[doganjo]

probably more laughs are to come in this series with one aim MAKE JIMMY MORE MONEY

Wish I could come up with a money making scheme like that too

[bazzais]

The only way to make any money that I can see would be too rent your bit of land to another contestant

I will have to watch it sober to get a better picture of the program   - but I will be watching it again for a laugh.

I cant see any of the animals being contained in the fencing they erected especially goats its going to be mayhem when stuff starts escaping and generally ruining everyone elses 'patch'

The first thing I would have done would be to secure my boundary with stock fence - fences not only stop your animal getting out - but protect your land from animals coming in!!

I cant see them factoring in all the extra hidden costs when they work out who has made a profit, I suspect its pretty much impossible to make any money if they had to factor in the start up and equipment costs etc etc

Baz

[Sandy]

The animals will be so tmepted by all that lovely produce, I know, I know, they should grow an alternative legal erb!!!! there are loads of them about, Salvia for a start

[littlechick]

I watched it on iplayer and thought it was fab 

Although their fencing was just a joke!  How the heck they will last?!

I will be watching next weeks... glad the sisters went to 

[Elissian]

Was the tractor available with a choice of impliments, if so surely a post basher would have been the most sensible thing to start with, i expect next week we will see all the pigs running riot. if its meant to be a comidy show then its Ok.i'm suprised jimmy would put his name to it

[Fowgill Farm]

I watched this and i thought chance would a fine thing to start with a brand new kezza, free 4x4, free new tractor & implements!
You would have thought they would have done some smallholder reading up before going on this venture, River Cottage books at the very least! but they all seemed to have airy fairy rose tinted ideas about farming. Think they're in for a bit of a shock in future weeks. Glad the sisters went too but also would have got rid of the dopey pair with the allottment idea, they're just dreamers, could tell by the amount of sitting about they did. Like the geordies/mackims (not sure which) thought they had the right idea scavenging which is the sign of a true smallholder!

[bamford6]

the first thing to remember  jimmy went bust it was jami oliver who bailed him out .

[ellied]

In a word, hysterical

I will be glued to the series as I haven't laughed so much in ages or felt so knowledgeable by comparison - just as well I didn't apply tho

It's a bit much to be suggesting that novice farmers, given half an acre, can make a profit but I look forward to seeing how I've been going so badly wrong

I also look forward to all the pigs, sheep, goats joining forces to mangle the posh salad crops - if they even get a chance to grow before it all becomes a complete circus

As for renting pre-worked allotments, how is that different from a pick your own farm?  Wouldn't they be better with some fruit bushes and strawberries if that's what they're going to do?

Me I know nothing about how to make half an acre pay, tho I'd have a far better choice given a tractor, range of implements, the guy standing beside me teaching me the basics of operating machinery and so on, but from the catering tent it looks like they all get rent free accommodation and full board for the duration as well as the £1200 start up buying budget so if all that cost was factored in, plus things like vet costs, feed bills, foot trimming, worming, jagging, tagging - oh and the cost of all the training to get the skills they're being shown.. how easy then to make a half acre profitable?  Do any of them have food hygiene papers?  Will their caravans pass council inspection for the ones planning to sell food?  Or will we end up with a spin off of keen newbies buying up every half acre and throwing pigs and sheep on there in 3 days without a clue of the reality that is being cleverly ignored or "dealt with behind the scenes" on behalf of the contestants?

If I had been judging yes I'd have sent the sisters away but also the allotment folk that did pretty much nothing in 3 days, and the Geordies who got so caught up scavenging that they missed the point about animal enclosure entirely

God I'm so self righteous

[OhLaLa]

I'm just loving reading the feedback on this programme. Some good points well put.

And see ellied - I said you were too smart a bunny to be accepted! 

Anyhow, good the moany sisters went, let's hope it's the allotment pair next week.

[Frieslandfilly]

Well what can I say that hasn't been said already! I was looking forward to this programme and at the very least I might learn how not to do things  . The bit I couldn't understand was, is this half an acre a permanent thing or just for that week to show initiative, how are you going to be able to keep 10 sheep I think it was on less than 1/2 acre?? for more than a week or two. It was interesting to see the different idea's and I did think the chap that bought the old wood showed a bit of gumption, the two women, well actually just one of them got on my nerves from the beginning and they were the right ones to go. As for all that lovely machinery, where do I sign up for free use!! I did laugh though at the begining when they didnt even think of moving the trailer closer! And yes it will be interesting to see if thier fencing keeps the livestock in, but then we all know it wont!! I suppose it is entertaining, giving us all a good laugh, I couldnt belive the luck of the farmer who had a firefighter on hand when the hay caught either!

[Hilarysmum]

I hadnt realised it was only half an acre.  Not that I can grow even a lettuce to perfection, but would have thought a poly tunnel and designer veggies may have been the way to go if that is the total amount of land.  I had visions of 50 + acres.  I really must invest in a tele.

[bazzais]

Yeah just half an acre of really s**t land as well!!

The 'crop growers' would have been better off with a hand held rotavator and doing their rows sideways to the hill rather than up and down!! Or better still raised beds and just a few rows for spuds.

And yes - food standards, do they realise that they wont be able to just chop a sheep up and sell it down the market or pub at 'market prices'?

+If you only have half an acre then any animal on its own will eat all the 'free' grass in a few weeks, as has been mentioned.

They would be better off putting the £1200 startup cost in the bank, then sitting back in the caranvan, watching the views and everyone else struggle and loose money - but then thats no really a show is it!?

Baz

[silver swan]

Hi All,

Like the rest of you, I have been racking my brains as to what I would have done..............Until now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) Rung up 6 friends/rellies offering 'Gettiing Started in Smallholding'  weekend/day courses at £50 per person per day (based on what I have to pay for a felt making workshop for example). Lunch and homemade bread included 'cos as was pointed out to us 'dummies', soup is cheap.

Day 1 - Trainees learn how to make raised beds and frames for netting/fleece etc; erect decent electric fencing for poultry; plough
Day 2 - build/modify sheds for poultry/ collect birds etc etc etc (& actually sow some seeds!)

Of course, my role would be mentor/guru (know diddly squat really - well maybe a bit), offering words of encouragement "it's a learning curve" (hate that phrase) and "think how fit you're getting in all this fresh air", all the while not shedding a drop of sweat myself/getting ratty/pissing off my OH who would be in the caravan sleeping/watching the racing, AND.............with £300 in the coffers.

What d'ya all think?  Would it work??? 

[Fleecewife]

That's brilliant Silver Swan - I love it    Real lateral thinking.

[OhLaLa]

Well, watched the 2nd programme and it made no mention of last weeks task so guess each week has a topic of it's own and previous tasks are no longer under observation (or in existence!) by the 'judging panel'.

Looks like it's all filmed at Jimmy's local agricultural college (it's in the credits and Jimmyboy said somewhere he only has to commute a few miles down the road to film).

This weeks topic was nonsense. When starting up in this smallholding lark the first thing I did was urgently go and buy myself a pig board so I could show pigs. Not.

And as for the guy last week that went around a load of outbuildings scavaging - I would do my nut if I found anyone sniffing around my property. 

To sum up, this programme is utter cr*p.

Disclaimer: this is my opinion, other opinions may apply