a garden and livestock- post yours

[hansp77]

We moved about three months ago, and straight away set about putting in garden beds, plants, and converted a garden shed into a chicken shed and built a run. We've been living inner city for years, and now moving just a little bit further out have gained plenty of room to do what we have been craving for.
Altogether it is nothing too great, and being the first time we have had the space- the first time for me since growing up on our old farm- we have a lot of learning to do.
Anyway, here's some photos.
Please post your own gardens and livestock, and any general feedback and discussion about anything. I love seeing what other people are doing and growing, and I know there are a lot of greenthumbs on this forum.

So, we are coming into winter now, things are growing pretty slowly, and it has been hard to have to wait till it warms to be able to plant a lot of things I really want to- tomatoes, basil, etc.

I salvaged a heap of wood from a destruction site to build my three beds.
here is a little bed alongside my shed, north facing, with wire strung up the back. Lettuces, some pathetic sugar snap peas, bertolli beans, broad beans. This bed is still recovering from the chooks who finally gained a taste for lettuce- two weeks ago this bed looked fantastic. Last weekend I put in wire gards around the beds, and so far they are working.




here next to it is a little aquaponics experiment. I have some native fish in a big 310 liter water tub, and spray the filter outlet through a bed of scoria growing watercress, which then trickles back into the tub.


before I move on to the main beds and the chooks, I'll show a just a little other stuff.
Salvaged this old concrete laundry tub for a dedicated herb patch, and to the left a little curry leaf tree (YUM)


and another one for an outdoor trough to wash up hands, veges, chook plates, etc, to collect the water for re-use


as we have loved gardening for years but been reduced to pot planting, we have many many pots all over the place such as this, though I won't show the rest. We have a nice big potted bay leaf tree as well that gets a lot of use.

[hansp77]

Here is the main bed
at the moment mostly salad greens.


Purple Mizuna, quickly becoming a favourite.


and more


landcress, or 'upland cress'


a massive patch of mustard greens- so quick and easy to grow and delicious



rocket of course, regular and wild

[hansp77]

part of the permanent herb patch up the north end


and a lovely peach tree up the south end,



this was overflowing with peaches when we moved in- so one thing I am trying to figure out soon is how to prune it.

now the patch in the front yard
red cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, heaps of garlic, white, purple and elephant, heaps of leak in the furrows, two artichokes, and some more mustard



here are the other mustard greens, Red Giant and Osaka Purple

[PeterSibley]

For the first time in 25 years , no garden this year . .I've planted twice and had the lot rot in place ,RAIN RAIN and more RAIN .

Two weeks of very heavy rain over a 6 week period totally around 700 mm .That's 28 inches for our US friends .

[hansp77]

Now the chooks,
the run


the shed


a broody Wyandotte and one of the raised nests the other Wyandottes seem to prefer


And now the girls, Peg the black pekin, Goldie the silky,


making sure I have something to sweep up this afternoon, 3 of the 4 newer Bantam Wyandottes


little 'Silvie' the physically challenged pekin, her feet are bad (toes curled under) I think she is blind in one eye, and does not have the best pecking coordination. She is a sweety- and though she probably only lays once or twice a month, she has a happy life, loves her food, and has the heart of lion.

[PeterSibley]

Pretty aren't they ....I've got three chooks now , 3 more on order .Plain Jane brand !

[hansp77]

Originally Posted by PeterSibley

For the first time in 25 years , no garden this year . .I've planted twice and had the lot rot in place ,RAIN RAIN and more RAIN .

Two weeks of very heavy rain over a 6 week period totally around 700 mm .That's 28 inches for our US friends .

That's awful Peter, sorry to hear, maybe you should plant some watercress

on with the chooks,
Here is the leader of the pack, and the tamest and best chook in the lot, Honey. She follows me round every where, always seeing what you are doing, eager for a pat, and she keeps the rest of the girls in line.


We got given the first four bantams, the 3 pekins and the silky, and bought the Bantam Wyandottes at an auction. The first four are very tame, and we love them a lot more than the Wyandottes, but they have all finally integrated well (after the first day when little disabled silvie picked a massive fight with the biggest and toughest of the Wyandottes)

and a last couple of shots,
a nice warm spot for the seedling beds,


and a caged in patch of wheat and oat grass in the run- gives the girls some green to keep mowing off the top when we are not home, and thus they are not free-ranging.


and that is about it for the moment,
It is a pretty young garden and not looking too great yet, but we are loving it, and loving our flock of girls.
I'll keep posting as time goes on for updates and new plantings,
and am looking foreward to seeing what other people are doing.

