[Jode]

Hi. Am after some advice. We divided a paddock into 4 smaller paddocks last year, two of which have pigs in. Our pigs free range and love nothing more than a good root around. Result is that their paddocks are destroyed!  But pigs are happy. Question is, once the pigs move on, what should we do to these two paddocks? We could level and reseed with grass and rest them for a few months before the new piglets take up residence but the new grass would be weak and very easy to uproot so not keep them entertained for very long. We could just leave it alone but then weeds would take hold and I don't want the seeds spreading into our other paddocks. Or we could seed with a crop of some kind as the pigs have done such a good job of preparing and fertilising the ground and put pigs in adjoining paddocks whilst it grows and move them In after to clear up again. But what could we grow? Don't have much experience but am sure someone else on here has done something similar before??

[hughesy]

It seems a bit of a waste of money to me to put grass seed down. If you're going to have pigs on it again why not grow a crop that can be fed to the pigs. Turnips, swedes, mangolds etc. Once the spring kicks in your paddock will soon be green again but there will be a lot of weeds like docks etc so depending on the time of year it might be an idea to spray the weeds before planting a crop.

[Marches Farmer]

Can you subdivide the paddocks with electric fencing to rest some of the ground for longer?  Their rooting will have exposed a lot of buried seeds to the light so you can expect a bumper crop of docks this summer.

[Possum]

So what can you do with the bumper crop of docks before you sow something more useful?

[oor wullie]

Stubble turnips.  They grow fast and if you plant them a bit more densely than you are supposed to they will crowd out most weeds (planting them too dense means you get smaller roots and less production per acre but you get more leaves which crowd out the weeds).

After 3 months or so your pigs will be delighted to be let into an area of turnips and will eat both leaves and roots.

[Possum]

Sounds good to me.