pasture mix, what do you think? *updated, pics*

I bought several pounds of seed. it is going to be used in my sheep pastures but I was hoping I could set up a patch to harvest from for the rabbits. I would like to hear what you all think before doing this though.

chicory
medium red clover
white ladino clover
alsike clover
field peas
BOSS
buckwheat

I am not going to worry over changing them over to no pellets right now. too much going on for that right now. but I do want to feed a lot of forage through the time that things are still growing.

this would be a small-ish area and probably harvested in sections to help spread out when it is fed, and not just armloads over two days and then no harvest from it for another month.

I know I will need to watch and not overdo things with the clovers.

any thoughts or suggestions?


I am also going to be planting:
4 kinds of squash
sunflowers
2 kinds of beets
arugula
mustard
3 kinds of radishes
2 kind of carrots

and if I can manage to get things done and get to it in time I have more than a pound of indian corn. for feeding green plants and keeping back some corn to play around with using myself and the sheep.

*curiously watches this thread*

This bank is along the sheep's paddock #1 fence. Here will probably be planted with 2 kinds of squash and mammoth sunflowers.


This bank is opposite and will be planted with the 'cover crop mix' of the 3 clovers and chicory, plus a good amount of field peas, buckwheat, dandelion, arugula, mustard. Mainly decided this because the way it is facing the sunflowers planted on this bank would shade the other bank and I don't want that.


Yet to be determined spot will be making a raised bed shaped with old hay bales, and piling it up with goat barn cleanout, topped with soil, and mulched. this will probably be done about 2ft wide and long as I can manage for the spot I end up with.
This will be planted with the carrots, beets, radishes, and one kind of squash.
Maybe doing some sheet mulching along the creek, piling it with goat barn cleanout, and planting the last kind of squash there.

Then I have a small area up near the barn that I took some barn cleanout, covered it with the poop pile from under the rabbit cages, and topped it with a little dirt. this is probably going to have marigolds. I got two cheap packets and two big packets of a lovely heirloom variety. these will go to a pinch of feeding the rabbits but mainly collecting the flowers for dying. (I have threads on my spinning and going to be making a separate one for my sheep.)

Then I have a bag of strawberry roots that I bought. need to have a good spot for these and get them fenced over. deer will chow these down in seconds! And being in Virginia I know I *can* grow strawberries! I just need to do a bit of deer proofing to get them here I should think. Probably down in the yard area in the flower bed near the cotton plants. possibly...
Not rabbit related, I am trying to grow two varieties of cotton. So that will be fun.

If I can manage to get all this done I do have all that indian corn and tons of pumpkin seeds I had saved. If I can get everything else ready to go I might be able to swing it.

Have I mentioned that I need like ten of me?
This isn't even to mention the roll of fence and posts I need up, finding a spot for the rabbit cage colony to go and building it, digging at least 60ft of swales and berms plus planting them, and finding a time to get over to the 'sheep lady' house to pick up some more ewes before she sells off a bunch of good ewes I may want!
......Ya nevermind that I need thirty of me! Hahaha!

wow! you've got alot on you plate. The deer mix should be fine for rabbits.

Can you tell more about the cotton?

Did I read that right? Virginiagoatgirl now? What part of Virginia?

thanks. ya I bought the clover and all (top part of stuff listed in original post) all for seeding the sheep paddocks as I get things in and going. but right now I am not going to seed as much area as originally thought and wont hurt anything to use some for this and buy more later.

Marinea I am back in Ohio actually. Things didn't work out down there. some darn expensive housing! couldn't make things work but moved back and have plenty here that I am trying to make work now.
When I was living down there though I was near Charlottesville, VA.

Alforddm I will have to get back to you on the cotton, I am pooped! long day starting with all morning and afternoon at auction then afternoon and evening moving my sister into her new apartment. just got home at 11pm. rabbitosis runs deep and I couldn't pass up checking in real quick before heading to bed.

__________ Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:03 pm __________

The cotton is two varieties. I bought seeds from rareseed.com, really awesome seed company. I got Nankeen Brown which is regular green plant, white flower, tan/brown colored cotton. Then I got Red Foliated which is going to be a neat deep red plant, hot pink flower, and white cotton. I am really excited to see how they do. I have them started in the window. It is quite long season plant. I lost a few seedlings and hoping that they all pull through right now from transplanting into bigger pots. If I do cotton again I will just plant them into these bigger size starter pots because they grow quick.

Then I have two seed I had gotten from a plant that someone brought to the fall festival from the spinners and weavers guild I am in. those seeds are also planted in the window. one plant is getting quite big already. I thought the second seed just wasn't viable but I have a couple tiny first leaves that just popped up a day ago. so will see if it is cotton too or something else I accidently dropped in.

I am doing sprout tests on the indian corn. some of it might be old as 5 years ago I bought it. some of it was bought 3 years ago. Some of it was saved from a couple cobs I got from someone that grew a bunch from seed I gave them. the first test batch has sprouted 10 out of 10! got two more test batch planted in tiny pots. I also am sprout testing the mammoth sunflower seed that I have tons saved from 3 years ago.