[hansp77]

Originally Posted by PeterSibley

Pretty aren't they ....I've got three chooks now , 3 more on order .Plain Jane brand !

White ones?
Have you had the Rhode Island Reds? For a big chook, that is probably what I would pick (my partners sisters family has them). Great layers, tough, and at least a little interesting looking.

Yeah, they are pretty, I'll have to get a decent shot of the Wyandottes, they are really quite stunning and come from show stock, even though I love our old girls more.
We went with bantams because in my previous experience, and from I could research, they are a lot less destructive for a backyard poultry owner. They left most of our garden alone for a long time, and then slowly started to get the taste for a few things- thus the wire guarding of the beds now. If they scratch on the lawn they don't do much damage, and basically prefer to scratch in old leaves or already exposed dirt and humus.
Their eggs are small, and fewer, but then they eat a hell of a lot less too.
We love the little girls.

[TimmS]

I took this shot of my garden a couple weeks ago.....it's a lot greener here now.

[PeterSibley]

The current 3 are red , but not Rhode Islands , some kind of hybrid .Good hens .The next three will be black Australorps .
I really like them They're big and strong and look like a hen should !
I used to have an English Game rooster , prettiest thing ever ! I don't keep roosters now , the big ones are dangerous to children ,quite vicious .

[hansp77]

very nice Tim,
I am jealous of all that space.
I should have said, but our place is just a rental, so it sort of reflects on the beds I have built. Can't wait to see some of the prettier and more permanent designs others have done, like yours.

Peter, maybe you should get a little Bantam rooster- the biggest and bravest little birds in the world
I would love to be able to have a rooster, but obviously they are not allowed in suburbia- plus I would love to have a rooster, but not this close to the house
Yeah, I do like the bigger hens, and pretty much anything but white (unless they are meat birds). On our old farm we had a mix of many different large birds, and usually a very tame silky or two as the mother hens who would adopt all the chicks and look after them so well. Our current silky, Goldie, despite what the breed should be like, doesn't go broody at all.

[2MeterTroll]

its funny I want Emu's for our place and you folks talk chickens. The thought of not having to crack 2doz eggs for a meal has lots of appeal to me.

[hansp77]

Yep, nice big eggs that's for sure


and one hell of a big bird to go with it


Not sure how suburbia friendly these are The ones I've been in close contact with, at zoos, are just a little bit scary. They come up to your face, being taller than you, examine you as if you were a plate of food, an possibly just maybe have a 'little' peck at your lip just to see if it can remove that delicious looking little treat

[The Bigfella]

Umm Hans... that's an Ostrich. Yes, the egg is an Emu egg, but that bird isn't

[hansp77]

I could just pretend that was a test couldn't I? Can I please?
No.. well you got me there. One big bird equals another, especially to googleimage search, and a lazy poster I didn't think it looked quite right at all.
Oh well.
here's the eyes and beak that scared the crap outa me as a kid



and here are their widely known and feared fierce teeth.

[PeterSibley]

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!
Don't DO that !

[The Bigfella]

Are they venomous in the front fangs or the rear?

[2MeterTroll]

ummm uh ok let me wipe the tears so i can see the key board LOL

Ok .... now typing

those teeth are formidable!
We have coyotes here so i want a bird that has a touch of attitude and they wont let me import cassowaries. I have been around Emu's and they are pretty good birds. better than ostriches by a long shot. at least emu's remember you.

[Mrleft8]

RE:"Silvie".
That "toes curled under" thing could be a condition known as Bumblefoot. It's a viral infection, extemely contagious, (to chickens) and very debillitating.

[botebum]

Our front garden(1/3 acre)


3 half rows of corn top right


Sweet Banana peppers


Jalapenos


18 Better Boy and 36 Roma tomato plants


Broccoli


continued

Doug

[botebum]

4 Habanero plants


110 Crimson Sweet Watermelon hills in back 1/3 acre


4 Bantam/full size chicks


Quatro- black muscovy drake


Lightning, our Dominique rooster


Thunder, our Barred Rock/? mix rooster


continued

Doug

[botebum]

A few of our 16 layers(mostly RIR)




Annie(as in Little Orphan Annie) who thinks she's a chicken


Our mixed bantam hen. Mother to the four mix chicks.


