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The bottom of my garden has a collection of mixed fruit trees (most of which I planted last weekend), and the chicken house. I've planned the area under the trees to become a chicken forage area as the trees mature, but I'm not sure what to plant. Shrubs and so forth are fairly easy to research, but what about ground cover?

Given that shallow-rooted plants will compete with the trees, but the chooks will grub up any mulch in short order, I'm just not sure what to do. Unless anyone has any bright ideas, I'm thinking of using a mustard as green manure because the soil down there is quite poor.

If the soil is that poor, why not use something like tares or lupines, that also enriches the soil a bit (if the hens give it a chance...). Or a mixture of green manures. As you say, the chickens will grub it up soon enough!

I agree with Ina mate, a leguminous green manure would be the best idea.

Nev

Wombat wrote:I agree with Ina mate, a leguminous green manure would be the best idea.

Nev

That's what I meant to say, Nev - I just couldn't get the spelling of leguminous right!

Nitrogen boost, got it. Blue lupins look like a good bet... it says here "turn in before flowering" though, which seems a pity. I take it I can whack them down a few weeks into flowering as long as I get them before the seed sets? Also... there's about 100 sqm down there and I ain't digging that! Can I just scythe them off and let the elements are woims take care of it eventually?

Don't worry, I'm sure the hens will do the turning in for you! If you want to fence off bits for them anyway, why not let them clear some of the weeds first, then move them on to another bit, sow the cleared bit with something or other, etc.

G'DAy Hedgwiz,

You get the best effect when the vegetable matter is succulent, when the stuff flowers a lot of the good stuff gets used up to produce flowers and of course the seeds.

Considering the area, a scythe definitely sounds the way to go to me, it will be like forming a mulch! By leaving it on top in a heap it will be slower to breakdown and that may be good or bad. When you let a lot of organic matter like that to break down the bugs that handle the decomposition consume a lot of nitrogen in the process, so initaly you get a reduction in nitrogen. when the bugs die you get all that accumulated nitrogen released into the soil. That is why it is usually dug in - to get that effect quicker!

Nev

Again, I also agree with Ina, that is the easiest way to incorporate it. You might want to consider a chook tractor.

Nev

Chicken tractor... *smacks forehead* Why didn't I think of that? What a brilliant idea! Thanks a bunch, it's a plan!

No Worries mate, glad to be of service!

Nev