Karen1 Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Just thought I'd talk about gardening. I recently bought a house with a garden, with a large vegetable patch. The person who owned the house before me was a keen gardener. He looked after the garden so well, and grew all his own veg, so I thought I should keep up the good work. Well, I've never had a garden before, and I didn't realise how much work was involved! I get up at 6 o'clock every morning to let the chickens out, and this morning I was digging over the veg patch, removing weeds (well I hope they're weeds and not veg coming up from last year's crop) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 I think there are quite a few keen gardeners on here Karen, how much did you need to know? Also - take a look at the River Cottage forum - there's loads of information on there. I'm only interested in veg although we do have shrubs and flowers - they only get two choices - live or die! We nurture the fruit and veg as we are self-sufficient or 6-8 months of the year. We've just bought the netting from Omlet so that we can fence off certain parts of the garden and let the girls do the weeding for us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted March 11, 2005 Author Share Posted March 11, 2005 Well, as I'm such a novice, I'm sure I'll be asking some really daft questions, particularly when it comes to planting my veg seeds I'm off home now to get my wellies on and do some more digging. Hope I'll be able to make it into work Monday - I'll probably do my back in with all this exercise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Karen, ask all the daft questions you want because they are probably the very questions someone else needs answering but is too shy to post! I'm learning all the time. My veggie plot is tiny but I'm trying. I planted new fruit bushes in the hope of bigger and better crops this year but we'll have to wait and see! As Lesley says, River Cottage is a great place for fruit and veg growing information - River Cottage Forum - Fruit and Veg topic. Happy gardening - nothing like it on a sunny Spring day ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJo Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Karen ... get digging in the Chicken poo, then the soil will be nice and rich for when you plant out any veggies. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Ah, there's a job for the weekend, poo spreading. We've only grown a few fruit & veg so far but thought I'd like to do more too, so glad you brought up the subject Karen. Think I might follow Lesley's idea about netting though...was already realizing that we will need to protect a few things from the girls. The perpetual spinach is my number one choice for starting...spinach & eggs ! Its so easy & plentiful & provides leftovers for hens & guinea pig! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJo Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Better late than never with the poo .. just make sure is dug in deep when coming to plant. Another wee tip ... save the poo in a bucket and ferment with water ... then dilute and use as a feed for the veg .. smelly but good. . I have already started to "harden off" my sweet peas. And have the tomatoes and lettuce ready for planting over the next week. I start them off inside, germinate then harden off. Then after that will be the pumpkins and the runner beans , both of these germinate quickly, so can do a bit later. Nicki, from Macclesfield, will be the best for tips .. she has an allotment . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJo Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Oh ... by the way ... remember those who do not have good size veg patches ... you can do lettuce/tomatoes in hanging baskets (keeps the mice and chooks off too) and train courgettes/pumpkins/beans/peas up a simple wigwam, or obelisk in a pot on the patio ... just remember to water these more (drainage holes in bottom too) and liquid feed reg. On the other hand you can ignore my "wittering" fill my glass, and do your own thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted March 14, 2005 Author Share Posted March 14, 2005 I'm so glad there are lots of keen gardeners out there. I've started off by digging over my compost heap and putting it into a big compost bin. The guy who owned the house before me piled all the compost up in a corner, which looked a bit untidy. I didn't realise how much work was involved in moving a compost heap from one place to another, especially when two chickens insist on getting involved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fowlbird Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 the thing to remember with chooks, dogs and gardening is never to let them near anything you want to keep. Our girls arrived last summer, we'd already erected a trellis across the garden to keep the dogs from the pond area and the fruit and veg so all we've had to do is chookproof the trellis. We have hardly any flowers/bulbs coming up this year - between the chooks and the squirrels they've had it, and there's no lawn at all so you can imagine the devastation if they were allowed near the produce! Last year we grew tomatoes (small cherry ones and large ones) in pots around the garden and I can report that the girls prefer Sungold and Moneymaker... On the plus side, since having the poo and straw our compost has really improved and the girls are now busy clearing a raised bed which I've never before been able to