Chicken Food for Free. Fabulous Forage 4. Roses - Forest Gardening & Feeding the Flock

When we started to think about creating a forest garden, from the canopy to the ground cover, my first thought was for roses. I love them and I always dreamed of creating a space that would be full of perfume, colour and fruit, so the old-fashioned pre-1950s and by no coincidence French roses, were the ones I sought. Ironically, in the 1990s, when we really started the major plantings, France was the last place they could be found. Again I had recourse, as with the hedging, to the trusty BMW tourer and again it is surprising how many bare rooted rose bushes you can strap onto the back of a motorbike. There is an accompanying film at the end of this article.

Creating The Carpentry For The Canopy

Twenty-five years ago a customs certificate was required to transport roses from the UK to France and so we arrived with a garden's worth of rose bushes. The basis of this was 'The Empress Joséphine Collection' from Peter Beales of Norfolk, who have an impressive range of ancient roses. Coals to Newcastle it might have been but France was still gripped in her own particular version of what I call Wheatcroft fever. The roses above, offspring of Sir Cedric Morris and/or Rosa filipes 'Kiftsgate', self-set from seed, are a fine example of what happens when your forest garden, poultry and wild birds work in synergy. We have examples of self-set roses all over the garden and cuttings I have taken, for example this one (left), which at last estimation is creating a canopy of over 81m² (900 square feet).

Himalayan climbing roses such as Rosa filipes 'Kiftsgate' (right) and the double

flowered 'Rambling Rector' (above) seen here growing through the Bourbon rose Zigeuner Knabe in our ad hoc flower border, are ideal for forest gardens because they need space and freedom to develop. It is said that Rosa filipes will cover everything in its path and indeed it has curved thorns, which act like hooks, allowing it to ramble freely.  Here it can be seen climbing over 8m (26 ft) into our walnut tree. These roses are essentially classed as 'wild' and usually flower once around late June/July/August. Technically, after creating the carpentry over the first few years, the good gardener should thereafter remove all old flowering stems at ground level, immediately after the petals have dropped. This allows for new canes to develop for the following year. However, if I had followed this advice, not only would I have lost a glorious canopy but also the decorative, delicious and useful fruit which feeds us all, wild birds included, throughout the Winter.

Himalayan Climbing Roses are prolific fruiters and make excellent rose hip syrup too!

 

From Canopy To Ground Cover Old Roses Have It All

Antique roses come in a minimalist palette of  rich reds, golds and purples, delicate pinks, creams, primroses, lavenders and whites. They also have an incredible depth of perfume, some with fragrant leaves and a relatively short but glorious flowering season. Even so, here in France we often get a secondary or remontant flush of blossoms in the late Autumn. These roses also have a fantastic crop of fruit, from the large and highly prized hips of the Rugosas (above) to the delicate but prolific harvest from the Himalayan climbers. Old roses are better viewed in situ, with their short stemmed nodding heads, they will fill the garden with fragrance and colour. In hot weather, their scent is breathtaking and as an extra dimension, the colours of certain varieties change with the barometer. Paul's Lemon Pillar below a 1915 Hybrid Tea makes a beautiful and useful addition to our beech hedging, adding dessert to the salad, with its succulent perfumed petals.

Autre temps autre moeurs, after the Second World War came a whole new fashion for crazy coloured, long stemmed  roses that flowered repeatedly. They produced limited or no fruit, often had little scent and above all could be viewed in a vase besides the television rather than out in the garden. The fashion for smaller gardens, non-productive spaces mostly put down to lawns, the availability of imported citrus to cover Vitamin C requirements, the passion for flower arranging, particularly reflected the zeitgeist of post rationing 1954 Britain. Enter also a whole new breed of growers such as the aforementioned Harry Wheatcroft to champion the highly coloured modern Hybrid Tea and the upright, restricted growth of Floribundas. Added to the mix were the contemporary flower arrangers such as Constance Spry, who demanded uniform blooms that would look good for longer in a vase. Food forest gardening changed all that, witnessing that even within a smaller space in which to plant than the dedicated rosariums and wildernesses of old, largesse and luxurious growth could not only be accommodated but celebrated.

