[DIGGER]

Good morning,

Can anyone recommend any books or DVD's that deal with smallholding information/advice that are worth investing in. Things I hope to do are veg produce and keeping chickens,ducks,geese,goats,and pigs.

Digger.

[Hilarysmum]

I know its a bit twee but HFW  River Cottage Cook Book makes interesting and informative reading.

[pottsie]

Try John Seymour book on self sufficiency it's quite old but covers everything, there is also a self sufficient gardening book which is also very good.

Rob. 

[Sylvia]

I don't think you can do better than the River Cottage books to start off with. Dear old John Seymour, God rest him, makes it all sound too easy.Though his book was my bible back in the 1970/80's.

[Anke]

I have found J Seymor's a general intro, but yes he makes it all sound to easy and achievable, however I have found that daylength must have shrunk since his time...

Depends on what you want to do, and it is worth just checking out your local library first...

On poultry - anything by Kathy Thear is good and precise, on sheep Tim Tyne's book is excellent, on pigs I have used Carol Harris's book on traditional pigkeeping, on gardening you will find all sorts in the library and most will have some nuggets of info that is useful.... I have used (and own) MOnty Don's Complete Gardener, and recently bought Michael Littlewood's Organic Gardener's Handbook - v useful (bought via abebooks.co.uk), plus the Hessayon guides are good for diseases, if not for how to treat them.... On goats I have too many books already...., but "The new goat Handbook" by Ullrich Jaunas (via abebooks) is good.

and for general intro HFW River cottage cookbook is quite good, I go back and read the pig section every year just prior to slaughter day,

hope this helps, Anke.