clear of grass - looks as if they have it in hand. Eventually the eglu will go there surrounded by shrubs and tough-ish ornamental grasses for them to hide in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted March 14, 2005 Author Share Posted March 14, 2005 I am a bit worried that the chooks will pull up my vegetables when (or if!) they start to grow. I haven't planted any seeds outside yet, so maybe I should fence off the veg patch first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Definitely need to fence off anything you don't want them to eat - in our case that means fencing off the chickens! Fowlbird - more compost to grow more food to feed ..............the chickens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted March 15, 2005 Author Share Posted March 15, 2005 My chooks were having a great time yesterday. I let them out of their run while I did some gardening. I was turning over the soil in my veg patch to get it ready for my seeds. Claire soon figured out that this meant lots of worms would appear. She stood next to me, and every time I forked a bit of soil, she leapt in and ate the worms! I had to be very careful not to stab her with the fork Camilla wasn't quite so brave, so she just scratched around in the bits I had already dug up. It's not a very attractive sight watching a chicken gulping down a worm, is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 No, it's not, is it Karen, especially if you pick them up and feel their crops after they've scoffed a few worms - you can feel them wriggling ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fowlbird Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Fowlbird - more compost to grow more food to feed ..............the chickens Indeed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I can't read the pink either - it is as bad as pale green It's alright - I asked son what it said This is the same son (well - I've only got one!) who teases the chickens with worms. He holds them high and as he's 6'3", they can't reach - he drives them mad. Then he lets go and watches them running round in circles, shoulder barging to get at the one with the worm. The more chickens we get the more fun he has! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Honestly, boys ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim Gardner Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I would love a big garden with a veggie patch!Unfortunately, we only have a small garden.We do manage to grow peas ( in an old Belfast sink ),tomatoes ( grow bags ) and ,for the first time last year,Pumpkins.We managed to keep 2 from the slugs.they weighed in at 17lb and 21 llb and made great lanterns at Halloween. Kim Mrs.Frisby Clary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted March 15, 2005 Author Share Posted March 15, 2005 I didn't think of growing pumpkins. That sounds like a good idea Is it possible to keep slugs off them without using some form of insecticide or other chemical? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim Gardner Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I don't use slug pellets at all ( hence the slug fest on the Pumpkins! ) I left a couple of small ones for the slugs to munch on so that the hedgehog still had some juicy slugs to eat in the evening!The rest I just picked off and put in the slug trap - sunken plastic bowl with beer in.At least then they die happy!! Kim Mrs.Frisby Clary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted March 16, 2005 Author Share Posted March 16, 2005 If I did use slug pellets, would they harm the chickens, either by the chickens eating the pellets themselves, or by eating the slugs that had eaten pellets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 If they are ordinary slug pellets - yes they would. They also cause decline in wild birds and hedgehogs as they eat the poisoned slugs. There are pellets which say they are safe but I prefer to use slug traps with beer in or go out and collect slugs at night and dipose of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted March 16, 2005 Author Share Posted March 16, 2005 Thanks Lesley. As I'm completely new to gardening, I don't know anything about slugs at all. I certainly wouldn't want to use anything that harmed my chickens or the wild birds. Can you buy slug traps, or do I just put beer in jars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Do you drink filter coffee Karen? If you do, dry out the coffee grounds and sprinkle them around your veggies. The slugs don't like them sticking to their skins and won't go near. Crushed egg shells are also a good deterrent. I won't use slug pellets because we have hedgehogs and frogs in the garden. We have a neighbour who has blue flower beds though - the pellets are spread so thickly that the ground looks blue. I hope our hedgehogs and frogs stay our side of the fence. There are also some copper deterrents on the market which you fix round plants and which give snails and slugs a shock if they touch them. I haven't tried them but if the little beasties are a particular nuisance, they might be worth investing in if the crushed shells or coffee grounds don't work for you. Happy gardening . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen1 Posted March 16, 2005 Author Share Posted March 16, 2005 Thanks for the tip Kate. I'll try the coffee grounds. Will I need to use beer as well? I don't like the thought of wasting beer on slugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
