[Chew On That]

Hello all,

We've just moved house and we've now got 9 acres of land in Somerset. So far we've just got our 2 horses and 2 dogs. We're looking at getting sheep and poultry. The sheep idea is mostly for grass maintenance purposes and so I've been looking at your website for information and ideas. So far it's been a big help and I'm sure I'll be asking lots of stupid questions, especially if I can't find suitable answers doing a search.

I'll have to get a veg patch dug and fenced off. I can't believe I'm already missing my old council allotment with it's rabbits, pigeons and draconian bye-laws. I'm sure once I've collected and composted enough horse poop I'll get a decent patch going despite the horribly thick clay soil we've got.

OK, back to work, it's not raining at the moment so I better make use of the good weather.

Cheers,

CoT

[Fleecewife]

Hi and welcome CoT  Your comment on missing the old allotment scored with me too.  We have lived on our smallholding for close on 17 years, but I still miss my allotments.  I couldn't wait to get away from all the old hitlers who ran the place, but I loved the cameraderie with other plot holders.  I also liked having a finite sized plot and when we first moved to the smallholding I can remember feeling completely lost trying to set up the veg patch - how big to make it, where to make it, how to make the edges, whether to enclose it - and who to gossip with    It was a kind of agoraphobia     I would hate to have to go back to an allotment now though.

[lill]

Hi and welcome from Falkirk/Bathgate 

[Mammyshaz]

Hi and welcome from Durham.    We only have allotments. Love them but dream of a place of our own. Good luck with your plot plotting. 

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome from Carnoustie 

[sabrina]

Hi and welcome 

[Chew On That]

 
That was a nice welcome. Thanks.

I've got so much work to do that I'm just not sure where to start. First thing is to get the stables built. I've made a temporary stable using a knackered old barn but I need to refurbish some old stone buildings to create proper shelter for the two horses.

I've also got to fence off an area for a coppice we are planning. Hopefully we can use that area for chickens and fruit trees too.

Then there is the fencing issue. Approximately 1km of boundary that is suitable as it is for horses but will need completely fencing off for sheep. I might just do electric fencing/netting and move this around the fields to keep the grass down.

I've got a field access gateway that I somehow need to repair. It's currently knee deep in mud so I need to build this up and create some decent drainage. The problem is that this access is over a stream so I need to repair the bridge too.

There are new field gates to install and the new veg patch to dig and fence off.

All this rain isn't helping me get any of this done though. I just want to get on with it.

[plumseverywhere]

Hello Chew on that

We're in Worcestershire - very soggy, big puddles and miserable animals 

Very frustrating when you just want to get out there and get on with stuff isn't it? I hate this weather now 

[Lesley Silvester]

   Hi and welcome from Shropshire.  NIce part of the world you live.  I used to be in Frome and drove through the Chew Valley a good few times.

[Fowlman]

Hi and welcome from wiltshire, living on chalkland we dont really get mud problems thankfully everything seems to dry out in 24 hours. Good luck with all your new land.

[Possum]

Morning Chew on That

I wondered how you were getting on with the setting up process? We are in exactly the same position as you and I feel just the same when it comes working out what to do first. We moved into a smallholding near Taunton about 3 weeks ago. It had been empty for eighteen months so everything is overgrown. I've just been out to buy a heavy duty brushcutter to start to tackle all the brambles.

If you don't fancy doing all the stockfencing yourself (1km is a lot), Taunton Fencing are very good. They do quite a bit of work in the Chew Valley and are professional and helpful. They have a website if you want to find out a bit more about them.

[lachlanandmarcus]

Bear in mind electric netting isnt too suitable for horned breeds or young lambies. Tacking stock netting along the existing fence if this is possible would be preferable.

I found when moving to 40 acres (!) that I found the veggie thing more manageable when I put in a few raised beds. It gives you a smallish defined area to cope with at first, and also the weeding is a lot easier.

[bigchicken]

Good morning & welcome from the bigchicken from Fife, Best of luck on your venture if I could give any advice it would be one job at a time and complete that job before starting another if possible.

[simba]

helloooo from sussex good luck with all your doing

[chrismahon]

Hi Chew on That and welcome to the forum. Horse manure will be good to break up the clay for drainage but for nutrition you can't beat matured chicken poo. Use sparingly. I'd run chickens on the intended veg plot for a year.