Topic: Ive just bought a smallholding

[SamLouise]

That looks swell, Ishard.  Do keep us informed with updates and progress and of course lots of pictures  ;D

[caroline7758]

Wow! Looks like quite a big holding to me! You certainly get good value for money on Humberside!

[Jayb]

Looks superb, enjoy  ;D

[Mr Smith]

Ishard,
              Have you moved from LE13?, :)

[cocopops]

You have an amazing 'new plot'; and in the UK :o.  I would be very proud of it if it was mine.

Just a bit of subtle advice, having bought a house in much need of tlc we realised that we had to live in for a while to understand what would suit our family.  It took at least two years to know what we wanted and now we are getting there. 

As for not having an allotment, I don't (grandparents did), just a big garden.  I feel very welcome on this site even if I am a basic skill gardener.

[taurus]

Well done and good luck and much happiness in your new home. Do keep us all posted.  
           Taurus

[james1]

I am very green with envy.. but very happy for you...
now must try harder to win the lottery........................ ;)

[Ishard]

Yes it is the place we went for last year, it has taken us 7 months from the offer being accepted to the bank giving us the funding. It is classed as a new business because it used to be a charity so they had no accounts that showed a profit.

We cant move in yet as it has been empty for 18 months and its a wreck so hubby, son and a team of guys who sometimes  work for us are going up first to make it livable.

We hope to build a second story on the offices and incorporate that into the house so we can have 8 bedrooms.
There will be 4 generatiions living there, hubby and me. daughter, son in law and grandson, son and my mum as she has dementia so we need a room for her nurse for later as mum gets worse.
 lol and the cost of it all is down to hubby and me!!!!

Coco dont worry we know what we are doiing when renovating. This is the latest we have done.
http://www.shoulers.co.uk/brochure-1960.pdf

The kennel and cattery are going to be developed into a boarding business and we have already had meetings with the licence lady so that will be a good income cos if it was just a smallholding its hard to make a living. I wont use the cattery for cats it will be made into a doggy day care for small dogs.

As the place is only 7 miles from Humberside airport when people drop off their dogs they can leave their cars with us cheaper than at the airport and we will taxi them to the airport for a price of course. lol

The barn we are thinking of making into a soft play area as there isnt one anywhere near us and my daugher can run it.

I have ordered 20 rescue chickens (the most we can have at a time) for eggs and am having hubbards for meat. Im also having geese, ducks (there is a large pond on site) and a few turkeys.

I have sorted out 6 pigs which will be delivered later in the year as weaners for meat.
Im having 2 mangalizas, 2 berkshire and 2 gloucester old spot. I want to see which tastes the nicest. The pigs will also dig the ground up for my veg beds.

6 lambs are on order to keep the grass down and later for the freezer.

We do have also a rabbitry (brick built rabbit house that has 12 rabbit houses with outside runs so Im not sure if Im going to breed rabbits for meat. I have been offered for free 2 does and 1 buck giant rabbits.

I have just started to research the fruit trees I want for my orchard and the shrubs that edge the property are going to be sloes, rose hips and rowan as these are edilbe and/or drinkable lol

Today we bought a stock trailer from our cattle market and we got a good deal on that.

We are planning on having a few caravans for people to come for holidays too and the pond is huge so it will be stocked with carp for fishing.

It is all very exciting and very, very scary now weve got it!

[grannyjanny]

It sounds as though you have it all worked out. Very business like. Well done. I am so happy for you.

[Digeroo]

it used to be a charity so they had no accounts that showed a profit.

Not only should they have accounts but the charity commission publish them online.

my mum as she has dementia

  Do make sure you claim all the monies you and she is entitled to.    Disability living allowance(under 65)/attendance allowance (over 65) and Invalid care allowance etc. 

Hopefully the offices have enough foundations to take a second floor.

I do hope it all works out for you. 

[Baccy Man]

I have just started to research the fruit trees I want for my orchard and the shrubs that edge the property are going to be sloes, rose hips and rowan as these are edible and/or drinkable lol

Have a look at http://www.agroforestry.co.uk they have an awful lot of edible and/or drinkable plants, trees & seeds which could make your hedgerows more interesting they also do things like groundcover raspberries which can be used to suppress weeds on difficult to maintain areas. If they have anything you particularly want then it is worth pre ordering as they often sell out fast.

