Hello from Bromley

[carolinew]

Hi,
about a year and a half ago I decided that I really did want to become self-sufficientish, and began to make the first moves. I grew salad, runner beans and garlic in our little bit of garden that had usable soil at the back of our end terrace house, and got my name down for an allotment. We had such a good harvest from the few things I managed to fit into the garden that my husband got quite inspired. Just in time, because I got an allotment last November - and it was VERY overgrown. But now it wasn't just me anymore. We built raised beds and improved the soil (it is heavy clay).

Our first year was quite successful, and I hope we'll do better next year. It has substantially reduced our grocery bill, which is great, and more importantly we know that everything we eat is good for us (especially important when it comes to my 5 year old daughter). And we love doing it!

As of a few weeks ago, we got some hens which are in our back garden. We've built an aviary for them, with a roosting box and nest boxes, and are getting ready to build runs off that onto the grass, which can be rotated (ie 2 doors are closed while they run on one strip for a week or 2, then onto the next). In the aviary we're using the deep litter system, which they thoroughly enjoy scratching through. At the moment they just pootle around the garden and then head back to the aviary - it's funny, they seem to spend more time in the aviary than the garden. Perhaps they feel more secure there? But we can't leave the 'free range' method going forever - not with a fox den 2 doors away from us.

My husband wants to start breeding rabbits for meat, so that will probably be our main project for 2009. Meanwhile, the one plot turned into 2. And we've just been offered the 2 plots next to ours for next year as well, which is great. That means that we'll have 2 plots (they're half plots, really, if we go by traditional sizes) for veg, which is all in raised beds, 1 plot for fruit and herbs, and 1 plot for grains. We hope to grow most of our own hen and rabbit food - partly to reduce costs, and partly so we actually know what they're eating! After all, whatever goes into them as feed eventually comes into us, too - whether as eggs or meat. And to buy organic feed (except as a top up) would be just too expensive for our budget.

All in all, we're very busy but thoroughly enjoying ourselves, doing our best to be self-sufficientish. Hope to learn a lot here, and to pass on the bit that we've learned to others.

[red]

welcome

[Annpan]

welcome

[StripyPixieSocks]

Hello from Plumstead

[eccentric_emma]

hello! i used to live in beckenham. liked bromley a lot!

emma xx

[Millymollymandy]

Hello and welcome!

[carolinew]

hello! i used to live in beckenham. liked bromley a lot!

emma xx

Yes, I like it too - and I like Beckenham a lot

[becks77]

Hello

[mamos]

Helloooo

And welcome to the forum

mamos

[Andy Hamilton]

Not sure if my girlfriend would let me keep rabbits for meat would be interesting to hear how you get on with that though.

Welcome to ish.