2 potted Cherry tomato plants to keep Scooter from sneaking into the garden and munching.


Doug

[2MeterTroll]

Doug you make me wince looking at your garden with all that uncovered dirt.
I'll see if Erica will take pictures of ours today. As yet we have no livestock (thankfully) i think a couple sheep are in the offing, mostly cause we dont want to mow. this summer we have a .7 AC wet land going in to handle the runoff from the developments we are surrounded by. so our livestock will i am sure come along in time.

[botebum]

Last year we planted more than we could handle so I tried something new. I left alleys that I could get the lawn tractor through with either the mini disc or the harrow to help keep the weeds down. As you can see in a couple pics, I goofed in one row and the grass/weeds are going crazy. I haven't been able to get down through with a hoe and knock them out because of the rain lately. The alleys get pretty muddy. So far I like the way it's working out and the plants are producing as expected. We're sort of stuck between farming it in a commercial manner and a "normal" family garden. Too small for one and too big for the other.

Doug

[TerryLL]

Our little back yard garden and patio.



Herbs and garlic.

[huisjen]

Great thread. I'm going to have to refer back to it when I need pictures like this shown to me in January and February. I'll try to contribute soon.

Dan

[2MeterTroll]

we still have a small plot. we live on a hill so any uncovered soil just ends up in the creek. folks in the bottoms can get away with it.

fella i know gave me a trick for clearing out grass and such where i dont want it.
sprinkle the place you want cleared with soybean meal and a cup per gallon mix of water and molasses then cover with card board and mulch.

it works pretty well. we have blackberries here that yo just cant get rid of and this does the trick.

[botebum]

Great for small plots 2MT. Wanna' try that with 2/3 acre? Me neither

Doug

[TimH]

Originally Posted by hansp77

They come up to your face, being taller than you, examine you as if you were a plate of food,

They make excellent watchdogs also. I heard a story about an auto wrecking yard that went through Dobermans, Rottweilers, etc but couldnt prevent robberies until they got an ostrich.

[J P]

Originally Posted by 2MeterTroll

fella i know gave me a trick for clearing out grass and such where i dont want it.
sprinkle the place you want cleared with soybean meal and a cup per gallon mix of water and molasses then cover with card board and mulch.

I was just going to post a question about methods (non-chemical) for keeping quack grass from invading the edges of a garden. Will this work? I just put in a new ~1000 sq. ft. garden space and I know I'll be fighting the surrounding grass. Any other ideas?

Must be nice having a longer growing season. It frosted here last week but I'd bet that was the last one. Only get about 100 days frost free here. Fencing and planting this weekend.

Doug, no fence? Don't you have deer there? If I planted a freakin knapweed in the middle of all the other freakin knapweed they'd eat the one I planted. I like venison but I like my vegetables too, damit.

[huisjen]

J P, you need one of these:



Dan

[botebum]

We haven't seen deer here since before we bought the place. Three days after we closed the guy behind us clear cut the fourteen acres that borders us. So much for our buffer and shooting deer in the back field. Now we have a loverly view of his equipment barn. He planted pines back there so in a few years the deer may return.

Doug

[huisjen]

If he's got an equipment shed then there may be a Deere to shoot at after all. Keep your eyes open.

Dan

[botebum]

Originally Posted by huisjen

If he's got an equipment shed then there may be a Deere to shoot at after all. Keep your eyes open.

Dan

If you've got time to be a smart aleck then you've got time to post pics of your place Dan

Doug

[2MeterTroll]

Originally Posted by J P

I was just going to post a question about methods (non-chemical) for keeping quack grass from invading the edges of a garden. Will this work? I just put in a new ~1000 sq. ft. garden space and I know I'll be fighting the surrounding grass. Any other ideas?

yep it works well on the edges gives you a nice path to walk as well.
way i understand it is the soy and molasses gives the bacteria, yeasts and other stuff an good food source and a jump population that allows them to eat up the roots and such. our test patch is totally clear of anything growing under the cardboard. after a year and we have been using it to rid ourselves of blackberries as i said.

