Our unexpected garden, or as we like to call it our "Chicken Garden", has yielded an amazing amount of vegetables this growing season, and all without planting one single seed. We have harvested more than 40 zucchini, countless tomatoes with more on the way, corn (which goes back to the chickens), and some peppers, all of which are a product of composting and hard working chickens. So with the season winding down I can't help but wonder... can I reproduce this next year?
The truth is I can't think of a single reason why not!
Not only has this truly organic sustainable "non mechanically tilled" garden been bountiful beyond my wildest dreams, it has required no pre-thought, no preparation, and not one minute of my time prior to the season. And these are the biggest reasons (with my copious spare time leading the way) that I have not, up until this year's garden, had one of my own. Between tending to the chickens and any chicken related issues as well as house projects, I have always found it easier to leave the fresh organic local produce to the organic farm stand down the road from us. That is until now.
So as this year's summer crop ripens its last fruit and as Mother Nature changes her wardrobe from summer's many shades of green to the many fiery shades of autumn, I will do my best to do my part as I set the foundation for next year's chicken garden. I will move the coop back to its Fall/Winter location currently occupied by the garden, allowing the chickens to forage and naturally till the land. And with the coop of course will come this year's compost which has blanketed the bottom of the coop all spring and summer, and with it the seeds for next year's crop.
I admit there will be more preparation and forethought (on my part) this year going into next, but I can't help but think it will all be well worth it in the end!
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