Pigs and vegetable gardens

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Pigs and vegetable gardens
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Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 12 7:04 pm Post subject: Pigs and vegetable gardens
My vegetable garden is a mass of thistles and mint. I made the mistake of ploughing then rotovating a perfect seed bed for them. If I put pigs on it would they clean the soil and not create another perfect seed bed? They are doing this in the walled vegetable garden at Llanerchaeron, a National Trust property near here. I suppose I could then immediately cover the areas that I want to plant up.

gythagirl

Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Posts: 1467
Location: Somerset

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 12 7:50 pm Post subject:
Assuming you actually want some pigs (!) it's what I'd do - it might take more than a year, depending on the area, thistle cover and breed of pig, but it would be more fun than covering it up for a year and greener than weedkiller!

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 12 7:59 pm Post subject:
Mine avoid thistles.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 12 8:24 pm Post subject:
Mine loved them. Not sure about the mint though, might need lambs for that.

VSS

Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2845
Location: Llyn Peninsula, North Wales

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 12 8:27 pm Post subject:

Pigs will do the ground clearing. They can be used to get rid of perennial weeds, grass, brambles etc, and while they are doing it they will manure the ground for you as well. It is best to keep them on a very small patch of ground, maybe penned up in a square made of meshed gates, and then moved to a new patch as soon as they have finished the first bit. If you give them too much space they won’t do such an effective job.
What they won’t do is leave behind them ground that is ready to be used for the veg garden without any further work on your part. You will need to do a certain amount of levelling, as pigs will push some soil into heaps and dig holes in other areas. There will also be some degree of soil compaction around feed and water troughs so you will almost certainly need to dig the plot, and pick out any large stones. If all you want to do is reseed an area with grass, you could probably get away with just broadcasting seed after removing the pigs, then harrowing and rolling.

TTouch Homestead

Joined: 13 Oct 2011
Posts: 703
Location: Cardigan, West Wales

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 12 9:42 pm Post subject:
Ours aren't in the veg plot, but they are on a patch of land that has been overgrown for 20 yrs plus, first the goats had first dibs, then we added in the pigs. You are welcome to see the effect they have had- it is impressive!

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 12 7:22 am Post subject:
I DIDN'T PEN MINE TIGHT enough at first and that made them too selective---lesson learnt

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:49 am Post subject:
You lot are so helpful. I am going to go and look at the areas that have been covered with black plastic for two years. What gets me is that when I walk over these areas they are lumpy with plants still growing away under them.

VSS

Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2845
Location: Llyn Peninsula, North Wales

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 12 9:37 am Post subject:

We don't put the sows out in the garden very often now, mostly because they have wrecked the pig ark and we haven't got around to fixing it!

I do use black plastic all the time though - we made the same error of rotovating before getting all the weeds out when we first turn the field into a garden and for years had the most horrendous problems with docks. Now, after about 5 years of keeping any bit of ground not in use under black plastic (weighted down with tyres) the docks are at least under control, if not eradicated.

The biggest weed problems in the veg garden now are creeping buttercup and chickweed. Some chickweed is good (as it is useful for early salads), but not so much that it smothers everything! This is one reason why I have never used specified green manures as I don't think it could compete with all the chickweed.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 12 9:38 am Post subject:
We used to gather up chickweed for the pigs who loved it.

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 12 9:41 am Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

We used to gather up chickweed for the pigs who loved it.

That was the first thing mine cleared

they like sow thistle as well best---well mine did.

Last edited by lottie on Fri Apr 06, 12 9:41 am; edited 1 time in total

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 12 9:41 am Post subject:
We always get a huge harvest of it in the polytunnel.

JohnB

Joined: 09 Jul 2005
Posts: 685
Location: Beautiful sunny West Wales!

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 12 1:30 pm Post subject:
Anyone in the Newcastle Emlyn area want some land to put their pigs on? I'm not ready to take on my own pigs yet, but have land they'd enjoy clearing .

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 12 7:40 pm Post subject:
What VSS said. The area my pigs used to use is still full of docks and thistles, and looks like a moonscape. It would take a heck of a lot of work to turn it into a useable veg garden. Are you constitutionally opposed to using herbicides on a one-off basis?

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 12 7:46 pm Post subject:
No. It's my other option and on balance seems like far less fuss. Actually there is another option which is to ignore it for another year and just grow what I feel like in the greenhouse. This one is currently winning but I do tend to get the urge to plant something out there. I've put blackcurrants in and a gooseberry. They can hold there own but it might not be enough for me.

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