A Chicken Chat with Chef Gale Gand
Below is the conversation Gale and I had about the joy of backyard chickens. Gale and I met in a FB Group conversation when she shared her chicken therapy story and how having fresh eggs has been fun for her as a chef. This past year of the pandemic has opened so many homes to the joy of raising chickens. I would love to hear how chickens have changed your life! @storeysinthedirt
Check out what Gale is up to on FB @chefgalegand
Manifesting soil for the garden
Manifesting soil is not quick but I can see the results! Whaaallaa! It only took two years. But did it have to take so long? Not necessarily. I could have brought in compost, however, my concern with bringing in compost is, what is it made of? Is the compost made with Non-GMO or organic by-products? Are the grass or tree cutting full of fertilizers, or pesticides or herbicides? When I think of the food products going to the compost companies, I think of all the chemicals produce may have been exposed to. Beyond the Glysophate or Roundup, synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, what about the preservation sprays on fruits and veggies these days? I’m not a chemist, but the more I learn about these products, the more I question them.
Bearing this in mind, I opted for the long road. Two years ago, I purchased some chickens. They were all free-ranging chickens at one time. The first year, I experimented with the deep litter method in the coop. This method is now a key component of my composting system. With over 100 chickens free, they were fertilizing everywhere…it was a bit much. So I put most of the birds into tractors. About twenty birds and the six ducks continue to free-range and add to the deep litter.
The first batch of partially decomposed litter was spread over my first test area adjacent to a non treated area of equal size. Within four months the area which was composted was thick with lush happy plants; No signs of nutrient deficiency. The adjacent area was browning do the lack of rain. The plants were smaller and showing signs of distress and malnutrition. When I pulled back the composted plants, I could see black crumbles between the blades and stems. You guessed it, worm castings, the worms had come to eat the composting manure, straw, hay, grass cutting and pine needles.
Seeing the results, last September, I mowed the area short. Easy enough on the side not composted, but a real chore on the composted area. Even though we had not received rain in weeks, the field here was wet, like clog the mower, constantly, wet. This gave me confidence. So after, I cut the grass back, I applied my next batch of litter and compost materials to both sides. Added my some rock dust and tarped both sides of the bed. A 50 x 100 area, which will be planted with veggies this year.
Below, on the left, you can see what the ground looked like two years ago. This picture was taken recently just outside the tarped bed. On the right, you can see what it looks like under the tarp. I have a long way to go still, but I have confidence that I can now plant a garden with a much higher chance of providing healthy plants and nutrient-dense food to my family.
Happy Gardening!
