Sweet Pea Question

[GardenGeisha]

So lucky, I don't clean off the vines in the winter. I just leave them there. I figure it gives the new vines the following spring even more to catch on and twine around. When the new growth emerges it covers up the old. Some people may not like the looks of it in winter, but I think it adds winter interest. Oh, well. I'm a crazy cat and chicken lady who lives in a haunted house, surrounded by the Garden of Love, to hear some tell it. Ha!

 

[GardenGeisha]

Mama Chicken,

Thanks for the sweet pea info. In the past the chickens have left my sweet pea vines alone, but as someone suggested, boredom may be the problem with them being confined this year, rather than free-ranging. I've just had too many close encounters of the wrong kind with dogs (a Husky and 2 yappies) recently that have scared me silly, plus now that I have a pet rooster who might peck visiting children, there are too many potential problems with letting them out. So if the peas are the only greenery in site, other than the leafy greens I hand feed them, they may be tempted to eat them.

They have eaten the grape hyacinths that were growing in the area the new run was built around, and those are supposed to be poisonous to chickens, but they show no ill effects from eating them. They've also mowed my garlic chives that are in the area. I'd like to plant them a huge garden in this run, but I'm afraid nothing would make it to maturity. Any ideas on what I could plant that wouldn't be too expensive to resow that they would really enjoy? Someone suggested oat grass, the kinds that cats like that is often labeled as cat grass in stores. They said it grows fast.

Did I tell you the chickens ate the lilac buds off one of my 2 lilac bushes? Luckily, the other one was harder for them to get to. Last year they ate my beautiful white irises, which are also supposed to be poisonous.

They have destroyed at least 3 baby Roses of Sharon that I had set out by their run for shade, before we expanded the run, which gave the chickens easier access to the ROS starts.

 

[ducks4you]

Try planting wild bird seed, like the ones that have a lot of millet and sunflowers. They will create shade, and aren't toxic to your birds, just just won't vine.