From left clockwise: Mme Alfred Carrière, Guinée, Roserie de l’Haÿ, Zigeuner Knabe and Othello

Madame Alfred Carrière

Meg Merrilies

Although many but not all ancient rose varieties may flower only once in a twelvemonth, if you plan your garden well you will have blooms all year round. Some individual old roses, such as my well-established cutting of the Noisette climber, Madame Alfred Carrière from 1879, will repeat bloom even throughout the Winter months. You can see that our  Roserie de l’Haÿ,  a Rugosa from 1910 is just over its first flowering of the season. Above it, the beautiful deep crimson of Guinée, a Hybrid Tea climber from 1938, is just coming into flower, as is David Austin's, Othello and Zigeuner Knabe, with intertwined Rambling Rector not yet in view. Similarly Rosa rubiginosa 'Meg Merrilies', (photo below and right) a wild rose introduced in 1899, is here seen in full flower, whilst another self-set white wild rose, parentage Rosa filipes 'Kiftsgate' and Sir Cedric Morris (foreground) is still tightly in bud.

 

Roses As Food For Humans And Birds

Shady Lady - Big Cuckoo sneaking a bloom

Apart from the beauty and joy they provide, a rose is such a suitable forest garden plant because its food value extends to the Autumn and Winter months and if you plan it carefully, can start producing petals and leaves from very early Spring onwards. Parson's Pink or Old Blush China, from 1752 is a rose celebrated by Thomas Moore in his poem 'The Last Rose Of Summer'. I have had it flowering here in December. The wild rose Canary Bird, we've had flowering in February. The other additional resource is the David Austin collection of Roses, a grower who started in the 1950's to create a quintessential English Rose, which would have both the beauty and charm of the old roses but with the repeat flowering and cut flower requirements of the post war gardeners. The idea with roses is that our birds should wait until the petals fall but try telling that to a mother hen with many hungry mouths to feed, a whole Gloire du Dijon bloom is a tasty lunch for twelve!

As far as the leaves are concerned my poultry seem to prefer, those of the Alba/Noisette rose from 1835, Mme Plantier, (below) probably because it produces a fine crop of delicate, delicious looking leaves at the beginning of the flowering season on stems, which unlike most old roses are virtually thornless.

In the main and although all my birds eat rose petals, it seems to be a particular delicacy given by Mother hens to their chicks. As for the fruit or hips, not only are they highly prized but my chickens seem to have their own individual preferences for how to eat them.

 

Here's the film:

Snacking on rose hips

In the next article link below I will be looking in detail at the nutritional and medicinal value of rose petals and with some more suggestions on varieties.

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie! Sue

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©  Sue Cross 2016

Organic Poultry in a Food Forest Garden - Free Food - Forage Part 1 Grass

For centuries both farmers and smallholders/homesteaders alike raised poultry on a forage-based diet supplemented only by a handful of grain and the occasional table scraps. This meant that rather than feed their fowls, farmers expected poultry to find their own food. This is something very dear to my heart as having observed our own flocks, I am convinced that they know more about their optimum nutrition then we ever will.

Our farm during WWII with Landgirls feeding table scraps

At the onset of the the 20th century with the increase in the size and density of commercial poultry flocks and the resultant decrease in space available per bird, poultry diets followed that of the captive urban human population and changed to an almost exclusively grain-based one. It was due to the success of the commercialisation of this ready-made feed that many smallholders and homesteaders followed suit, even though their own flock density did not warrant this. It is only in the last few decades that we have rediscovered the necessity for forage, not only as a highly nutritious and optimum foodstuff for birds but also in its role in providing roughage for both digestion and the maintenance of healthy gut flora. As with humans, my tenet is that good nutrition is crucial for the function of the immune system and thus the prevention of disease. In fact recent medical research has shown that there is a direct link between the gut microbes, the brain and the immune system.

