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Garden Gate:  Chickens and Ripe Tomatoes...  |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 19 2009 : 10:07:35 AM
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that is so not a good combo, ya'll. I went out just now to get some tomatoes and saw several nice pretty red ripe ones. And each and every one had a nice little hole from my cute little garden chickies that look so cute and innocent out there running around chasing bugs. So I took the ones that are semi-ripe and hopefully they will be good later.
Darned ole chickens! And here I was thinking what a good job they're doing out there in the garden eating all those bad ole bugs and this whole time they're pecking little holes in every ripe tomato out there. Not eating the whole thing, mind you. Just a peck here and a peck there. Here a peck, there a peck...Darned ole chickens!
Oh well, it all balances out somehow, doesn't it? I got a nice little basket of tomatoes, some cucumbers, some squash and zuc and 4 big ears of Hickory King corn. So with the field peas I got the other day we'll have us a nice little country dinner today! Yummo.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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quiltin mama
True Blue Farmgirl
436 Posts
Heather
Crescent City
CA
USA
436 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2009 : 10:16:06 AM
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Garden chickens?? Wow, where do you find those? :) All my hens would do is DESTROY the garden. More like destroyer chickens. That's why our garden is fenced. You're a gracious chicken owner to allow them in there! :) Sounds like you got a bunch of good stuff.
I really am so jealous of you ladies that already have such a good harvest. The fog here is killing me!
You can visit my blog at www.mountainhomequilts.blogspot.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2009 : 11:21:10 AM
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But Heather, you're in California, the land where anything can grow. What's up with all the fog? I'd love to share all my stuff with you if you weren't so far. What have you got so far in your garden?
I have a momma hen with 7 chicks that like to stay over in the one garden. And then some of the Buff's like to go in there, too and take an afternoon siesta under the big wild monster rose bush. They scared me to death when I first saw them all under it. I did not expect to see anything moving. But they are all so cute running after big bugs I just gotta love 'em. So what if I only get a few tomatoes at a time. They are just too cute. Ha! I also have guineas that like the other garden. I can hardly see them out there, the weeds are so tall. Just their ugly little white heads bobbing up and down. They are good in the garden, though.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2009 : 4:52:44 PM
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My gardens are also fenced, but I have one dog, if he spys any tomato turning the slightest color other then green, he will sneak in and very carefully pinch it off with his teeth and go lay down in the shade and eat it.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2009 : 5:30:47 PM
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My mom's dog used to pick peaches off their tree...he would climb up the low branches (it was an old tree that forked down low and wasn't very tall...a short squat tree...and he would get all he could reach.
I let my hens out usually in Sept to roam the garden, when things are big and sturdy, but only if I am out there to monitor them...they WILL eat the tomatoes. We had a bad problem with grasshoppers last year..and they are back, but smaller this year...so the hens may come out sooner..with a monitor in charge.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 03:45:09 AM
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This may be the first year our garden does not go the way of the chicken.
We run 2 bantam groups that soe whatever reason don't forage in it. Hey, that;s fine. The larger adults however have been in chickie lockdown since late spring. We bought 165 feet of chicken wire and fenced them in. Oh, they still free range, just not in the garden!
We'll also let everyone back out when all of Summer's harvest is complete
But yes, we went through the same thing...big, beautiful tomatoes on one side, the the other half eaten! AAAAAGH! |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 04:54:02 AM
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I went out last night and picked all the almost ripe ones. There were quite a lot of them. There were some Buffs standing around looking at them while I was picking. It seems to me they are ripening really fast. I was just out that morning and picked what I saw then.
It would take too long and cost too much for me to put fence just around the tomatoes. They would fly over anyway. So I guess I'll just do it this way.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 07:48:32 AM
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It seems there are a lot of real pretty pics of gardens and a chicken or two in the garden magazines. I always wondered how they kept the chickens from distroying the garden. I think they put them there just for the pic. They are probably tied down.
My garden is not fenced but the chickens are. I like to let them out in the winter to let them scratch around but when it comes time to plant the garden, I can't keep them from flying over the fence to get to the garden. Then we have to clip their wings. Once they know what "out" is, that is where they want.
Belle |
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quiltin mama
True Blue Farmgirl
436 Posts
Heather
Crescent City
CA
USA
436 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 1:46:59 PM
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"But Heather, you're in California, the land where anything can grow. What's up with all the fog? I'd love to share all my stuff with you if you weren't so far. What have you got so far in your garden?"
That's funny! I've never heard California called that! :) We have fog because we're on the coast. So far we've harvested peas, lettuce and artichokes. The broccoli is coming on and should be ready in a week or so. But our beans, corn, tomatoes, onions, and potatoes are not ready yet. Some of them aren't even close to ready. We won't be getting corn until probably the middle to end of August. But that's normal for us here.
my blog www.mountainhomequilts.blogspot.com
handmade quilts on etsy www.mountainhomequilts.etsy.com |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 03:33:31 AM
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Yup.
We clip wings too
Not all the ladies fly over...just a few bad girls. |
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Garden Gate: Chickens and Ripe Tomatoes... |
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Chickens and Ripe Tomatoes...
