Your 2024 Garden

[LTAY1946]

Anyone have a favorite pumpkin that grows large that makes good chicken feed?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Anyone have a favorite pumpkin that grows large that makes good chicken feed?

Mine will ear whatever I get from Walmart, so maybe just whatever ones grow well for you?

 

[LTAY1946]

Mine will ear whatever I get from Walmart, so maybe just whatever ones grow well for you?

This will be my first real year with a lot of things growing, at least I hope they grow. I will be trying to save on a feed bill with things that are healthy for the chickens to eat. Pumpkin should be healthy as long as it isn't the only thing fed. I've done a little research and is seems a patch of red clover will be good also for the chickens and the bees. Last year I had a beautiful patch of Fordhook Lima beans but they never made beans. Full of blooms but no bees to be seen. I may try and plant a row of clover along the edge to see it that can call some bees in. Okra made very well here as it got pollinated by bumble bees.

 

[Debbie292d]

Yes, mildly enough you don't need to worry about them being invasive. But then they don't flower as early. I don't think it matters for the beetles and the plant itself is fairly pretty.

If I set out seedlings, they also get a good start before the hot, dry weather sets in. The plants from transplants end up two and a half feet high and bushy vs the volunteers at ten inches or so and spindly, given the same care. Mine don't get the greatest of care, though. They are what get shorted if I run out of time or energy to water or weed.

The seeds are really, really, really easy to save for the next year. And easy to start.

I didn't know about digging the tubers. I noticed them when I cleaned up the garden; I'll try that next year.

I bought a pack of seeds on Amazon and also bought a set of 3 baits. I'll plant the seeds in mid-March.

I think they can work in tandem by setting a bait far away from our trees and garden, and put a pot of 4 o'clocks below it so any that falls from the bait can chew on some yummy flowers.

They like our two birch trees which are young yet, and our raspberries the most, so guessing a pot of the flowers by the trees and plant them in the ground near our raspberries.

I'm used to digging up canna bulbs so maybe could try digging those tubers up too, but at least I'll save seeds as planting them indoors isn't an issue. Remembering to dig up things isn't high on our list and this year froze all the cannas, so I maybe should stick with seeds.

 

[Debbie292d]

Anyone have a favorite pumpkin that grows large that makes good chicken feed?

Ours don't seem to care for it, so maybe it matters which kind? I mean, they'll peck at it, but sure not very enthusiastically. I never paid attention to kind; just bought whatever seeds looked like larger pumpkins for carving.

 

[NanaK]

Anyone have a favorite pumpkin that grows large that makes good chicken feed?

I don't try to grow the larger ones anymore. They are heavy.

I've been growing sugar pie pumpkins the last few years. They are smaller but I get more pumpkins per plant and not so much vine. The larger ones really make a lot of vine and bigger but less pumpkins per plant.

My chickens love the meat and the seeds. It's easy to save seeds from them too.

I plant sunflowers and zinnias near my melon bed. They bring in a lot of bees.

 

[Iluveggers]

Anyone have a favorite pumpkin that grows large that makes good chicken feed?

I do winter squash instead of pumpkins. Butternut seems to be the most disease and pest resistant.

My girls are spoiled. They don’t care for raw squash that much (love the seeds though), so I’ll bake more than we will eat and they looooove the cooked squash!

 

[NanaK]

Butternut seems to be the most disease and pest resistant.

I've never grow any of the winter squash like Butternut. Do they vine as much as pumpkins and melons?

If I can find a spot I may give these a try.

 

[LTAY1946]

I've been given orders to plant a lot of Acorn squash. That's our favorite hard squash with cinnamon and butter in a half and a few in the microwave when AC is in use and in the regular oven during winter months. I think What I will do is plant a 1/4 acre sweet corn patch and plant some butternut and sugar pie in the middles. I'll have to fence the kids out so they only can get to what I give them.

 

[Sally PB]

I've never grow any of the winter squash like Butternut. Do they vine as much as pumpkins and melons?

If I can find a spot I may give these a try.

Yes, butternuts have looooong vines! I plant them where I can let them sprawl. There may be a bush variety; I don't know.

What I like about butternut (aside from the delicious flavor) is that the neck is solid squash. So I get a LOT of squash to eat out of each squash. Plus the seeds for the chickens. Or to toast, like pumpkin seeds, for me.