GUNIEAS in the garden

[Big Dave]

I guess I am just venting. Ispent a lot of time in my gardens. Bought gunieas to help cut down on the grasshoppers and or non essential bugs. Cayotes and foxes have gotten some and they are quite noisy. I have been quite prepared to lose some and the noise pollution BUT TODAY I took my okra plants out of the green house this week and transplanted them yesterday. They were fine last night. This morning they seemed like they were flat. Heat maybe? Putsome extra water as they my be needeing some I thought.
Coming in about 3 central time and what do I see but all the gunieas taking dirt baths in my orkra patch. . Life on the homestead. Ain't it great.

[Cliff]

Yep, they'll do that. They love soft bare dirt. They're less destructive in a mulched garden. Chickens are the opposite, they love to scratch up and destroy a mulched garden.

[RebelDigger]

Mine dirt bathed 100 strawberry plants to death. So, yeah gunieas are bad for a garden too. They also ate the leaves off all my mayflower beans.

[chewie]

my chickens destroyed my strawberry patch. so bummed. it wasn't that great to begin with, the dirt isn't good but the ones that are left have given me a few berries. just enough to tease!

[Callieslamb]

I love the sound of guineas. I'd have some except I don't think my neighbors would agree.

[DarleneJ]

Oh thank God it was just your okra. Blah...

[OkieDavid]

My boss gave me my first batch of chickens that the wife and I ever had. As he and I were catching them, we came across some young guineas roosting beside them. Boss said, "you need some guineas too" and threw in about five or so. When we finally got rid of the last of them about two years later the wife and I made a deal...... I can sleep INSIDE the house provided I NEVER bring home any more guineas.....

[motdaugrnds]

Yes, I love our guineas; however, they do love to bath in fresh soil. (All you need do is create them a "bathing pool" of agricultural lime. They love that! Just set it where they can get some sunshine while bathing in one part of it ... shade in the other.)

[Backfourty,MI.]

We love our Guinnea's but yes, they like to dust in the garden before I get the heavy mulch down. There's 1 spot in the flower bed at the end of the house they seem to think is their's too & I don't mulch the flowers so anything I put in that spot they seem to kill.

[time]

My guineas haven't bothered the garden yet. If dirt is fresh and worked I try to keep it moist on top untill it formes a crust. But, this is more for the cats. I'd be happier to see the guineas bathing in my garden than to see the cats squatting over the hole they dug to plant their own "seed".

Cat's and birds usually find a better spot for their bathroom time.