[sandspider]

True.

But I thought I'd better call it a smallholding or I'd be shunned from this fine forum!

We never shun anyone on TAS 

That's good! 

[sandspider]

Does this help? We are novices and do not have any animals yet. Our 3.5 acres is split into 1 acre of garden and the rest hill side  paddocks. We tried the mowing of grass paths only but quickly realised we were going to be over run. We now do about 25 hours between Mrs Ghdp and I each week just  keeping on top of MOST of it but we could easily do more hours. Not having grazing animals yet is both a problem and a deliberate choice. Hedges are a constant challenge.
We may speed up but we agree with Bionic. It is an endless but thoroughly enjoyable task.

Another way of looking at it is that in 12 weeks I have gone from a 38 inch waiste to 34, have lost over a stone and sleep like I have not slept in years!

That does help, thank you. It also surprises me - you spend 5 hours a day 5 days a week mowing?! I wouldn't be able to go to work! Then again, on the bright side, I wouldn't be able to go to work... 

Do you use a push along mower? Ride on? Tractor? Other?

Sounds healthy, anyway! Yes, I like the idea of animals keeping my grass nibbled - but even if the time taken to look after the animals is less than the time taken to mow the grass, there's still the cost of the animals, and the tie factor - can't go away for a few days with animals dependent on you.

[sandspider]

Just to add to ghdp's point- I spend less time overall now we have sheep - they're quick and easy to look after each day but keep the land under control with no effort - although that comes (for us) with a lot of extra work with lambing/shearing etc. but at least that's confined to a few weeks a year.

Thanks, I understand the compromise. I think I'd prefer to keep pigs rather than sheep (if we do ever get animals) - I love bacon, sausages and all forms of pork! But I fear pigs are betting at turning a field to mud rather than keeping it mown. Also, I think I'd get too attached to pigs.

[sandspider]

Sorry to put a tiny note of controversy in this (I can't get any emoticons up to soften anything!) but I hope you would spend more than a few hours a week with your dog?

Not a problem at all. I wasn't really counting a dog as a smallholding animal - more a member of the family. He or she would be with us (me) as much of the time as possible. Luckily my work is fairly tolerant of dogs coming into the office from time to time!

[Ghdp]

No not all mowing although that takes the lion share. We have just tried to break down what we have done on a weekly basis since we got here. The 'garden' is about an acre of lawns, herbaceous borders a vegetable garden and roses. There is also a wild garden . The vegetable garden  consists of a number of raised beds and a poly tunnel and a fruit cage .  Our paddocks have been allowed to run to thistles and the hedges are mixture of native trees and unidentified greenery!
I spend about 6 hours a week mowing the garden with a sit and ride mower and a hand mower (as much of the garden is too steep for just the sit and ride) and about 2 hours with the strimmer.  We have both then  tried to commit around an hour a day to weeding,dead heading, hedge trimming and just keeping on top of everything. We invariably do a little more than that.
The grazing land was grazed by a neighbour to start with but his sheep have moved on. The nearest areas we have strimmed by hand but we now have a huge field of very,long grass we need to do something with.
In short then; 25 hours per week has not been enough but with the introduction of sheep ( once we get the wretched grass shorter!) we reckon it is about what it will take. We would not necessarily have invested in such a large area of garden but it is what it is and we are happy to try to keep it. We are also running a small holiday let from here in a cabin in part of the garden and that requires us to keep everything looking presentable.

[sandspider]

Understood, thank you.

Time consuming. At least there'll be less to do in winter.

[benkt]

As another data point, we've just started helping at an old orchard. The current owners spend a morning every two weeks there strimming, mowing etc. and they can only keep under an acre of the five acres under control. The plan is that we'll put our sheep on that bit to keep the grass down, which should free some time to try and get the other four acres under control!

[Womble]

I think a lot of this depends on how nicely you want everything kept. I spend about 45 minutes a day split between my morning and evening rounds (feeding, collecting eggs, changing duck water etc). Then there's an evening every week or so 'doing something' with the sheep (foot bathing, worming etc).

