Photo by Jamieleigh Location: Centralia, WA Freshly picked blackberries 

Recently it has been peach and blackberry season up in Washington state and I’ve had a ball berry picking with my niece and nephew. Not to mention my brother and sister in law have been talking about planting a garden which I’ve recently thought would be so cool. I went to PRI in Eugene many years ago and they had a garden out back of their restaurant which they used as their fresh ingredients in their restaurant. I’ve loved it when I’ve gone to places like this where they grow their own ingredients right in their own backyard! Anyway, it got me thinking about how great it would be if all us bird owners (er... companions) grew our own little plants like raspberry bushes, or black berry bushes (both of which my mom grows) because once you taste a berry right off the bush nice and fresh, you won’t want the store bought ones!   If you have a parrot, your options are many more with what you can grow for your bird. If you have a lorikeet or toucan, you’re a bit more limited but pretty much any berry bush works great for both. I know I’ll be looking into what my friends and family as well as myself can plant in my area to accommodate my birds meals.

Make sure you look into what types of things such as dirts and fertilizers you use and try to keep it as organic as possible and ask fellow gardeners about safety precautions you should take if you plan on feeding your birds what you grow.

Article by Jamieleigh Womach. She has been working with parrots and toucans since the age of 17. She isn’t homeless but is home less than she prefers to be. She travels the world with her husband, daughter, and a flockful of parrots whom she shares the stage with.