[Spudbash]

If I were planting a hedgerow, I would include a couple of bullaces. The bullaces would be shepherd's (or white bullace, they're pretty similar - golden in colour) and the Langley bullace (dark-skinned), which is very much like a damson.

They give you small cooking plums late in the year, when you can temper their sourness with apples or pears. Lots has been written about the sourness of bullaces :P, but if you let them ripen properly - which is, of course, the privilege of the gardener/allotment holder/smallholder, then their own natural sugars go some way to balance the tannic element that you always get in dark-skinned plums.

The downside is that the branches are thorny (although the older the tree, the less thorny) and the upside is that they make a very sippable gin or vodka and may produce far more fruit than sloes that can also be used for jams.   ;D

I'd also include a crab apple or two to help pollinate my apple trees.

[Ishard]

Yeh Grannyjanny we have had nearly a year (or 15)  to sort out what we are going to do. Just a plain smallholding wont give us all a living :(

Digeroo the point was that it didnt show a profit, charities usually dont but the bank mamagers didnt seem to get that into their heads.
We have a good social worker for mum who helps us get whatever she is entitled to.

What a great idea of those bullaces I shall certainly get a few Spudbash. :)

Bbaccy Man I love that site! Unfortunately they have sold out but I shall order some for autumn.  Ill have the best edible hedgerow ever!!!! ;D

[Carls3168]

We are planning on having a few caravans for people to come for holidays too and the pond is huge so it will be stocked with carp for fishing.

Rather then paying out to buy caravans why not open a CL (Caravan Club) or CS (Caravan and Camping Club)
You are limitied to a max. of 5 units at anytime, for a CL you would only need to ensure there was a drinking water tap, and somewhere to empty a loo (just a hole in the gound linked to your septic tank)
CL's charge anything from £2.00 to £20+ per unit per night. Once up and running and making money you could then look into improving facilities - i.e. electric hook-ups etc.
You could research more info here http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/

All the very best with your exiting venture!  ;D

[1066]

Blimey you are going to have your hands full - what a great project! And how wonderful all those generations living under 1 roof as it were  :) It makes so much sense to have several income streams, if 1 isn't going so well hopefully the others will be doing better etc.

Looking forward to hearing of your progress  ;D
1066

[Digeroo]

I thought it sounded great but once you start thinking about having to have so many different ways of making money somehow is no longer sounds at all idyllic.  Sounds to me like a lot of hard work. 

I hope too you do not suddenly find yourself with loads of red tape in order to set up the activities you are planning.

I know someone who has a small holding and it is working well, but the wife has a good career job so all the main bills are taken care of.  They also rent some extra fields around the neighbourhood, and I think they have considerably more land in the first place.

I just hope it all works out well for you and you can enjoy the life you have chosen.

[cornykev]

How about organising a murder mystery weekend for A4A's.      ;D ;D ;D

[shirlton]

Wow Ishard I bet you are chuffed. It was well worth the wait then. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders for business from what you say. Be very happy in your new home and love to your mom ;D

[bridgehouse]

I wish you and your family good luck in your dream, hope everything goes well .
   June.

[Ishard]

Yes  Carls we are going to do that too :)
Ive been given the Field to Farm book and it gives loads of info although not all applies to us as we dont yet have 12.5 acres. We have asked the estate agent to sound out the neighbours about selling/renting us sone more land but Im not holding my breath on that.

Oh Yeh Digeroo Im under no illusions about the hard work but luckliy we have grown up kids etc to help.

There is humungous amounts of red tape to get over or through and even when you phone DEFRA they cant always understand their own rules! lol

I am chuffed to little botkins Shirlton :) Unfortuatley it has to be a business as we like to eat  ;)

Corny you know when people move into new houses they have decorating parties ? Well I was thinking of a fencing party for all A4A members as everywhere needs fencing. lol

Thank you All for your good wishes I will keep you up to date, warts and all!  ;D :D