Outside at last!!

Well at long last I plucked up courage to go outside, have been realy down and sad... went in the forest and I was very shocked, Devastation everywhere... there must have been 100 trees fallen by the wind, I thought it was bad, it looks like the worst wind we have ever had up here. I'm glad we hadnt put the new poly tnnel up yet as it would have surly been ripped!!

Today, we took all our very well rotted manure from the heap onto the garden, spread it around, a liitle and left it for the pis to fo there best, we also gave them a fresh straw bed, they were so funny dashing between there new bedding and galavanting in the muck, they were so excited, it was soo good to watch, what happy piggies we own, I also moved and cleared the electric fence as it was shorting out in a few places, they are dooing such a good job leveling the lad and adding to it, it has grown in depth by a good 8 inches easily, the power of the pigs nose is amaizing.... I have at last settled n a plan for the veg patch!!

The veg plan..

There is still a poorer side of the garden and a better richer side, even thought the pigs have been on there now for approx 6 months... So on the poorer harder side I have decided on the one poor half side  we shall put the compost heap, and on the other poor half we shall build the raised bed, then next to these, still on the poorer side I shall dig the potoato trenches, the thinking behind all of this is, that.. why fight and try and plant into such poor soil.. last year we failed this year we wont..

Raised beds...Hot beds for Pinapples and strawberries...

I'm so far unsure of how we will construct them, I do know they shall be insulated and with double glazing, We will use the one raised bed for salads and fancies.. the other shall be a modern idea of the Victorian hot bed, insulated sides, and double glazed tops, we shall fill the bottom with good hot farm yard manure, then some leaf mould on top and some loam to top it off, then the pineapples are grown in pots that shall in winter be lifted out and put into the polytunnel, everything in the garden will be temporary, as at the end of the year everthing will be cleared on site and then the pigs shall return to dig in all the goodness....

Paths..

Well I always wanted lovely grass paths, but what a waste at the end of the year to let the pigs dig it all up, so all around us on roadside there are tree men, cutting and trimming down all the trees and leaving behind lovely piles of shredded wood, So this shall be my temp paths then all the goodness from the trees shall be returned to the land, giving it an extra boost and add heart to the soil...

Compost...

 Well this is a hard one, normally all compostable materials are given to the pigs snout to process and send to the land, so I really struggle with not giving it to them, but I'm going to be hard on myself and the pigs and try to develop a compost heap on the poor side of the garden.. I might even go as far as telling the lads to pee on it to activate it..lol...it seems such a waste letting such a valuble liqued go into the chemical loo....

Compost loo...

Why not give it a go.. I've been looking them up and with land as poor as ours every valuable thing we can add to the soil shall be added... Im also thinking of getting a garden shredder to add heart..

Newspaper mulch..

Oh I have definantely been thinking too much... and sat inside too much too... It got to be worth trying, i am collecting news papers to put under the paths of shredded wood, this should help prevent weeds and at the end of the year be worth digging in..

Pig power..Digger power..

Im feeling lazy and have decided to after watching my igs compost, weed and level my garden, the next step is use the back actor of the digger to dig the potato trenches and carry in the muck to lay on the bottom. Im also thining of adding some small branches to the bottom of the trench to airate my clay soil and help with drainage, well thats what the Romans did in there drains.... We shall also be using the digger with Joes huge rake on the back end to level off a fine tilth......

Mmm.. what else, I think thats all my thoughts on the garden, We will be turfing the pigs off soon, We have a litter of pigs due soon, I'm going to move a couple of the young pigs onto my flower bed to weed it.. I have nearly finished diggin out all my plants and then will fence it and let them loose.... I know lazy but I hate weeding and they will give poo power too..

 Sarahs soot..... Im unsure where to best use my prize soot its all saved up ready to use, also Rays ashes evry day go on the garden...

 Dogs....

Am busy trying to sort out doggy quarters too... we are using builders tall 8 by 6foot parimeter fencing to create temporary runs for each dog that lives outside, with there kennel, then we shall be getting some concrete and building there proper quarters.... thats it i'm off Ray is heating my rain water for a lovely well deserved bubble bath...