Your 2026 Garden

[Debbie292d]

Yeah I figured if they proliferate like that they'll probably be able to keep up with the chickens pecking at them more than most other herbs and figured some peppermint and Mountain mint might freshen the smell of the coop as well

Ours spread but I was glad as I'd pull it up and put it around branches in our birch and other trees that those Japanese beetles like. It doesn't deter them totally, but you'd never find a beetle by the mint. Neem oil does the best for those.

 

[Debbie292d]

I’m planning to turn my vegetable garden into a mostly herb garden this year. I’m tired of growing tomatoes and peppers and beans! I’ll still plant some cucumber seeds though, for pickles. And of course kale & lettuce for the birds. And lots of dandelions!

Do you need me to send you some dandelion seeds? We spray ours, but the farmer fields don't keep up with theirs, so it's a losing battle.

 

[tripletfeb]

Do you need me to send you some dandelion seeds? We spray ours, but the farmer fields don't keep up with theirs, so it's a losing battle.

Please don't spray dandelions. They are the first food for honey bees

 

[Debbie292d]

Please don't spray dandelions. They are the first food for honey bees

We had bee hives and raised clover for them. We had to get rid of the dandelions so the clover could flourish. Now that we don't have bees, we still stand by this to keep our clover field healthy. Besides, the farmer's fields all around us have plenty. As does that side of our yard.

 

[tripletfeb]

We had bee hives and raised clover for them. We had to get rid of the dandelions so the clover could flourish. Now that we don't have bees, we still stand by this to keep our clover field healthy. Besides, the farmer's fields all around us have plenty. As does that side of our yard.

Clover honey is my favorite. And wildflower honey

 

[fuzzi]

Camellia getting ready to bloom!

My semi feral cat Wisp used my turnip bed as a nap location.

 

[akroberts1085]

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Camellia getting ready to bloom!

My semi feral cat Wisp used my turnip bed as a nap location.
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I wish my Camelia would have survived the drought. It was so beautiful.

 

[jxp]

My chicky ladies are quite particular about which fresh plants they go for. If it's something I want, like vegetables I've nurtured from seed or the strawberries or blackberries or grapes, that's what they choose. Every. Stinking. Time.

They don't eat onions or garlic but do think they make awesome pull toys.

For some reason they seem to think the squash and pumpkins don't mind their hollow leaf stalks being bent aside so they can see if their fat behinds will fit in between the stalks of corn for a nice cool dust bath. (hint - they can't)

Whatever else grows in the backyard. . . . fuggeddaboutit. Oh, except the flowers grown to attract pollinators. They like those too. But just the buds. But the grasses and steppables and such? Meh. Don't even get me started on the ducks.

 

[Debbie292d]

My chicky ladies are quite particular about which fresh plants they go for. If it's something I want, like vegetables I've nurtured from seed or the strawberries or blackberries or grapes, that's what they choose. Every. Stinking. Time.

They don't eat onions or garlic but do think they make awesome pull toys.

For some reason they seem to think the squash and pumpkins don't mind their hollow leaf stalks being bent aside so they can see if their fat behinds will fit in between the stalks of corn for a nice cool dust bath. (hint - they can't)

Whatever else grows in the backyard. . . . fuggeddaboutit. Oh, except the flowers grown to attract pollinators. They like those too. But just the buds. But the grasses and steppables and such? Meh. Don't even get me started on the ducks.

Most of our stuff is behind a chicken wire fence. I know what chickens can do, but this is our first year with ducks, so glad we've got it fenced, as surely they'd wreak more havoc than the silkies.

So far they leave the stuff outside of the fence alone. That's raspberries, grapes, pumpkins, cukes, and squash. Hubby has to fence the latter as when we make the mounds, the chickens come dust bathe in them lol.

 

[jxp]

Most of our stuff is behind a chicken wire fence. I know what chickens can do, but this is our first year with ducks, so glad we've got it fenced, as surely they'd wreak more havoc than the silkies.

So far they leave the stuff outside of the fence alone. That's raspberries, grapes, pumpkins, cukes, and squash. Hubby has to fence the latter as when we make the mounds, the chickens come dust bathe in them lol.

You would think grapes and blackberries would be high enough off the ground to be out of their reach but Lilac and especially Barracuda are determined young snots. This might also explain the marks on some of the apples and peaches hanging from the lower branches, and here I was suspecting wild birds.