How Hens Forage

It is extremely interesting to observe my poultry when put out into an open space, such as a field, to forage, which was something offered to me by a neighbour with an unused meadow. With one or two exceptions they were very unhappy on the occasions we tried it. This is supported by much anecdotal and academic research, showing that in a strip grazing or chicken tractor system, birds prefer to forage near to the chicken coop or hen house, where they feel safer and out of range of predators. For my hens the situation is more acute, as they are used to a forest environment. When I free-range my quail out in the meadow, I need to leave an area of long grass, in which they can run and hide and/or forage in peace.

The length of grass is also important from the point of view of both nutrition and choice, it should be short and juicy. As with cattle, the optimum nutrition from grasses is before they go to seed, thus in the early months of the year. There is of course also the secondary but equally important nutritional value from pasture, in particular in an old-fashioned meadow, in that it provides a home to a whole host of invertebrates. I find it interesting, given the synergy between many of  the micronutrients, that grass provides most of the fat soluble vitamins and some of the water soluble ones and invertebrates the remaining water soluble ones. So with the exception of vitamin D3, which they will get whilst roaming about in the sunlight, pasture provides poultry with the ultimate 'free' meal.

There is also the question of when hens forage and it is true that whenever I bring in the cut grass, it very much depends on the time of day as to whether my hens begin to eat at once or, whether they just lie about on this nice soft carpet of greenery. Several studies I have read reveal that hens prefer to consume grass and greenery either in the early morning or in the few hours prior to going to roost. The latter, it is believed,  gives them the optimum length of time in which to digest the plant material. As the stalks and woody parts of the stems are used both to create bacteria for optimum gut flora and control digestion, this seems logical. 

Hybrid versus Heritage versus Types of Poultry

Most people who raise geese and ducks on pasture are aware not only that this is one of the most healthy ways to raise birds but as we are what we eat, that these are also two of  the healthiest forms of meat. Geese in particular can get virtually all their nutritional requirements from grazing. With chickens however, there seems to be distinct differences in conversion rates of nutrition from forage between both breed and sexes. Studies I have looked at show the heritage hens coming out on top of the charts and with hybrid cockerels at the bottom. The greatest of all poultry foragers to my mind is the turkey and a bird I would love to keep, not only out of nostalgia (as seen here with my Grandma and Great Aunt) but also because I find them fascinating. 

Nutritional Value of Forage

One of the main reasons for feeding forage is that it has always been known to have a high level of both vitamins and minerals.

Fat soluble vitamins - A, E and K
Water soluble vitamins -  B2, B5, B6, B7 B9 and C
Water soluble vitamins in invertebrates (found in forage) - B1, B3 and B12

Minerals - as already expressed above, forage is mineral-rich, including bioavailable forms of calcium.

Protein - One of the greatest deficiencies in grain-fed birds is that of the amino acid methionine - a personal favourite of mine and one, which if deficient will cause a whole host of physical, nervous system and behavioural problems. My years of keeping quail have taught me the necessity of this protein and how it is actually craved by quail and chickens alike. The protein level in forage changes with type, thus the higher the levels of clovers and other legumes, the higher the amount of amino acids. However, wild invertebrates are methionine-rich and thus even legume-poor forage can provide these in abundance. If you are intending to grow your own forage then you might want to research this even further as there are differences even between the types of clovers, for example and their value in and digestibility of, three of the most important amino acids Lysine, Methionine and Cystine.

Fats - Omega-3, a fatty acid important for immune system support and thus the prevention of disease

Organic Pigments - Carotenoids, these are free-radical scavengers, which give protection from diseases such as cancer and are also, like beta carotene, important for the overall health of the eyes.

Digestible Fibre - an excellent foodstuff for beneficial gut bacteria, furthermore as the fibre ferments it lowers the pH and is believed to create a difficult environment for certain pathogens.

