The Ultimate Pet Garden
Growing food for your family is a great reason to get out into the garden and get your hands dirty. Why stop there when there are a range of ways to include homegrown food into your pet’s lifestyle? Check out our list of fun garden additions for your furry and feathery companions.
Sprouts and Microgreens
Mr Fothergill’s has a Sprouts Alive and Microgreen range that has some great options for your pet. Alfalfa, snow pea, and mung bean are some fun healthy choices that your horse, rabbit, bird, and chickens will love.
Dogs can also tolerate a range of sprouts, but be sure to consult with your veterinarian prior to adding new foods and ensure they are in addition to a balanced diet.
Vegetables
There are many veggies that our pets enjoy munching away on. Vegetables like carrot and celery are great for horses, birds, and guinea pigs and they will love the freshness of homegrown crops! Leafy greens are also a great item to grow for their nutritional value. Some good greens include lettuce, spinach, and kale as they are quick growing and well tolerated by a range of animals.
As a rule of thumb, stay away from giving your pets any vegetables from the Allium genus of plants. This would include anything related to onions such as leeks, garlic, shallots, and chives as they can be quite toxic even causing anemia in dogs.
Cat Grass, Catmint and Catnip
Cats are a little more selective when it comes to plants. As obligate carnivores, they rely on a meat-based diet in order to obtain essential nutrients. Occasionally they like to nibble on bits of grass for digestion or roll around in some catnip. Rather than adding greens into their food, let them graze when they please by setting up a cat garden.
A cat garden can be grown indoors or outdoors in a wide shallow tray. If you are creating your own tray for cat grass, catmint or catnip, make sure to use some good quality potting mix that will be free of any pathogens and raw manures. Lay out a fine layer of seed onto damp seed-raising mix and press into the soil. Lightly cover this with some soil and mist with a spray bottle daily as required. Alternatively use a Mr Fothergill's All-In-One Cat Grass or Catnip Kit.
When the plants are nice and robust keep the tray in a sunny position that is accessible to your cats. Your dogs will also enjoy a bit of greenery and may nibble on this too!
Chicken Foraging Mix
Chickens are great garden companions as they pick up bugs throughout the garden and turn food scraps into rich compost. To give them some more variety and essential nutrients try out a foraging patch where they can be free to browse and nibble. Mr Fothergill’s Chicken Foraging mix is a nifty seed blend of Bok Choy, Buckwheat, Clover, Kale, Millet, Sunflower, and many more containing all the goodies your chickens will love.
Once the bed is well established allow them to roam the area, it helps to have a couple in succession as grazed beds can be left to reshoot.
Mr Fothergills stock a range of pet-friendly seeds and kits that your furry and feathered friends will enjoy. Shop our range of Pet-Friendly products here.
Always consult with your veterinarian prior to adding new foods to your pet's diet and ensure they are in addition to a balanced diet.
