[bloomer]

Based on a few things i have read on here and been thinking generally, what are your rules for smallholding you live by...

For when i get land,

Rule 1, it must be edible or able to produce edible stuff to be worth keeping.

[HappyHippy]

No matter how long you think something's going to take or cost to do - double it 

All emergencies (smallholding related) WILL take place when you're on your own, in the middle of the night and normally in the pouring rain 
Karen 

[tizaala]

And vets can only be called after midnight on a bank holliday or over Christmas, according to our animals.

[FiB]

.. the normal rules of 'clutter' do not aply.  Do not throw anything away. Even if you do not know what it is.

Those 10 rusty gates that we tut tuted about  and pulled out of the land in our first year (they were litteraly ambedded)and were going to take down to the scrap man.... are now lashed together with baler twine as our penning system!!  (couldnt afford hurdles).   Neccesity IS the mother of invention!! (or modification)

[Fleecewife]

I like the one about leaving the land in better condition than you found it.  Also that we don't own the land but are just temporary caretakers.
Because of that I think it is very important to build up the condition of your soil by the application of manure, to plant trees and hedgerows, to care for the other inhabitants of the land such as animals and native plants and to deal with pernicious weeds.  We have turned a bare acreage simply fenced off from the surrounding land into a well-organised smallholding, which someone else can enjoy once we have finished with it ie once we're carried off in our boxes 

[suziequeue]

Join TAS

[robert waddell]

fleecewife that should be the aim of every owner of land
the most important rule   don't have rules

[SallyintNorth]

Rule 1, it must be edible or able to produce edible stuff to be worth keeping.

My version of this is 'no freeloaders'.  Cats must catch vermin; dogs work sheep, catch rats, rabbits, chase foxes and / or guard; pigs must breed or be meat; sheep ditto (unless stupendous fleece for handspinning, I guess), etc.  The ponies do not yet comply with this rule, through no fault of their own - so that's my justification for prioritising their training this year!   

We do, however, allow flowers which simply feed the spirit.    And I suspect the pigeon pies will be a lucky side benefit of some other things which feed parts other than the alimentary tract.. 

[Small Farmer]

the most important rule   don't have rules

Yup

[Lesley Silvester]

Barter as much as possible.

[Fowlman]

No1 rule...enjoy it, no point otherwise.

[VSS]

 'no freeloaders'. 

Agree.
Go for as much space (land, greenhouse, polytunnel, house etc) as you can afford. You will always fill the available space!

[TheCaptain]

Mine, unfortunately, is don't rely on anyone but yourself to achieve something.

Also, when stuff goes wrong there is no point in gettng mad about it, just take a deep breath and approach a solution with as open a mind as possible - us smallholders are adaptable!!!

[littlelugs]

i got a morbid one- just when everything is going great something will drop dead or as my mother would put it where there's livestock there's deadstock.

sorry warned it was morbid just always seems to be the case

[YorkshireLass]

I was just going to say something similar - sooner or later something will die because of something you did or didn't do.
Pick yourself up, learn from it, and don't take it as the end of the world.

also, don't be afraid to ask the really stupid questions