Day 207
Our compost, coffee grounds, and chicken poop concoction worked wonders for most of the plants we planted. However, the incredibly successful plants also brought in lots of lovely guests we were not as excited to see. Some of our lettuce plants, broccoli, and kale became favorite spots for little wiggly white worms. Investigating them let us know we wanted them gone. Oddly enough, the way to get rid of them was to give them beer. Beer is something we usually have in ample supply. We made sure to give some of the lower quality beers to the caterpillars as we are staunchly against alcohol abuse. We also opted to regularly spray certain plants with neem oil to help keep unwanted guests away.
But the most prevalent unwanted visitor to our garden was the typical enemy of pretty much any garden: weeds. If you think our plants loved the chicken poop, the weeds loved it even more. The previous daily task of watering was replaced by an endless cycle of weeding. Early on, It was occasionally difficult to distinguish between the plants we wanted to thrive and the ones we wanted to avoid. After allowing some time for any and all plants to grow, it became a bit easier to figure out which plants were worth pulling.
But what do we do with them once they are picked? Simple.
Weeding and feeding.
After weeding the raised beds, we walked these “treats” down to the chickens. They didn't seem to care that these were throw away plants. Whether we threw them fresh fruit, scratch grains, or a pile of weeds, they responded the same. They bolted out of the barn and scurried over to where we were hoping to get some deliciousness to enjoy.
We too were excited for deliciousness. Zucchini turned into many delightful dishes. Raspberries were a sweet treat. Future tomatoes would turn into a ton of tasty options including tomato sauce and salsa.
We were excited to grow our own food for a minimal price. We hoped we would be able to do the same with our backyard. Our FMP was completed and approved. Now it was time to figure out what that meant.