The polytunnel needs watering every couple of days, and then 3-4 hours most Sunday afternoons to keep it productive.

We too have a wild garden  (I must remember that phrase for the next time somebody gets stung on the nose by a stinging nettle). We don't have a working mower, so this year I've been keeping the grass down by getting the geese to turn it into Christmas Dinner.

One thing I have learned is that it's much harder to start a new thing than to keep an established thing going. This is particularly true if you build your own housing etc.  HTH!

[harmony]

"I'm looking for a smallholding which isn't too time or labour intensive!" - let us all know if you find one!
[/size][/color]
[/size]Most people. I think, have a smallholding because they enjoy spending their time in it and except it will involve labour. How intensive that labour is an individual's choice or dictated by time available and other commitments, so they pick and choose what they keep, cultivate or do.[/color]
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[/size]Usually once you start and are bitten by the bug the rewards outweigh the time.[/color]
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[pharnorth]

We bought ours long before we had time for it.  Like a lot of other contributors it would not be affordable without full time jobs.  We made a mutual commitment not to let it, or our ambitions get the better of us,; we would do what we could.  So for 15 years managed our 13 acres by cutting hay on 7, done by a neighbour farmer, goats on the goat paddocks, horses (diy livery plus mine) on the rest. Chickens and ducks. Only took a dozen or so hours a week.  Now with more time sheep, pigs,  more goats, less horses. More hours, more fun, less well paid.

[sandspider]

Many thanks for the input, all. 

I'm currently on holiday with rubbish internet, but will reply in detail when I'm back.

[Ghdp]

Oh that is another thing!!! The rubbish internet we have here 

[bazzais]

If your just going to buy forestry for your own pleasure - spend no time on management, just make sure you walk the same paths with ya doggy around it everyday and enjoying yourself - that will keep the paths clear

You could also have small parties with friends - collect fallen wood and have a sing song.
 

[bazzais]

(sorry that sounded flipant my last comment)

You can basically spend as many hours as there are in the day - its really upto you.  Its a tough job to 'do up' land and surroundings but I imagine that if its what you want to do the hours will fly past and be a great pastime (hobby) (job).

Personally I have both me and the misses working and a full time employee to maintain our smallholding.  Summertime is a full time job mowing and strimming, but we have a campsite and things need to look good right to the edges of the field and around stones and markers etc etc - the fields are 2 days work eachish twice a year.  Campsite needs doing twice a week.

[Foobar]

Maybe not chickens then! Don't want to commit to too much.

Nah, chickens are easy. Get yourself an automatic door opener and you never have to let them out or shut them in yourself.  Check feed and water every few days (buying large feeders/drinkers helps here), check for eggs daily.  Clean out as often as needed.  I think I spent about 10mins a day on my chickens on average, if that (whilst the dog goes and does his morning business ).


If you have grass you should to only mow occasionally .  Sheep, chickens, ducks, geese etc can do all that for you if you manage them right.  Hedge cutting is a pain, and I don't think there are any animals you can employ to do that for you alas.  You need to think about why you are mowing/cutting/strimming - are you doing it just to make it look tidy?  Remember that lots of wildlife thrives in the less tidy areas...


Pigs are great but will take up a lot of your time with their daily feeding (unless you have something automatic) ... also you will waste a lot of time sitting and watching them (although enjoyable).


I think woodland tasks are more winter ones, so that you are not disturbing breeding birds etc, and you can see the wood for the trees when they are not in leaf.  So you could be twiddling your thumbs in summer in a woodland.


Reading up on permaculture will help you minimise the time and effort involved in doing routine things, if you plan it right from the outset.


Holidays - what are they again?  Haha. You need to find a relative / friend / trusted person to house sit when you go away if you keep any livestock, or a kind neighbour who can look in on them (in return for some produce).