Your 2026 Garden

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Main reason we didn't release the birds on it at the end of '25 is because we have a lot of stuff in there right now that they could get hurt on so this year is clean up and rebuild.

I was going to suggest covering it over with cardboard and a layer of soil/mulch but it sounds like your mess is of the junk-and-garbage variety not just grass and weeds, so never mind!

 

[Debbie292d]

Main reason we didn't release the birds on it at the end of '25 is because we have a lot of stuff in there right now that they could get hurt on so this year is clean up and rebuild.

We put wooden stakes around our garden and attached chicken wire to keep the chickens and wild rabbits out of our garden. In the fall, hubby has a section he can pull back, then everyone can go in and enjoy what's left. Just an idea!

 

[Emanuel_acrehomestead]

If you let the chickens work that area over late summer/fall*, you will have some fantastic!!!! soil for the next spring. They'll clean out bugs, dig/eat up weeds and seeds as they sprout, till the soil, and fertilize it. Let it sit over winter, and the manure will age nicely.

* Where are you located? Just the state is fine, or country if you're not in the US. Climate matters a great deal with gardens and chickens. If you put your location in your profile, it shows up automatically, which lets people responding to your posts know what your general climate is.

THIS!!Chickens are so beneficial to the Garden! I dont even have to till. They are literally feathered tillers lol.

 

[jxp]

I did a lot of gardening back in 2020 but have basically been stuck in a cycle of trying to clean it out, start getting traction, and then end up neglecting it while talking about how next year will be better.
It's been like 6 years but I'm determined I'm going to clean it out this year and make it a good "Playpen" for the chickens this fall. I know that we have issues with cutworms in there and the girlies would love that lol

Hello! And welcome.

I have projects that are at least 6 years old in various level of undoneness. It sure feels good when one gets checked off the list, eh? So good luck with the cleanup.

So why don't you tell us about your 2020 garden. What'd you grow and what'd you learn? What was your favorite thing about it and what surprised you the most? Did you start it for something to do during lockdown or have you always enjoyed gardening?

 

[OneLostHen]

Im planning on giving luffa vines a try. Hope it climbs the side of the chicken pen and harvest the luffa for sponges!

 

[Noodler]

So why don't you tell us about your 2020 garden. What'd you grow and what'd you learn? What was your favorite thing about it and what surprised you the most? Did you start it for something to do during lockdown or have you always enjoyed gardening?

It was a lot to do with lockdown but more that my brother and I both had the time to try to beat a patch of weeds into a garden. lol
When we moved here the previous owners had sectioned out a garden and clearly kept it each year. We wanted different things for our own garden and ended up tearing out a lot of infrastructure. So in 2020 we basically had a fenced off square of dirt that had been mildly over taken by weeds. We started sprouts indoors before moving them to the sun room, they were growing a lot quicker than we figured on (And it felt like the days were moving insanely fast.) so we had to clear the garden as quick as we could. Not everything we sprouted made it into the garden. The eggplants and kale just ran too fast and I think if I were to do it again, I'd just plant the kale direct.
In the end we both ended up growing a lot, to varying degrees of success.
My brother grew several types of tomatoes, from beef steak to cherry tomatoes. Summer squash and snow peas. And I grew watermelons, pie pumpkins and pickling cucumbers.
As for what we learned, we mostly learned that plants are more fickle than you would think. The summer squash either barely grew or what it did grow was bitter and no one ate it. The tomatoes kept suffering due to the cut worms. The first round of plants we put in the ground all died from cutworms. Insanity. Watermelons were also eaten by ever bug and slug in the area, so no fruit but lovely plants. The pumpkins barely turned out but were fantastic. Finally the cucumbers were the most interesting to me. I found a love of pickling and have bought several jars since then just waiting for the chance to grow them again. Did you know cucumbers grow spikes on them to protect against predators? You have to scrub them of carefully, it's so weird lol
If I'm honest the main reason I want to grow the garden again is just because a fridge full of fresh pickles again sounds amazing and I can't wait to see it again. Every attempt that has been made since was all trying to achieve that goal.
I might share some pictures of the mess later so that hopefully we can all see the progress

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

The tomatoes kept suffering due to the cut worms. The first round of plants we put in the ground all died from cutworms. Insanity.