Indigestible Fibre - Helps in the absorption of water, particularly in the large intestine  and also aids the bird to control the digestive process by slowing down the passage of foodstuffs.

In conclusion 

Bringing grass in to a forest garden would seem to give my hens the best of both worlds. It gives them a safe environment in which to consume forage and as it is mown, it is at optimum length. Coming from a meadow rather than a lawn it has a good mix of grasses, legumes and wild flowering plants and it will also contain a certain amount of invertebrate life. This however, will be minimal in relation to the amount of woodlice, earwigs etc, which will be drawn to and proliferate in the remaining 'mulch' as it dries out. The grass also provides a soft and relaxing bed on which to stretch out in the sun. However, we spread an equal amount of the clippings under the bushes and shrubs, where it will remain green until such times of the day the chickens are ready to consume it. This way, kept in the shade it also remains fresher and greener for longer.

Warning - Always make certain that if you obtaining forage from source other than your own land, that it is organically raised and within the letter and the spirit of that adverb. Also be careful if you are introducing a hen to cut grass, who has never had access to vegetation before, i.e. an ex batt, as she may stuff herself silly with it because she is so happy to get some real food at last!

...and now, if you'd like to, sit back and watch the film:

Thanks for dropping by and if you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it and also maybe about joining this blog. Please also feel free to ask questions or make comments in the section below.

All the very best,
Sue

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Food for Free. Fabulous Forage Part 4 Roses for Food & Forest

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©  Sue Cross 2015

Creating a food forest garden for ourselves, our poultry, wildlife and planet - Part One

The concept of a forest garden is nothing new, although the idea that this same bosky retreat could also feed you and your livestock, is. Philosophically this sort of planting was and is about revolt. Even the Victorians found escape in a 'wilderness garden', imbued with romanticism, freedom and in particular, the natural riotousness of the Gothic and the Picturesque. In tandem with contemporary literature of the same genres, these garden styles were diametrically opposed to an ideal of a rigidly structured and wholly captive industrial society. Sadly however,  these wildernesses smacked of artifice and deception, essentially to be viewed rather as a transitory dream of hope than any viable means to an escape. Conversely, in a food forest, we expect both to participate and partake, the little bird has slipped its bonds, as have the big bold Polish below.

So although the forest garden of today fulfils that same yearning for freedom and symbolic break-out from bean rows and carpet bedding, it also imbues the positive and proactive outcome of taking personal control of nutrition and health. In a forest garden we can be free to grow not only food  for the body (and soul) but also medicine, though I'm with Hippocrates on this, in that I judge the two as interchangeable.

Introduction, Influences and Unexpected Consequences

My favourite gardener, other than my grandfather, is Gertrude Jekyll, not always one to consult the genius loci but often, like most horticulturists, to enjoy putting her unique stamp upon the land, albeit a painterly and harmonious one. She, along with my grandfather, a professional and experimental gardener with whom I often worked as a gofer in school holidays, shared so many concepts for the planning of our garden.

In another case of clogs to clogs my grandfather started with a piece of rough pasture in which initially he grew fruit and vegetables. Over time he added an enclosing hedge, a wide walk and a Jekyll classic, a garden long, deep, perennial border (above top left). This accomplished, he threw caution to the winds and armed with a seed catalogue and knowledge of the exotic and tropical gardens in which he had worked, created a beautiful and magical place in which I spent so many happy hours picking fruit and trying to turn petals into perfume. I suppose he set me a challenge when I found this smaller and more derelict relic of an old inn yard, where presumably centuries of horses had been put out to grass before continuing their journey up the coast.

Miss Jekyll's idea of anathema in a garden was bare soil, a difficultly indeed when incorporating poultry into your plan.  This concept had been instilled into me at an early age, mainly  through my championing of the gardening aesthetic of my grandfather, as opposed to the monetary considerations of his clients. My countless visits to the plantsman to fetch 'just one more box of bedding plants'  ended only once we had purchased the exact amount my grandfather had calculated for in the first place. This taught me that bare soil not only looks ugly and unnatural but so do single plants and of all single plants 'bedding out' annuals are the most wretched. The idea of a forest garden to me, is to plant more and to plant closer together. Furthermore, to plant annuals only where they will reseed and form stronger and better plants in following years, as they time their own germination and grow accustomed and accordingly to native temperature and soil conditions.

