Country Gardens – July 2019

(lu) #1

THE PECKING


ORDER


Lisa Steele, author of Gardening


with Chickens (Voyageur Press,
2016) and host of the television


show Welcome to My Farm,


can quickly reel off many
reasons chickens and gardens


go together. Not only will the


birds furnish fertilizer for your
garden—via composted coop


cleanings and eggshells—but


they can also be put to work
loosening the soil prior to


planting. “They’re much easier
on the soil than a rototiller,”


Steele says. Both gardens and


chickens reap rewards from
the closeness: Chickens eat


many insects, consume excess


seedlings and garden waste,
and can make your gardening


time a more social and relaxing


experience. Here are some
pointers for keeping poultry and


plants in proximity:


PREVENT HENPECKED
PLANTS. Steele recommends


letting chickens roam the yard,


and her approach is to fence
in the garden rather than vice


versa. “A 4-foot fence won’t


do the job,” she says. A fence
should be substantial (remember,


chickens can fl y).


PROTECT INDIVIDUAL PLANTS.
Say you’re growing lettuce


or some other delicacy that
chickens love: “Throw a cage


over it,” Steele says.


SUPERVISE PLAYTIME. Even if


you can’t let your birds roam free
throughout the day, consider


supervised outings. Choose
a time when you tend to be


working in the garden and let the


chickens out while you’re present
so you can protect the fl ock and


the garden.


MONITOR VEGETABLE
SCRAPS. Although chickens are


great at recycling vegetable


scraps, not everything is safe
for them. Read up on plants


that might poison your fl ock.


In particular, members of the
nightshade family (including


tomatoes and potatoes), rhubarb


leaves, and beans can cause
health problems in chickens.


When in the garden,
Ingunn is often
accompanied by a hen
or the full fl ock of six.
Harvesting usually
attracts a few birds
hoping for a handout.
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