It's Easy Being Green

If you are considering adding a flock of “spring chickens” to your backyard this year but are fearful of them destroying your garden, there is a new book out that might alleviate your fears. Free Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful Chicken Friendly Yard by Jessi Bloom is just out in print and tackles the very fear that keeps so many from the enjoyment of raising their own backyard flock.

Along with providing you with fresh eggs, chickens can provide your garden with some nutrient-rich manure to help your garden really grow! You can also make plant selections for your garden that will benefit your feathered friends too. Bloom, a landscape architect by trade, covers several topics including chicken-keeping basics, simple garden plans to get you started, tips on attractive fencing options, the best plants and plants to avoid, and step-by-step instructions for getting your chicken garden up and running.

The photography throughout the book is wonderful, profiling several different gardens that also happen to house a flock of backyard birds. For anyone who wants a fabulous garden where colorful chickens happily roam, Free-Range Chicken Gardens is the guide that will bring the dream home to roost.

Get your chicken garden started off on the right foot by entering the publisher’s contest. Just head to their contest entry page but hurry, the deadline to enter is tomorrow, February 17th, 2012. Timber Press is giving away the following:

• $50 gift card for chicken feed or supplies from McMurray Hatchery
• One chicken coop plan from The Garden Coop (a $20 value)
• 1 lb. of organic chicken forage blend and seeds for chicken-friendly plants from Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply (a $20 value)
• A copy of Free-Range Chicken Gardens