The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: Tillly on March 13, 2017, 02:08:11 pm
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I've been reading this site for a while so I thought I'd jump in and register.
I live in Staffordshire, and have a one acre plot of "land" attached to our house, which sits in 0.6 acres itself. Just the garden plot is enough to keep the wife busy.
"The Land" as we call it, was once planted all over with now 30ft Christmas trees, which about 25% of them have been cut down. These have been handy for firewood over the last 4 winters. I think we are down to our last 100 trees. The intention for us is to clear the land of trees, and grass it over. Then plant fruit trees at one end, and possibly build a stable at the other end. This is just so we can sell the lot on in 10 - 15 years to the horsey set, and retire.
Here to get some info on how to manage the land, and make it productive.
(http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac137/tillywolves/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG-20170308-WA0000_zpsnmjr1blg.jpeg) (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/tillywolves/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG-20170308-WA0000_zpsnmjr1blg.jpeg.html)
(http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac137/tillywolves/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG-20170308-WA0004_zpswlxtrfym.jpeg) (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/tillywolves/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG-20170308-WA0004_zpswlxtrfym.jpeg.html)
Rich
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Welcome! :wave:
This is just so we can sell the lot on in 10 - 15 years to the horsey set, and retire.
Oh well, at least you're honest! :roflanim:
You say you want the land to be productive in the meantime, but to produce what? (or doesn't it matter, as long as it's returning something?)
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Hello from Devon! Good luck with your long term plans.
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HI :wave:
First off, sell the surplus wood for firewood - we pay a lord's ransom to buy ours.
Second, don't cut down all the deciduous trees - choose some nicely shaped ones to grow on, without the competition of the conifers. They will add amenity to the land, and your horsey folk will need a bit of shade for their pets :tree: :horse:
A good crop to give you a return in a few years would be......Christmas trees :xmas: :roflanim: . Well, you know they'll grow and you could still clear the land a couple of years before you sell it.
Unless you intend to keep horses yourself, don't bother building a stable - it's expensive and in 15 years will be totally outmoded, and the wrong size for the new owners. They will simply pull it down and build a new pony palace.
Who's to say also that horses will still be in fashion, or affordable, that far into the future. People might want to buy your land to grow veg on, or to plant houses on, or perhaps for Christmas trees ;D . So I suggest you keep it flexible.
If I was going to spend the next 15 years living on a piece of land, then I would make it just as I want it, not to please some unknown person in the future. You never know, you might want to keep it as your own retirement home.
If it was me, I would turn it into a beautiful garden for flowers, trees, veg and wildlife. Funny, that's what I've done with my bit :garden: :bfly: :ladybug: :carrot: :apple: :tomato: :peas: :cucumber: :bee: :bee: :bee: :tree: oh and the odd :sheep: and :chook: .
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Hi there, Good luck with your retirement plan. Funnily enough we have a 2 1/2 acre field that I was considering planting Christmas Trees in. Does anyone have experience of this? We are in Aberdeenshire and the land is heavy clay. The field has a stream running through the centre of it and it's on a slight slope, so not an easy area of land to work.
It's out of sight of our house and next to a minor road so I wouldn't be keen to put animals on it. Certainly not my goats, as I reckon all the local kids would be feeding them crisps and sweets!
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Thats why Im here... just looking for ideas on what to do with it when I finally get round to clearing it.
I have a JCB that I have in the garden, i bought of a family friend for scrap value. Just trying to get it a little roadworthy before I drive it the 1/2 mile round trip to the land, down a bridle path. Going to use it to dig out the tree stumps, and do some levelling.
Oh, and there are plenty of horsey people round here who would love a plot of land with a house for their horses. :horse:
Thinking about goats or pigs to keep the grasses down. I've never kept aminals apart from chickens and dogs, so goats sound fun. For everything else I'm considering buying a very cheap compact tractor and a hammer flail to keep the bracken and brambles at bay. Need to replace the fences, put in a water supply, and run in a mains armoured for some power.
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Goats are great fun........they are also hard work, need very secure fencing and, ideally, need to be in sight of the house as if they can get into trouble be sure they will!!
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thinking out the box?!
have you thought of maybe putting a tent or shelter in the woods and renting it out to crazt city dwellers with 400 quid a week to spare for them and their crazy children?
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people on holiday spend more in a day than you can earn from lifestock or planting anything in a year