I had cutworms a few years ago, they are terrible! Have you tried beneficial nematodes?

 

[jxp]

It was a lot to do with lockdown but more that my brother and I both had the time to try to beat a patch of weeds into a garden. lol
When we moved here the previous owners had sectioned out a garden and clearly kept it each year. We wanted different things for our own garden and ended up tearing out a lot of infrastructure. So in 2020 we basically had a fenced off square of dirt that had been mildly over taken by weeds. We started sprouts indoors before moving them to the sun room, they were growing a lot quicker than we figured on (And it felt like the days were moving insanely fast.) so we had to clear the garden as quick as we could. Not everything we sprouted made it into the garden. The eggplants and kale just ran too fast and I think if I were to do it again, I'd just plant the kale direct.
In the end we both ended up growing a lot, to varying degrees of success.
My brother grew several types of tomatoes, from beef steak to cherry tomatoes. Summer squash and snow peas. And I grew watermelons, pie pumpkins and pickling cucumbers.
As for what we learned, we mostly learned that plants are more fickle than you would think. The summer squash either barely grew or what it did grow was bitter and no one ate it. The tomatoes kept suffering due to the cut worms. The first round of plants we put in the ground all died from cutworms. Insanity. Watermelons were also eaten by ever bug and slug in the area, so no fruit but lovely plants. The pumpkins barely turned out but were fantastic. Finally the cucumbers were the most interesting to me. I found a love of pickling and have bought several jars since then just waiting for the chance to grow them again. Did you know cucumbers grow spikes on them to protect against predators? You have to scrub them of carefully, it's so weird lol
If I'm honest the main reason I want to grow the garden again is just because a fridge full of fresh pickles again sounds amazing and I can't wait to see it again. Every attempt that has been made since was all trying to achieve that goal.
I might share some pictures of the mess later so that hopefully we can all see the progress

Sounds like a wonderful adventure. I can't wait to see the progress.

BTW, you mentioned a fence. If it's still there (and if it's open mesh such as chain link, welded wire, or lattice) you could maybe start with clearing a path a few feet wide along that then turn your chickens loose there for a couple of weeks while temporarily blocking them from the rest, that's be a great place to plant your cukes.

 

[Noodler]

I got pictures while I was hanging out with the chickens and here we go.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have work to do.
If it was mildly over taken in 2020, it's completely over grown now.
The current plan is to clear out all the trash that has built up over the years and then my brother is going to clear cut the area with a weed wacker. We have somemore raised beds we plan to put in behind the bigger beds you can see in the photos and from there we plan put in weed guard for the paths.

Sounds like a wonderful adventure. I can't wait to see the progress.

BTW, you mentioned a fence. If it's still there (and if it's open mesh such as chain link, welded wire, or lattice) you could maybe start with clearing a path a few feet wide along that then turn your chickens loose there for a couple of weeks while temporarily blocking them from the rest, that's be a great place to plant your cukes.

That's a good plan and I'm working on getting there but right now there is a lot of plastic in there I have to clean out first.the fence is a more open panel type thing with chicken wire lining the base of it.

I had cutworms a few years ago, they are terrible! Have you tried beneficial nematodes?

No, but I'm going to look into those because I've never heard of that. Thank you for the suggestion, I hate those bugs lol

 

[fuzzi]

I use collars around my transplants to deter cutworms. It's very effective. You can use milk cartons, juice bottles, even plastic soda bottles. Cut off the bottom, then cut sections about 3"-4" tall. They should be one solid section, like a ring. I've made collars from 4" plastic pots, I just cut off the bottom.

When you transplant gently slide the collar over the plant, pressing it into the soil about 1".

Plastic pot collars