I was born in a place (not a smallholding) with about 1-1.5 acres including a pony paddock that was let for sheep, an orchard and 2 massive veg beds that my mum managed to get a heck of a lot out of to supplement my dad's non-income. We had apples, plums, berries, she was always out in the veg whenever possible and made jams, chutneys, pickles etc. My brother kept hens for eggs (not very well but he paid "rent" in eggs) and we occasionally had the neighbours' ponies in either tethered on the grassy unfenced areas or in the old stable. I'm pretty sure she had a great network of barter transactions going on but it was just village norm at the time.
My first "own land" was 7 acres and a wee brick outbuilding I converted to stables and stores for the 4 ponies I had, which became 13 and a fair bit of rotational stubble grazing and swaps with another farmer for tups grazing my land against ponies on a grass hill in winter after the stubbles were ploughed. I had a half acre garden and grew fruit and veg there, in a limited way as I was in full time work, but couldn't help myself
Then moved here 12 years ago, 10 acres mostly grass plus a mature apple and plum orchard with one crab apple and a now defunct cherry which now has a young damson in its airspace, various berries and such and 4 veg beds, a growing herb bed "kitchen garden" and a pole barn which has now seen better days but still does for handling and foaling etc. Most of the 12 years I also had a 20 acre hill field on a long term grazing lease but lost it after 9 years at very short notice
and I really miss the space if not the frequent driving in winter particularly.. Current stock is the Highland Pony stud (12 including stallion, breeding mares, youngstock and a couple being prepped for sale) plus 24 hens and a cockerel and a 3 cat vermin control team
I'd like the 20 extra acres back but in reality would struggle with the field maintenance work/costs and the temptation to run on those few youngsters or buy in that nice broodmare or otherwise expand beyond my now non-existent means
so I'm probably best focusing on what I have and will shortly probably have to reduce to minimal livestock and sell up anyway. I've been taking down a tree or two (40 year conifers that are more hazard than windbreak to the house now) for wood and safety, and plan to replace them over time with willow or some other more lightweight windbreak hedging that I can maybe coppice and continue to take firewood from. Not really got that far. If I had the money my next investment would be a polytunnel so I could make better use of the veg beds in a. the Scottish climate and b. the presence of free ranging hens which now make crop protection more of a job than when I only had pheasants, wild birds, bunnies and misc slimy and creepy things to contend with
When I dreamed it was always of 50 acres or thereabouts, tho I've looked at 15-100 over the years.
Topic: just as a average (Read 6277 times)
