What did you do in the garden today?

[TropicalBabies]

Aloha gang. Happy to hear it is sowing season! Sorry to hear about wild temp swings, outrageous gas prices and vacant medicial care. @jerryse i am really sorry to hear about your health challenges. Im wishing you the best and will keep you in my good thoughts ️
That is about as far back as I read. I hope I only missed out on good news .

All is well here. We did not have the flooding that @cj2024 had on his island. The sandy loam of our town soaked up steady, almost nonstop rain for a few weeks. I adore the rain and cool reprieve befor the relentless heat, so no complaints. I had planted a few tomatoes starts prior to the 2 kona lows, but they have come out of their funk. It did knock most all blooms off of second season tomato plants and peppers. Lettuce and many other greens still thriving and keeping me in good food till the heat comes. And I still have broccoli. What a treat. Nothing is going to waste in my kitchen garden.
Bought a mulberry on Monday, need to get it in the ground. Mostly need to find compost.
Dragon fruit really benefitted from the trim, compost and heavy rains. Hope to get fruit this year

Still growing garden Pikos

 

[Smokerbill]

I can't speak to raising a bunch of rabbits in cages. We had our original buck (a stray who was dumped) in our sunroom for 5 years. He was litter box trained and essentially free-ranged in there since he was so tame. I used pine pellets in his litter box and would just dump it weekly in the compost.

Then we ended up with another stray, a doe, who likely escaped her hutch. She is definitely not a pet and only semi-tame. She was also not litter box trained which is what prompted us to move them outside.

We've had our meat rabbit operation for only a few months. I built a 17 ft x 10 ft colony pen using a cheap carport unit from Harbor Freight for $200. No more litter boxes to clean and the rabbits are much happier and healthier. They run around and dig in the big dirt mounds. Can't dig under or out because we fenced underneath.

The only problem was the constant breeding... So we opted to re-use an old 10 ft x 10 ft dog kennel. We had to fix some broken pieces and buy a 10x10 pop-up canopy for a roof, but overall it's working out well so far.

I've got 8 boys (1 adult, 7 juveniles) in the 10x10 pen. And 7 females (1 adult, 6 juveniles) in the big pen. Well, plus the 4 kits born last weekend. I give them free choice pellets and hay every day. Alfalfa a few times a week... And greens, carrots, fruit, or broccoli - every day. They LOVE bananas... It's their favorite. I also bring them weeds pulled from the garden which they also enjoy.

I will leave the butchering up to hubby... But their care takes little effort. They tend to use the bathroom in specific corners which makes cleaning easy to shovel out. A 50 lb bag of pellets costs me $13 and lasts about a month. I already buy hay for my horses and goats so no added cost there. I go through 1 bale of alfalfa a month which costs $30. And I grow the veggies for the most part. Overall I probably spend another $40 on fresh food per month. So maybe around $85/month - give or take?

Thanks for information! I have four cages to work with and was thinking of hanging them in the chicken run, with a buck and doe in separate cages. Droppings would fall into the deep litter for the chickens to scratch through.

Weaned kits would have their own cage in the run, or be kept in a rabbit tractor in the yard to take advantage of the free feed... grass and weeds. That's the tentative plan anyway.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I will probably make something like a rabbit tractor for breeding which can also double as a quarantine pen or even just to give the juvies a safe place to eat at their leisure. I noticed that their mama is quite dominant about food. I have several different feeding stations and try my best to make them forage for food since they have a big pen with lots of hidey holes. But she is notorious for chasing them around if they go towards something she considers hers...

 

[jerryse]

Back from prompt care. I had the catheter removed. What a relief.

 

[jxp]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/other-pets-livestock.22/

 

[TJAnonymous]

I. Am. Pooped.

Worked my fingers to the bone in the garden today. DH and DS helped.

The outdoor in-ground garden area has 4"of fresh compost and the entire area has been covered with weed barrier and black plastic.

We cleared out the cheap weed barrier around the entrance that was useless. Put down a layer of cardboard, quality weed barrier, some large landscape pavers and several inches of crushed granite. That creates a 2 ft boundary between the grass and the in-ground garden. Hopefully that will keep weeds and that devil grass out that causes me such aggravation.

I also put more compost in more containers and planted some gladiolus bulbs I got from the Dollar Tree. Not sure if they will germinate but they only cost $1.50 so

I have more to do tomorrow but 7.5 hours was enough for today.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Harvested basil today. Outdoor planters are still frozen solid so no messing with those yet.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Tilled some crushed egg shells and poop tossed out of then hen house into the soil. Removed some of the grasses and weeds, replanted some garlic and onions after tiling, and watered my greens.

 

[dirkandlorie]

My 13 1/2 year old chicken is on her last legs, so I took the day off from spring prep so she wasnt alone. Supposed to be in the 70*s tomorrow, hoping to bring her out for a final day on my lap in the sunshine before she passes. The garden can wait.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hey I got to clean out a room for a new room mate she will be here the 1st of the month.
We have been in this house since 2014 never used this room but to seed plants or raise pullets.
Have any idea of the dust and grime.
Did not get near the garden.