Selfsufficientish.com

I live behind a factory and have a largish garden. The other side of the factory are about 4 acres (guess!) that are owned by the factory - used to be used as a large garden for the "big house" which is no longer here.

They are rented out to a local farmer who bungs a few sheep on there in the summer months - hasn't this year for some reason. The rent I believe is £20 per month!

Should I try and get it (hubby works at the factory) and start my dream?!

It's surrounded by water and does flood (from the centre outwards!). Isn't fenced and would need work to get it into any order.

I cannot see hubby taking an interest much (although I know he'll help) and I would worry about taking holidays/illness etc - my family would still require holidays (though I'm not sure I'd bother much).

I work three days at a vets locally. Once Josh - my son - goes to school in just over a year I was going to work more days but if I was making our own food, I wouldn't need to, would I.....

Is there anyone on here from the Ashbourne area who could help me with this!? Four acres is a GREAT size...... All thoughts welcome.

How would I start?

It's definitely worth investigating... how far does it flood at worst? All of it or just some... one direction or all? Are you wanting to put livestock on it or grow stuff?

Are you talking about buying it or renting it?

Not much help with regards to the help though - far too far to commute lol. If you do manage to get someone local to help then it would take the pressure off with regards to holidays/illnesses etc

What sort of factory is it? And could it have contaminated the soil in any way? I'd want to get the soil tested before growing vegetables or putting animals for my dinner table on it.

Generally, I say go for it. You'll obviously need to pick the correct types of produce and contend with the flooding & fencing which may cost a fair bit.

You'll probably need to consider livestock also - 4 acres is a lot to manage without then to keep the grass in check.

Hi
I bet if you did get it and start putting livestock on it, the people at the factory would be fascinated. If hubby has friends at work, I bet they would offer to look after the livestock while you were away. Especially if you were to offer eggs etc. in exchange.

You might even find that some of them would come in with you. Could you split it up into small allotment type plots? You could see if the factory would be prepared to help with some tables, sheds, tools, fencing etc. If you could create somewhere for staff to sit at lunchtimes then the factory would benefit.

Just thoughts.

Zoe

It would definitely be worth making enquiries; if it is available to rent and you don't get round to it, you'll kick yourself when someone else buys up the land and does something like squeeze a housing estate on there!

If the flooding is caused by the shape of the ground, perhaps you could move further soil away from the centre of the depression (creating a more permanent pond as a wildlife habitat) and using the soil to create raised (more flood proof) areas elsewhere.

Of course, the more work you are likely to need to put in the more you need to consider the terms of any rental agreement - hours of work and hundreds of £££s later it would be doubly frustrating if it was sold up at short notice for some other purpose.

Wulf

Ok bad day here so I say...

DO IT

Live your dreams not dream ur life as I seem to be doing (really need to take my own advice lol)

Good luck - were i nearer I would love to work the land with u

Let us know how it pans out

Anna x

Find out who owns it, and investigate the lay of the land a bit....like Stoney says, I'd be a bit concerned about being next to a factory (what does the factory produce?) but if AOK a ready made market to sell your produce to-as long as you're at the gate/in the shed at shift change! now this thought has gone through your mind you've gotta look in to it a bit further, even if just to make sure the answer is no 'cause in a couple of years time when developers move in you'd be kicking yourself. Maybe divvying it up between a group of you would be the answer....
Good luck!

kind thoughts
Deb

Hi guys, my dinner is nearly ready but I'll fill you in a bit. Richard (hubby) (R) has worked at the factory for 25 years and is one of the family. The factory and company has been there since 1866 and have had this land, so I cannot see them selling it ever. The factory is Bowmer Bond narrow fabrics - they are one of the last textile companies in this fine country of ours and make narrow fabrics - tapes and webbings etc. They don't exude anything particularly nasty but have a river cut going through which they make NO use of at all and I keep nagging them to re-instate the water wheel to make electricity.

R is a senior manager and we have asked about renting the land before but the farmer had just negotiated another 5 years - so one or two still to run. The factory yard and gardens are quite nicely laid out with places for the staff to sit outside already (good idea though). My first thought for the land was to put loads of trees on it - more than there already are, with maybe a lottery fund and make a wild life area. However, more personal thoughts have been flooding me lately. It's close, it's beautiful, I work at a vets with all my vet time free and 15% discount on anything else so work is quite cheap.....

Dinner's ready.
John Seymour is calling though. ANY further thoughts are more than welcome. xx

Hi
Well I would go for it if I were you. It sounds like you have some time to plan what to do and to investigate the possibility of funding and to find a solution to the flooding issue. The wildlife pond idea sounds lovely. If you can stop it flooding, I wonder if you could rent part of it for horses? That would reduce the amount you have to look after and contribute to the rent.

I worked part time for a while and found I could live quite cheaply if I cooked from scratch etc.

What fun!

Zoe

Thanks Zoe. I don't think they'd want me to sub let it to anyone. But we'll see. I shall do loads of thinking and planning and talking to people and see what I come up with. As you say the pond is a good idea. I'd have ducks if I liked the eggs... which I don't. I would LOVE to share the place/responsibilities/costs with someone....

The only caution I'd toss in, and it may mean nothing as it seems you know the factory people well, is what happens if you take it on, and spend a few years improving it (at cost to yourself both financially and emotionally) and then they either decide to up the rent big time or hand it on to someone else? It is always difficult when you do not own the land yourself, because you can spend your life improving it only to have the owner pull the rug out from under your feet in a variety of ways. If possible, have a very long term rental contract drawn up with obligations both ways clearly spelled out.

Yes, Cornelian. Very sensible advice there.

Zoe

Yes, I was thinking along those lines, too: a 5-year contract isn't really long enough if you have to invest in fencing etc.

Some excellent thoughts there - as you guys say, it's a long term committment - and five years goes in a flash these days!

I'm still thinking about it and doing research. I thank you for your thoughts.