[dduxbury]

Hi, I'm Dave from Lancashire, not yet a small holder but am seriously thinking about it. I love reading about the exploits of different people and am learning from all of your mistakes and advice, thankyou all very much. I have been thinking about it even more lately, I grow my own veg and fruit at the moment but because we still live in a local authority house I am not allowed to keep animals. Please keep writing in I do love reading all your trials and tribulations and more so your success stories,   good luck to you all

Dave

[faith0504]

hi and welcome from moray  , our dream came true im sure yours will too 

[Rosemary]

Hi, Dave and welcome  from Carnoustie

Good luck with your ambitions!

[feldar]

Hi from the New Forest   sometimes reading the trials and tribulations of our gallant smallholders is a lot more fun than actually experiencing it for real. i am sure your fruit and veg give you just as much trouble and strife as our four legged friends do, so join in share that knowledge with us.

[Roxy]

Hello from Derbyshire.

We started with a little cottage, and just a third of an acre, and rented a field for the ponies we had at the time......We managed to buy the field, and our one goat and a few hens is now 16 goats and 8o hens (plus a lot of other animals)

Smallholding can be just that - small!!  I am sure growing your fruit and veg gives you a sense of achievement. 

[dduxbury]

thanks for all your encouragement, yes I do enjoy growing my own fruit and veg and like some of you, yes, I have had my up's and down's.

[calamityjane]

have you thought of asking your local farmer about renting a field, we rent a small field and keep some lambs in it its about 5 miles away.  You could maybe kept hens its pretty easy to keep them.  i'm lucky i have 5 acres of land we bought we got lola from a housing estate she was a bully, the lady kept 6 hens lola has settled down and has met her match lol.  seen on telly hugh fernley whittingsal has a land scheme maybe someone near you  might be on it and might  have a large garden on countryfile young lad  started keeping sheep in a friends garden he moved on to renting land might be an option good luck i'm loving having animals got a pig to fatten too hopefully i will be fine when its time to say bye. hope this has maybe given you some ideas jane

[NormandyMary]

Its such a shame that you cant even keep a few chooks in an enclosed run. They dont make much noise, nor do they smell...much! I really hope that you manage to fulfill your dream very soon.

Mary.