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Pigs and vegetable gardens
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Cathryn



Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

You're a proper smallholder though, through and through.

I don't want to feel tied too much here this year despite the sheep. My daughter is growing up and I want get many more opportunities to drag her away for weeks and longer. Pigs would mean being here to water them if nothing else.

I am thinking about it though.

judith



Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The greenhouse sounds like a plan.
Is it worth taking the plastic off and removing the thistles that have come up (a lot easier than without the plastic), and then putting it back again for another year?

Cathryn



Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I seem to be unable to write a coherent post. I would edit my last one to make sense but it doesn't seem worth it.

Yes, I will nerve myself and look under the black plastic sometime this week and decide how much I can deal with this year.

welsh veg grower



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 2030
Location: here today but tomorrow...
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Cathryn wrote:
welsh veg grower wrote:


get pigs they are so cute


This is a concern.


why i loved ours but we still ate them

welsh veg grower



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 2030
Location: here today but tomorrow...
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Cathryn wrote:
TTouch Homestead wrote:
Or you could do the cardboard mulch system that sepp holzer uses.

Tons of cardboard over what you don't want to grow, top with manure or mulch/soil on top, and eventually all weeds die underneath and compost into the soil.

We had a terrible problem with bindweed and that grass that spreads like wildfire by its root system. Sodding stuff was like white worms everywhere. Had to pick every piece out we could, dry it, then burn it. We covered all our beds with cardboard and on top I put the goat/ bedding. This is working well in the soft fruit cage too- which was like a scene from wilderness takes over!

The guy we bought off had used carpet to try and block weeds. Nightmare- it was horrible, the weeds had grown on it, and down into the ground, and as it was nylon, tufts everywhere when it disintegrated. We are still finding hidden carpet deposits...


I am consdiering this as well - in small areas so I'm not exhausted and overwhelmed by it. Fortunately I have quite a lot of non nylon carpet some of which has already rotted in and disappeared amonsgst the weeds. A cardboard layer as well would have helped.

The other bit is that I am a gardener and not a smallholder despite the hens and inadvertently falling in love with a farmer. I like pork but I am not sure if I wouldn't prefer to keep buying it from Faithmead.


yep I do know what your saying how about borrowing a few pigs from faithmead for a short while to clear the area.

BTW had some of faithmead's pork for tea lovely. Had last bit of her lamb the other day so will need some more soon.

Cathryn



Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It isn't just me for once but I imagine that we would manage it.

lottie



Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

[quote="Cathryn:1236051"]I seem to be unable to write a coherent post. /quote]
Welcome to my world.

Cathryn



Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Our neighbours are planning on keeping pigs. This really is about clearing the vegetable patch.

TTouch Homestead



Joined: 13 Oct 2011
Posts: 703
Location: Cardigan, West Wales
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Then the cardboard, and mulch option is one to go for. Easy, and if you get the urge, you can still plant the odd thing in it like squash, or courgettes!

The before and after pics of our place are what keep me sane sometimes as it can be hard to measure progress.

lottie



Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Get a proper flame gun then----ecofriendly and a bit a day does wonders---It's good fun too. --don't spin round and attempt to immolate husband by accident

Last edited by lottie on Fri Apr 06, 12 8:50 pm; edited 1 time in total

welsh veg grower



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 2030
Location: here today but tomorrow...
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 8:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Wel the other option for the veg patch is to work on a small section at a time

what about uncovering a meter square putting a raised bed on that section (leave the rest covered) then clear the worst out of e square then put down cardboard, manure then som top soil you could se one up and use it this year then if it works you could do another one and athother.

judith



Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 12 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I agree with WVG - it is probably worth working on just a small patch this year, and then gradually expanding your weeded patch.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sun Apr 08, 12 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

A couple of points to add to the discussion. Black plastic isn't all completely light proof, so might not kill all weeds. Make sure you use completely opaque plastic, or use several thicknesses making sure they make up an opaque whole. If you go the raised bed route, put some membrane down between the beds for the walkways between them, and make sure it is under the edge of the bed. We didn't and find the weeds grow between the edge of the membrane and the bed.

VSS



Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2845
Location: Llyn Peninsula, North Wales
PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 12 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Personally I don't like raised beds as I want to know that we can get the tractor in to cart muck and also to run the bushwacker round the orchard, but it's horses for courses on this one.

I use cut down silage sheets on my plots - much much much cheaper that stuff from the garden centre and you can get it in sizes big enough to cover the whole plot in one peice. I think the last sheet I bought was 12m x 40m (approx £40) and that was enough to do 4 out of five garden plots. Lasts pretty well too - this lot is in its fifth season.

Dogwalker



Joined: 20 Mar 2007
Posts: 1231
Location: Mid Wales
PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 12 7:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I've just spent two weeks turning last years pig patch into a fruit garden.
Before the pigs it was 5' high with nettles docks, buttercup, grass etc,etc. They did a very good job of clearing it but it didn't dry out enough to do anything with till the dry March we've just had.
I've dug 4 beds in the top better drained part which had a very compacted layer partly from the pigs and I think from a tractor going to the bottom end where the old man had a rubbish/bonfire patch. That is now planted with potatoes for this year with new fruit trees round the edges.

It's been a lot of work doing it. Pigs certainly aren't the easy option. But I'll definately be having some again, this year they'll go in a patch of field.

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