guinea garden!

[piggiemummy03x]

so we have decided to grow our own ‘guinea garden’ in a paved floor area we have access too… we have been told to lay some gravel down down, can this be any old gravel? then obviously soil but not sure if i should add a little compost or if this would be a bad idea? looking at the soil available i’m concerned as a lot of it says ‘sterilised’, is this dangerous for pigs to be on / eat grass from? i have attached pictures of what i was thinking of buying.. can anyone reassure me on the safety of these?

thanks!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Sterilized is fine. If it gives you any comfort, I work at a preschool and we have a garden area and we have to use sterilized soil for planting to be safe for the children.

Just make sure the grass seed is not coated in anything to deter birds and mice from eating the seed. Some are you see and that could be harmful to the piggies.

 

[Cheekypigs]

Any old gravel will do, it's just to help drainage so it doesn't get damp. Piggies aren't good with damp.

Sterilised soil is generally heat sterilised. So it's fine. A bit of compost or fertiliser would be good, because commercially available topsoil is usually quite lacking in nutrients and can use a bit of help. Compost or fertiliser won't harm the pigs - you'll have to let the grass grow for a good few weeks before they can go in the garden anyway (otherwise they will just pull it up by the root and bang goes your nice grass!), so by that time everything should be settled down and safe.

Make sure you water grass seed really really well, it won't germinate if it dries out. People generally underestimate how much water it needs.

 

[piggiemummy03x]

Sterilized is fine. If it gives you any comfort, I work at a preschool and we have a garden area and we have to use sterilized soil for planting to be safe for the children.

Just make sure the grass seed is not coated in anything to deter birds and mice from eating the seed. Some are you see and that could be harmful to the piggies.

thankyou! how would i check this regarding the seeds?

 

[piggiemummy03x]

Any old gravel will do, it's just to help drainage so it doesn't get damp. Piggies aren't good with damp.

Sterilised soil is generally heat sterilised. So it's fine. A bit of compost or fertiliser would be good, because commercially available topsoil is usually quite lacking in nutrients and can use a bit of help. Compost or fertiliser won't harm the pigs - you'll have to let the grass grow for a good few weeks before they can go in the garden anyway (otherwise they will just pull it up by the root and bang goes your nice grass!), so by that time everything should be settled down and safe.

Make sure you water grass seed really really well, it won't germinate if it dries out. People generally underestimate how much water it needs.

thanks!

so the compost underneath the soil? yea we have been watering lots for our little trays so will continue to do that, thanks!

 

[Piggies&buns]

thanks!

so the compost underneath the soil? yea we have been watering lots for our little trays so will continue to do that, thanks!

I would mix the topsoil and compost together and then stick it all in together. You will then need to compact it all down by standing on it or pressing boards into. Then sow the seed, then take it over so it gets slightly buried.

thankyou! how would i check this regarding the seeds?

Sometimes it says on the packet.
The ones I’ve seen that are coated, the seeds tend to be dyed blue or green.

 

[Cheekypigs]

I would also mix the compost through the topsoil.

 

[piggiemummy03x]

I would mix the topsoil and compost together and then stick it all in together. You will then need to compact it all down by standing on it or pressing boards into. Then sow the seed, then take it over so it gets slightly buried.



Sometimes it says on the packet.
The ones I’ve seen that are coated, the seeds tend to be dyed blue or green.

amazing thankyou!

 

[piggiemummy03x]

hey everyone sorry to jump back on but i’m having an absolute nightmare trying to find a compost that doesn’t contain feed or fertiliser in i’m so anxious about using something that could be harmful for my girls.. if anyone can send over a direct link to what they use i would hugely appreciate it and not have to be so anxious!

 

[breakawayfromme]

The best compost I have found is sylva grow, its not that expensive either
SylvaGrow® Multi-Purpose | Melcourt

 

[ScrufflesRules]

I use this compost (very expensive sorry), but it's peat free which is good for the environment, and it's organic.
My piggies never had any problems with it.
50L New Horizon Peat Free Vegetable Growing Compost | Dobbies Garden Centres

 

[Piggies&buns]

hey everyone sorry to jump back on but i’m having an absolute nightmare trying to find a compost that doesn’t contain feed or fertiliser in i’m so anxious about using something that could be harmful for my girls.. if anyone can send over a direct link to what they use i would hugely appreciate it and not have to be so anxious!

Just a standard peat free multi purpose compost is all you need. You don’t need to be searching for anything specific - just go to your local garden centre. They will contain fertilizers and feeds because that is what the point of compost is. It provides nutrients for growing veg and plants.
If it’s safe for humans to eat the veg grown in it then it’s safe for the piggies.

 

[piggiemummy03x]

The best compost I have found is sylva grow, its not that expensive either
SylvaGrow® Multi-Purpose | Melcourt

amazing thankyou! do you use top soil at all too?

 

[piggiemummy03x]

I use this compost (very expensive sorry), but it's peat free which is good for the environment, and it's organic.
My piggies never had any problems with it.
50L New Horizon Peat Free Vegetable Growing Compost | Dobbies Garden Centres

thankyou! although this was actually the company that recommended i didn’t buy from them because all their compost is treated! i’m so lost lol!

 

[piggiemummy03x]

Just a standard peat free multi purpose compost is all you need. You don’t need to be searching for anything specific - just go to your local garden centre. They will contain fertilizers and feeds because that is what the point of compost is. It provides nutrients for growing veg and plants.
If it’s safe for humans to eat the veg grown in it then it’s safe for the piggies.

thanks so much, apologies for how nervous i get about literally everything

 

[piggiemummy03x]

so any peat free compost as long as it doesn’t directly say on the bag anything has been added, because compost always has things added.. what a nightmare for an over thinker like me!