Using Pigs to Expand the Garden

When we first got our pigs this spring, Jack and I knew that we wanted to get them out on pasture so they could enjoy the outdoors, plentiful grass, and have lots of room to run around and play. So, when they were big enough, it was a no-brainer to get them trained to electric netting so that we could get them out of their temporary lean-to shelter. While our initial plan involved moving the pigs regularly (at least once a week) to minimize damage to the pasture due to their wallowing and rooting habits, the plan quickly evolved when we decided to use the pigs to expand our garden.

Pigs are nature’s natural “tillers”. Their long, strong snouts act like little shovels, uprooting grass and minimally turning the soil. Because one of our goals on the farm is to minimize disturbance, I quickly realized that using our pigs to clear some ground for us (and add fertilizer to the soil while they worked) would be our best option for creating new garden beds to expand our vegetable garden. By setting up temporary electric fencing on large sections of grass, we would be able to control the amount of disturbance the pigs would have on each section of the new garden and minimize our own workload to complete the expansion. The pigs have been MORE than happy to oblige, loving to chomp on the plentiful grass and leaving fresh manure to help feed our soil and plants next spring.

The pigs nearly complete with tilling their first section of land for the garden expansion project.

We decided to use our pigs to expand our garden beds because a major part of the farmstead lifestyle is to use what you have on hand to get jobs done quickly and efficiently. We don’t have loads of extra time or money to get jobs done around the farm, and often rely upon what we have already on hand to get jobs done. In this case, we knew that our pigs would be perfect for prepping beds, which is traditionally done with a tractor. The pigs are saving us money in terms of fuel and a tiller implement for the tractor, and they are saving us time and labor required to complete the task. Because this garden expansion does not have to be completed for growing more vegetables this year, we can continue to rotate the pigs every few weeks onto new pasture until our new garden is cleared. As each section is completed by the pigs, we will get the newly tilled sections of dirt covered in compost and a silage tarp, and let it sit until next spring when we are ready to plant. I love having projects on the farm that are full-circle and having animals do what they were born to do. It keeps what we are doing on the farm intertwined, and I love knowing that both the animals that prepped the beds and the plants that will grow in them are connected.

The first section of pig-tilled land, completed and covered with a silage tarp to discourage grass and weeds from growing.

So far, the project is going very well and I couldn’t be happier about the progress we have made. The pigs are doing a great job uprooting the grass and gently disturbing the top layer of soil, and we already have the first section of the new garden covered in a silage tarp to kill any remaining weeds the pigs left behind. It is amazing what can be accomplished when you work with what you have and allow nature to take its course.

Until next time,

Farmer Kinzie