Moving to smallholding soon

[rcoe]

Hi all,

My wife and I will be moving to a place near Falkirk in Scotland in the next month. It's got about 3 acres of land and some nice outbuildings. I've got loads of plans (of which I'm sure about 10% will come to fruition!) and really, really looking forward to the adventure. I'd love to make contact with anybody else running a smallholding in that area for advice and mutual support!

Things I'm interested in at the moment: (sure it will change and evolve)
Growing veg and fruit - prob getting polytunnel
Keeping sheep, chickens initially. Moving on to bringing on pigs, maybe a couple of goats for milking,
BEES!! desperate to have bees.

The fields around the house are currently looking like overgrown meadow. Does anyone have any advice on how to get silage/hay off a small area like this?

Looking forward to chatting with you all.

Richard

[Cornelian]

Welcome Richard from half an acre at the other end of the earth from where you are :) Your new venture sounds amazing although I don't want to swap your winter for mine. Good luck with it all and don't forget to take some muscle rub with you. That and lots of hot deep baths will get you through.

[Annpan]

Hi, we're about 40 miles (ish) from Falkirk

Good luck on the big move

[ina]

Hiya Richard - welcome!

I envy you your smallholding - everybody's dream, isn't it! Yes, definitely go for a polytunnel. I'm seeing more and more how much veg need protection here - not just from the weather, also from pests like birds and rabbits...

[Millymollymandy]

Hello and welcome and good luck with the smallholding!

[boboff]

With Regard to the Grass

You Have a number of options

1. Get a contractor in, the normally charge about £30 an hour down here, he could cut 2 acres in that time no worries.
2. Cut it yourself with manual tool, scythe (hard work) strimmer (hard work ish)
3. Ride on Mower with grass collector / Garden tractor ( cost form £300 to £4000 from 2nd hand to new)
4. Mini Tractor and implements ( £3000 ish plus abou £1000 for a flail cutter, box, trailer and dumper)

I have been looking at my 4 acres for the last couple of years thinking I should do something about them, but being she of the graft and the spending of money, they have just got steadily worse. Although having said that allot of the ground could not be cut mechanically as the hedges overgrow the field by a 15ft margin !

I would say though get yourself a petrol strimmer with the brush cutting head attachment as well, as a minimum. 2 acres would take you a weekend to cut, and about a day to turn to dry for hay and a day to collect. If you do this soon, then keep an eye out at the end of the season for a ride on which if used regularly next year will keep on top of things for you. One with an automatic "dump" of grass is good as if you use raised beds on part of the ground you can just dump it on the end to use as a mulch.

Best of Luck, I really hope everything goes well for you.

Oh and if any ex Tax inspectors want to tell me I am completely wrong with the above advice, you can stick it in your pipe and smoke it!

[red]

welcome


befriend your farming neighbours and strike a deal re hay/silage making

[Milims]

Oh how jealous am I?? Huh? I would so love to be in your position! What a wonderful adventure you are heading out into! Good luck with it and have a wonderful time. Oh and by the way - welcome! Have fun here!

[MuddyWitch]

Welcome to ISH

No where near Scotland & haven't got a clue about silage, but wanted to say welcome

MW

[rcoe]

So we got the keys today and in an enormously excitable mood went over there to get to know our new place. We're not moving furniture till next week. The veggie patch is overgrown with weeds so I thought I'd make a start at getting it cleared. And whaddyaknow? We've already got our first crop on Day 1.... I hardly noticed the potato plants in the midst of the weeds but then out popped these lovely looking spuds. We had them for dinner!

[Millymollymandy]

Wonderful good luck with the new place and the move. How exciting!

[Jandra]

Great potatoes! Any more where those came from? Don't you just lof those edible surprises!

Will you post pics of the house and garden/lands? I don't think I could thrive in the Scottish climate (& midges), but the country is splendid.

Lots of luck in your new home, Jandra

[ina]

Wow! What a nice welcoming present!

Btw, Jandra - about the climate thing: friends of mine from Germany meant to come visiting last year, and cancelled literally at the last minute (much to my disgust - but that's a different rant!) - because they feared it would be too cold, and they wouldn't be comfortable enough. That week we had a heat wave, and I hardly ventured out of the house because I found it too hot... Yes, we do get plenty of rain, but from what I hear from Germany, they have just as many problems with flash floods, if not more.

And we don't have midges everywhere - haven't had any yet this summer where I now live, near the coast.

[Annpan]

And we don't have midges everywhere - haven't had any yet this summer where I now live, near the coast.

That's cause they are all in my back garden


What a wonderful surprise Potatoes, the gift that keeps giving whether you want it too or not I think the only veg bed in my garden that didn't have potatoes in it this year was the bed where my first earlies were supposed to be.... the pea bed has given a bigger potato crop

Keep us updated rcoe

[ina]

And we don't have midges everywhere - haven't had any yet this summer where I now live, near the coast.

That's cause they are all in my back garden

Yep - living on the coast does have its advantages!