The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: suziequeue on February 17, 2010, 07:44:40 am

Title: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: suziequeue on February 17, 2010, 07:44:40 am

Hi, my name's Susanna and my husband Paul and I moved to a lovely place just south of Newtown last summer. We have house, about eight acres of land including a small wood for coppicing and a stream.

At the moment we just have a dog and have pigs coming in eight weeks time.

After that the next ambition is to get the veg patch up and running.

We have no plans to make any money out of the venture - just be as independent and self-sufficient as possible.

We are planning on putting two pigs into a 0.4 acre pen. They will be there from mid April to early September. I am looking for ways of replenishing the pen during the winter - maybe some green manure or root crops that the new piggies can forage for the following spring.

Grateful for any advice.

Susanna

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: jameslindsay on February 17, 2010, 07:50:02 am

Morning Susanna, welcome to this site from a freezing cold Fife.

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: Rosemary on February 17, 2010, 08:22:45 am

Welcome from a freezing cold, but sunny, Alloa

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: Dan on February 17, 2010, 08:33:59 am

Quote from: suziequeue on February 17, 2010, 07:44:40 am

I am looking for ways of replenishing the pen during the winter - maybe some green manure or root crops that the new piggies can forage for the following spring.

Hello Susanna, and welcome to TAS.  :)

We sow grazing rye to over-winter in our pig pens. It takes reasonably well before winter sets in, and in the spring comes away very well - some years we've had it waist-high by the time our weaners arrive in April.

Just about any winter-hardy green manure will help. The difficulty with root vegetables is that you need to dig to plant them, and there are few that will grow sufficiently by late spring to provide the pigs with much interest.

Hope this helps,

Dan

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: Eagledance on February 17, 2010, 08:35:58 am

Hello
I am in cold Fife too but hail from Llanidloes originally!

ED

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: Hilarysmum on February 17, 2010, 11:02:14 am

Could part of the pig pen be reused as a veg patch, and move the pigs on  to a different area?

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: doganjo on February 17, 2010, 12:10:23 pm

Welcome to TAS, Suzie.  I have friends at Llanfair one of whom run the shows and dog training at Newtown - Richard Welch - they ave 11 acres and used to have Alpacas, but just the dogs and fishing in the lake now.  I love visiting them - very peaceful.  Say hello to Rich if you ever meet him.

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: Wizard on February 17, 2010, 12:29:44 pm

Hello hillarys mum Of course Pigs love to plough and apply fertilizer whilst they do it.They eat a lot of the roots they dig up and all you have to do is do the bits they miss and level it all out easy ;D :farmer:

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: Hilarysmum on February 17, 2010, 01:07:06 pm

Exactly Wizard exactly  ;D

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: suziequeue on February 18, 2010, 10:56:52 am

Thanks for the advice. Great advice about the winter planting and the veg patch preparation. Unfortunately the area were the pigs are is not optimal for veg as it is a bit on the shady side but we have had a FANTASTIC crop of autumn raspberries there lat year which we have moved to a difference shady spot 'cos I presume the pigs will have them in a trice!!

However, I am hoping that once we get a little bit confident with them we may be able to put them on the proposed veg patch site temporarily to truff it up and fertilize.

Susanna

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: sandy on February 18, 2010, 01:22:01 pm

Hello and welcome, your forum name brought a smile to my face, I knew a suieque, well, my brother knew her better, anyway, hope you keep the forum u pdated as to what you are doing, weI am a nosy bunch ;)

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: little blue on February 20, 2010, 08:34:53 pm

hello and welcome from Derbyshire

Title: Re: Hello from Newtown, Powys, Wales
Post by: Helencus on February 25, 2010, 09:34:45 pm

Hello and welcome from nw Leicestershire