[botebum]

Originally Posted by 2MeterTroll

we have been using it to rid ourselves of blackberries

A couple young'uns makes quick work of that around here although they tend to leave the plant in tact

Doug

[2MeterTroll]

LOL we have the same thing. wish they would actually eat the plant
it is seldome cold enough to make the blackberries drop leaves here so the growing season is all year round. with flowers in the spring.
so our thickets have a tendency to grow very fast and large kinda like Kudzue.

[botebum]

A couple goats maybe?

Doug

[TomF]

I remember what I swear were sentient, homicidally vicious blackberry patches in various places 'round Vancouver. Braved only on account of the wonderful blackberry wine made by the survivors.

I lived in a flat above my now-wife, in grad school. I owe our first real conversation to such a blackberry patch ... woke her up by corking a batch of bottles in the middle of the night.

[2MeterTroll]

like many things goats have preferences; some like black berry and others dont. folks who have blackberry loving goats tend to hold onto them. we also have P,oak and it seems that goats that like blackberry also tend to like p,oak so you would have to basically rent the goat for the year or kill the goat herd; to get the goat for long enough to do any good.

so we use the hack and slash method then cover with soymeal, molasses, cardboard
and chip mulch. its working rather well. we reclaimed our grapes from 50 years of black berry canes.

[2MeterTroll]

Originally Posted by Tinman

This photo shows you everything you need to know about how I feel about gardens and livestock. I am the good lookin one on the right.

musta cut off part of the picture
Looks like a nice place there Tinman

[Captain Intrepid]

Our right, or the photo right?

I like the looks of the building in the background. Any chance for more pics?

[J P]

Originally Posted by huisjen

J P, you need one of these:
Dan

I certainly do! Been following that. Maybe a project for next year.

[TimmS]

A question for you gardener types: Asparagus is thriving here this spring......how long can I keep cutting the shoots? Doesn't it need to grow out, bloom, do some photosynthesis at some point?

[katey]

Stop cutting asparagus when the size of the shoots starts to go down. That's a sign that you're wearing out the plants, so at that point you leave them to recover for next year. They wouldn't mind a little fertilizer, and they hate being covered with weeds.

[paladin]

That's a big antenna you have back there....whatzit used for?

[pipefitter]

I planted some Muscadine grapes because I like them. Specifically, the bronze (Scuppernong) variety. I have, Southern Dixie Sweet, Carlos, Red Dixie, Magnolia, Black Jumbo and Tara. They are reportedly high in antioxidants and resveratrol(higher than many fruits if not one of the highest) and are disease and insect resistant which is a big plus here in Florida.







Everything else I got a 1-2 month late start on but was told to plant anyway to test the soil and sunlight etc for the better cool season here which is equal to the rest of the country warm season. Here is my Italian green beans which do well to ever make it into the house because they are delicious raw.





Being as the ground here is tree roots galore, I don't have much sunny space until I can move the boat. There is 3 watermelon vines at the end (left) of the above beds that can travel over the ground where nothing else can grow. Same story with the grapes.

[pipefitter]

Being as I have such problematic soil and conditions, I am trying out a couple of these earthboxes.

Here is one box with two brandywine tomato plants that have gone crazy, in spite of being beat down several times by 2 weeks straight of heavy rain with next to no sun.


Here's an E-box with two cantaloupes with room for two more. Again, growing quite well considering the pounding we have had with the rain.


And here is two heirloom tomatoes grown in containers with the biochar soil with no additional fertilizer. The e-box tomatoes had a 2 week head start and right now, they are nearly identical in size and health with the biochar plants having flowers a week ahead of the e-box plants.



Here, a garden friend supposedly but I have to wonder about such because this could also be taken as that there is plenty of unfriendly pests for them to eat.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l3...Picture001.jpg

[I, Rowboat]

For the first time in 6 years, no garden, plus all of my bees died over the winter. We've moved into a rental in order to sell the current house in order to afford to build the new house on the 5 acres we bought in 2006. Once we're into the new place we'll have a big garden, chickens, goats, etc.
In the meantime, at least I can row the Shellback over to the Kingston Marina and pick up the week's veggies at the farmer's market. Plus we've got lots of friends with too much lettuce, apples, potatoes, etc. and I can barter for much of that.

[huisjen]

Originally Posted by Tinman

This photo shows you everything you need to know about how I feel about gardens and livestock. I am the good lookin one on the right.

Black suits you.

Dan