[benkelway]

We just acquired 2.5 acres in Cornwall, and are planning to grow for 4 of us next year as well as running a bunch of trials, before expanding the following year to small market garden.

Our land has had cattle on over summer, and previous summers, and has just been mown. I had grand visions of maximising soil fertility over autumn/winter before we start any major sowing. Should I (a) have someone with tractor plough, manure, then sow a cover crop of green manure to be tilled prior to planting (b) have a couple of pigs go to work ploughng and manuring as they go. I have something which I could convert into housing and a moveable fence. (c) leave it alone, then cultivate the area I need in spring?

Any advice much appreciated!

Ben

[tode]

If you've got access to heavy equipment, I would think that option a) is your best bet.

[benkelway]

think you might be right - i dont have gear but I can find people who do and I dont think its going to cost much...

Thanks for your advice

[tode]

Sorry, hadn't noticed you were new, so welcome to the show 
Where abouts are you in Cornwall ?

[Haz]

WOW..  2.5 acres?  That is a big allotment.
You will definitely need s some heavy machinery.

[GreenOwl]

I'd go for the pigs.  Have you read John Seymour's self-sufficiancy book?  I can't remember what its called.  

Welcome btw.

[mumofstig]

I was thinking the same, fertilised, turned over and pork to eat...how can you go wrong. Do at least some of it that way, i would have thought

[SG6]

I would thought that preparing the land was a heavy machinery job. The soil fertility is another.

Recall the programme on small farms and when they ploughed a field there were no birds around as the land had no life in it.

Many fields these days simply use the soil as a means of anchoring the plants in. All the food is supplied chemically.

I have noticed the same on my way to and from work recently. Nice newly ploughed fields after having wheat and rape in them but not a bird there feasting off the bugs and worms that you would expect.

Another point to consider is that using something big and heavy this year is OK, in the following years it would be inpractical so perhap adding copious amounts of manure to improve the soil this year and hopefully lighten it could be benefical for future work on it.

[owein]

Pigs are a great way to go as mentioned.
We have regularly done this, fence off the areas you want cleared with electric fencing (battery powered equine ones are fine) asuming that your land has a good permanent fence should they break through the electric tape.
They happily clear away manuring as they go. once off to the butchers a going over with a rotorvator (as the ground can get a bit compacted in places) and its good to go.
You will also benefit from the best tasting pork you have ever tasted

[poppies]

Hi pigs are definately the way to go we also started off with land that had been used for cows, we tried covering it with black plastic , had it ploughed and rotovated, in the end we sprayed it but the weeds and grass kept coming back and then we got 2 pigs and by the time they went for slaughter they had cleared the ground

as the ground has been grass you might have trouble with wireworms for a couple of years, we did at first but we have'nt seen any since

[benkelway]

Wow  - what I great response - thank you all for your time.. Seems like the pigs option is a popular one.. Also (as reported on our blog) we have a structure on the land already which I can adapt for housing for them.. And the meat would be great.

I have read John Seymour's book, has a lot of good info although I do think personally that it's not that well written. Maybe I'm being over critical. A definite recommend would be Eliot Coleman's New Organic Grower.  Concise, doesnt overwhelm with too many options, just describes what is successful approach is.. It's aimed at someone with upto 5 acres, but I think a lot of the principles would apply to anyone with much smaller plots.

Does anyone know roughly how much land 2 pigs would clear in 6 months ? Would be interested to know..

PS. We are in North Cornwall

[tode]

Whichever way you go, it would be a good idea to check over the land after a lot of rain, and see if any part(s) of it need draining. 
Anywhere that has a tendancy to stay waterlogged will seriously decrease your crops and increase your difficulties.
And draining after you've started would be a major pain in the backside.

[Kristen]

My veg plot is 675 sq.M.

I sprayed it off with Roundup, left it a couple of weeks, the local farmer ploughed it, I hired a mini tractor with PTO driven rotavator, which gave me a nice workable soil. (In my case I then made lazy-raised-beds piling up the soil from paths to make raised beds 4' wide)

Gave me a flying start.

Dunno naught about pigs by way of comparison though.

[owein]

regarding how much land two pigs will clear it realy depends on your land and type of pig.
Tamworths are, in my opinion, by far the best diggers though they can be a bit bystrous and are good escape artists. But I have had two easily clear about a quarter of an acre of grassland in six months. and superb for pork and bacon
Saddlebacks have been good too, oxford and sandy blacks ok but a couple of Gloucester Old Spots i had recently were hopeles - but tasted grand

[benkelway]

Yeah my neighbours have Tamworths and theyre going to start breeding so I reckon I'll get from them..

Thanks again for the advice..

Another thing I'm planning is chickens and building a basic a frame ark for about 10 - does anyone have any plans / designs or know if any tried and tested online ones?

Got my garlic and onions sets in the post today, wanted to try out a selection - sowing in about a month I reckon