The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: iolaire on October 04, 2020, 09:56:30 am

Title: Back to the land
Post by: iolaire on October 04, 2020, 09:56:30 am
Hi

I’m Tez and I live in Moray with my wife, Sandra.  I’m originally from the West Riding where I grew up in a small farming community. Dad was a farm labourer and keen gardener throughout his life. I worked on farms until I was eighteen when I left to join the RAF, at home we kept two pigs and half a dozen geese in the orchard. Sandra is from Speyside and has done B&B for the past few years.

This year I extended my growing space by removing a rockery and re-vitalising the soil. My plan now we’re mortgage-free is to find a smallholding/croft in the local area and to expand into livestock (pigs and poultry) and Sandra wants to have self-catering pods on-site. We're not too profit-centred it's more living off the produce and selling any surplus rather than a commercial operation.

Looking forward to learning from this group and sharing our experiences.

Tez
Title: Re: Back to the land
Post by: Possum on October 05, 2020, 05:10:06 pm
Hello and welcome from a very soggy Somerset  :wave: .


Isn't it great when you finally become morgage-free? It sounds like you both have the skills and experience to make a success of smallholding. Do let us know how you get on and feel free to ask any questions.
Title: Re: Back to the land
Post by: Fleecewife on October 05, 2020, 05:47:07 pm
Hello and welcome Tez and Sandra.  Sounds like you've got it all planned out and also have the background knowledge to make your plans into reality.  I have a similar history - farming background and RAF, but I was that awful creature the Air Force WIFE  :o .  It didn't suit me at all!  We have been smallholding in the south of Scotland for the past 1/4 century, with sheep, geese and hens, veg growing and environmental work.  We used to have pigs but realised we didn't have room...we once had a turkey  :turkey: ;D
Title: Re: Back to the land
Post by: alang on October 05, 2020, 06:04:41 pm
Hi Tez

Welcome to the forum. In Moray here too and ex-RAF too. Did the Lossie/Kinloss base swap. Good luck on your search and hope to see your progression
Title: Re: Back to the land
Post by: iolaire on October 05, 2020, 07:13:03 pm
Thanks folks - we’ll see how things pan out as the COVID-19 thing isn’t helpful along with a surge in property prices just now. Quite content to sit it out until the right place comes along.
Title: Re: Back to the land
Post by: Rosemary on October 06, 2020, 09:37:50 am
Hello and welcome from  :sunshine: Carnoustie, where the flood waters are receding  ::)
Title: Re: Back to the land
Post by: Lesley Silvester on October 07, 2020, 05:59:08 pm
Hi and welcome from Shropshire.
Title: Re: Back to the land
Post by: macgro7 on October 07, 2020, 08:45:39 pm
Welcome from locked-down Leicester!

We are all either smallholders or wanna be smallholders - unfortunately since around June the farm and smallholdings have been in much more demand.
From very little nicenproperties for sale around Leicestershire there are now almost none...
In my family the last military connection was my grandfather - spent 5 years in the navy.