Author Topic: Plot clearance squaddies arriving soon  (Read 2600 times)

Digeroo

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Plot clearance squaddies arriving soon
« on: October 04, 2018, 15:53:39 »
We have a lot of empty plots.   They are a mess and nobody want to take them on.  Quite a few have been worked out.

But the clearance is happening in soon. :icon_cheers: :icon_cheers:

Cannot wait.  There is nothing better than a few pigs.  They will clear things up and fertilize and eat the slugs/snails in no time at all.  Nettles, couch, etc all eaten.  Everything grows like crazy after the pigs have been so we might get some more plot holders.

 :blob7: :blob7:

Obelixx

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Re: Plot clearance squaddies arriving soon
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2018, 17:18:18 »
That's a great way to clear ground.  Enjoy the spectacle and the results.
Obxx - Vendée France

saddad

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Re: Plot clearance squaddies arriving soon
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2018, 16:48:47 »
We have considered it.. but we thought the DEFRA regs on moving animals would be too onerous. I agree, nothing clears ground as well as pigs, and free manure thrown in!

Digeroo

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Re: Plot clearance squaddies arriving soon
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2018, 21:58:06 »
We are on a private site on a farm so moving animals is not a problem.   We are waiting for them to arrive from another farm at the moment.  I presume they already will have all the necessary regulations and paper work sorted.  They are experience pig owners.   
We normally have Gloucestershire old spot crosses. Quite a large pig with large floppy ears and spots.  The are excellent plot clearers and weed eaters. 
Destructions their delight.  And as they move from plot to plot they leave straw behind which is very useful though not clean enough for strawberries.
Six teenage equivalent pigs will strip a 250 sq mtr plot in about a week.  Little ones take a longer.   
The last sets we had were weaners.  Before that we had a boar and three sows and loads of piglets.   But the cost of the boar for only three sows was very high.  And he became  huge which was something of a problems for the ladies.  Though he was a cutie.
One of the problems is that people have left things on plots.  Plastic, metal, glass etc etc which is not very pig friendly.  And they are not keen on thistles. 

pumkinlover

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Re: Plot clearance squaddies arriving soon
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2018, 07:26:02 »
Does the farmer put some electric netting up? to keep them on the empty plots?

Digeroo

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Re: Plot clearance squaddies arriving soon
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2018, 05:37:50 »
Yes.    They are wired in.
Though once when we had piglets a whole litter got out under the wire and rampaged round my plot, luckily they were too small to do much damaged before I caught them at it.  And mother pig was furiously calling them to come back. 
 
I tried to catch one and that was enough to send them all squealing back to mum.   I gave her a pile of oversize courgettes to distract her while I adjusted the height of the wire.  But she luckily would not go near the wire long enough to find it was switched off for a few minutes.   


 

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