growled a warning, and those chicks have never eaten dandelions like they would eat cabbage or kale. I only ever see them 'tip' the odd dandelion leaf growing in the yard.

My birds won't touch any kind of brassica. Cabbage, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, they all rot in place while the chickens forage around them.

 

[Nym]

My birds won't touch any kind of brassica. Cabbage, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, they all rot in place while the chickens forage around them.

Wow, I can't imagine that! Mine love berries and sourdough above all else, but I have pineapple guava in heavy supply at the moment, so they are getting the flesh of a few each evening.

 

[Molpet]

My birds won't touch any kind of brassica. Cabbage, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, they all rot in place while the chickens forage around them.

Mine wiped out the kale one early winter, that was for me and people said they had green eggs that didn't smell.
So I had no kale and had to replace eggs.

 

[igorsMistress]

It took me a few days, I know I likely still missed a lot of posts but I am reasonably caught up. Today is a rest day after the clean up from yesterday’s storm. I did buy a few seeds the other day and as I mentioned in the previous post, I’m struggling with the garden plan. I found a small raised bed kit at my favorite bargain store. The plan is to add gardening spots on the patio area. I’m also adding more grow bags this year. Won’t be doing anything else but planning and collecting things until this weather is warming up. I’m really jealous of your beef prices @igorsMistress. Meat, vegetable, eggs and flour prices are skyrocketing here. The grocery stores are limiting people to two dozen per visit. Fortunately my pullets are producing well. I bought 2 small steaks, a little over a pound and that was $20. I cut them in half so I get 4 servings at least. Scary stuff. Hopefully this craziness is over soon. It’s hard for me to understand why dandelions would be hard to grow. Lol! My thoughts: just plant them where you don’t want them to grow. My hanging strawberry bags are over wintering well on my front porch along with one of my lavender planters. I will be propagating the additional planters from my original plants. But no plans for seed starting soon.

Don’t be jealous, the meat was on clearance because it was the last day it could be sold. I just happened upon on it all at the right time.

I was thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were doing with that storm. Glad to know all is well.

 

[WthrLady]

My birds won't touch any kind of brassica. Cabbage, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, they all rot in place while the chickens forage around them.

Mine either!!!!
They don't like dandelions either. (can't blame them, bitter as hell) My lawn is infested with them, much to the loathing of my neighbors who spray the heck out of their lawn against them. LOL.
All the tomato seeds I ordered arrived today, plus a bonus package of frilly/wrinkled Krim, we'll see.
Snow and frigid weather coming in for the next 8 days. We won't see above 25' for all that time. Windchills in the -20s. This is life on the great plains.
Alpacas are in their coats and the chickens will get warm veg twice a day.
Over 3 dozen eagles at the lake today and BOY, were they CHATTY and screaming at each other. I imagine.
"I TOLD you we shouldn't have left Florida last week. I TOLD you we should have waited until after Valentines Day. But NO, you had to get moving. And now here we are, cold fish, icy water, no beach, no sun."

 

[ShesSoPecky]

I have pineapple guava in heavy supply

No way I could grow guava here, but I can buy it imported at local stores. Love the tart flavor.