Common Questions in May

Strawberries
Question: Mine are being eaten by slugs and ants. I don't know what to do!
My reply: Sluggo is iron granules. Slugs love to eat it but it's bad for them.
Question: I have more plant and runners than berries… I can’t keep up!  What’s your secret??!!
My reply: Cut off the runners and replant them in other places.
Question: How are you managing squirrels and birds around them?
My reply:  Fencing or bug netting helps. One year we built a lift-off cage around them.
Question: Where would be the best place to plant strawberries? My husband wants to add them to my landscaping.
My reply: The area should get at 6-8 hours of full sun - morning sun seems best. The soil should be rich, loamy, well-drained soil that's moist. Water 1 to 2 inches per week during the growing season. Keep the crown of the plant exposed to prevent rot. Work in plenty of compost or well-rotted manure. Straw mulch helps keep weeds down, moderates soil moisture and keeps the berries from sitting in the mud. In winter, the straw acts like a blanket to keep the plants dormant until it's time to start growing in spring.

Chickens
Question: I just saw a loose chicken of ours in the front yard.  Don't know how to catch one.  Feeding them and getting the eggs is one thing, but to catch a hen is not my calling and barely my honey's.  It's in the back yard.  Turkey eggs are sure different then regular chicken eggs.
Reply: We have a large butterfly net that helps. 
But to wrangle them into a certain area we hold out our arms at our sides, holding long sticks to help extend reach to shoo them in.
We also trained them to come when they're called, using treat bags we crinkle and shake and/or the sound of a metal lid on a can. They also know their particular names.
You might just pull up a chair in the front yard - with treats- and wait for it to come to you.

Question: Ok, I need to know shade flowers that chickens won't destroy.....
My reply: No matter what you plant,  fence it the first year so it can get established. It's harder for them to kill plants when they're rooted well .
What have you tried so far? Do you have a photo of the area? Do you have other areas where the chickens are allowed to dig and look for worms or dust bathe?
Grow a chicken garden
https://backyardchickenproject.com/chicken-garden/
Chicken friendly yard
https://www.gardenista.com/posts/free-range-chicken-gardens/

Tomatoes
Question: I didn’t get around to starting seeds yet this year. Can I still start tomatoes or am I going to need to buy them? I know I’ll need to buy peppers.  Lansing area.
My reply: It's not too late to start tomatoes.They sprout and grow quickly in warm environments. There's also short term varieties like Early Girl.

Lilac
Question: I know it’s still early considering our recent cold weather but the lilacs on our new property look like they will not be blooming well. If I am understanding correctly, the way to fix this is pruning, but then I get a little lost because of the term “second year wood.” Can someone please explain, in brand new gardener terms, how far back I should prune these for their best health? They are all about 9’ tall.
Replies:

• It's a three year process to rejuvenate a lilac bush. Cut one third of it this year, then the next two years. Oldest/deadest first.

• Remove three of the oldest (largest or most beat up looking, which ever applies) at the base. ^always. Dead, crossing or diseased branches are always fair game to prune.

• We had bushes that big. One day I came home and my husband brought them down to about 3 ft. Without understanding why I was livid. They had already bloomed and he just wanted to be able to mow better.
  The next spring was AMAZING. The smell outside my bedroom window woke me every morning.  From then on we trimmed them back in the fall and was always rewarded with a plethora of flowers.

• First year wood is usually green/lighter and a different texture. Lilacs bloom on last year's wood, meaning if pruned too early or late they can lose a season of blooms all together. It's best to prune them immediately after they finish blooming!
  
  Question: I’m glad you asked this because I have an entire hedge of “second story bloomer” lilac bushes. I’m afraid to remove trunks and end up losing the entire shrub!
  If I do remove three of the oldest at the base, will it prompt more growth to fill in where my dog is standing and then have blooms from the ground up?
  Replies:  yes!