Patches of wildflower annuals in clearings in a forest garden add a change in texture, colour and habitat for wildlife, these were actually resident poppies, we just protected them when young and then placed a low fence around them. When growing thickly like this chickens don't often launch themselves into the midst of an unknown planted area. Small chicks or quail may burrow through but with their small feet the damage is limited. To encourage insects, and thus wild birds you need to plant/seed with native  varieties or rather, as above, allow indigenous plant to recolonise your garden.  I used a lot of reference books in my initial choices and I've put links to some of them at the end of this article. However if you are reading this in the US and want to create a native 'wilderness' then Bringing Nature Home by Prof. Douglas W. Tallamy  gets good reviews and is also available in paperback and kindle for easy outdoor reading!

Miss Jekyll always advised on an initial building of what she called the 'carpentry' of a border or garden. This she did with architectural plants and I decided to do with a collection of one of my favourite food plants, the rose. This provides food and medicine, not only for us but also for the poultry and wild birds and also great beauty and nourishment for the soul. Roses, such as the Scotch briars, eglantines, or vigorous ramblers provide a most important dimension for a relatively small garden, height. On the arch (left) is Paul's Lemon Pillar, a climbing Hybrid Tea from 1915 .

and what heights!

Gertrude Jekyll believed it was far more difficult to create a natural garden than a formal one, something which might seem paradoxical. However, it is quite logical that to get a forest garden to work within the limitation of a small space, in our case a mere 1000 square metres, is quite an onerous task. It's comparatively simple to grow a kitchen garden made up of lines or squares of fruit, herbs and vegetables but to create a harmonious and productive 'wilderness' is a real challenge.


I must admit to not having the ruthlessness of neither Gertrude Jekyll nor my grandfather in my ability to prune and weed out overweening plants, I am so overcome with colour and beauty and in the case of roses, their delicious scent that I find it almost impossible to curtail them. The large white rose pictured above the previous paragraph was a cutting I made from either Kiftsgate or 'Sir Cedric Morris' and at the time I photographed it, some two years ago, it covered over 800 square feet. This rose creates a secondary canopy across the orchard and has a further dimension to sight and smell, in the incredible sound of honey bees.

The other basic carpentry we provided for our garden was in creating 'rooms' using hedges, mainly of beech and hornbeam. The garden was originally just a field with a cider apple orchard attached, everything was open and exposed and I wanted to create vistas and more intimate enclosed areas. This had the unexpected effect, when combined with the roses, of giving the poultry a point of departure when planning their territories, they actually use these 'lines' to define boundaries between the hen houses!  The picture on the left shows another aspect of the forest garden, in that it is self perpetuating. This rose walk is partly made up of self-set roses or rather the results of cross-pollination between our prolific various white rambler varieties and the resultant fruit-eating of birds.

The hedges were also planted to cut down erosion from the Westerly winds, which blow up from the sea and which can either dry up the clay soil in a hot Summer or cool it down significantly in the Spring. Even Winter in our garden is a couple of degrees warmer than the ambient, due to this planting. From our poultry's point of view, the hedges have multiple advantages. They have made it significantly difficult for airborne predators, provided welcome food (as in the beech leaf eaters below), given shelter and allowed valuable additional space in which our birds can move freely, preen, perch and even roost.

Hope you have enjoyed this peek into our garden. Join me next time when I'll look at specific ways we created this garden, unlike Gertrude Jekyll and Sir Edwin Lutyens, on a very tight budget!

If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it and also about joining this blog to be assured of new posts. Please also feel free to ask questions or make comments in the section below.

All the very best,

Sue

 

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© 2015 Sue Cross