[downtoearth]

Well folk as Im now starting a new chapter in my life, Im trying to work out what to do and what I want.  A plan is needed....!
I have a 1.1/2 acres of garden here.  which on my own is too much for me to manage myself, it has the most wonderful views and I love it.
But being a realist I know it will get me down if I dont feel I'm in control and doing a good job.  I've had to give the hens away as I couldnt go anywhere. Would like to get more again at some point.
I have seperate accommodation so wondered if anyone would like to go into business with me? Someone who doesnt depend entirely on it as I dont think it will make a lot of money. I have a polytunnel and ideas and enthusium.
Is this completely barmy? I really dont want to have to sell, but will need to take some action.

[Greenerlife]

I don't see why not.  It's a woofing kind of thing isn't it?  Exciting to be going in a completely different direction isn't it?

[doganjo]

Don't understand getting rid of your hens - if they are in a secure fox proof pen and have plenty food and water they can be left for a few days at a time.  Heras panels are cheap and climb proof.

I would think a lot of folk in your area might be interested, so why not put a small ad in the Courier, or in a local shop?  Sounds a good idea to me, you could then have other animals.

Get a local handyman to make raised beds for you - not 6 inch high ones, 2 or 3 feet high so you don't have to bend and weeds are less likely to get in them. (my window cleaner was short of work and did mine fro £7 an hour)

Put up posts in the corner and staple netting all round and over the top to protect veg and fruit from birds.

[Wee Eck]

Hi 
  I think that is a good idea Downtoearth as no point in waiting until everything is on top of you.  I think you would have been better keeping your hens too and if you could have increased their run space that would have been less ground to worry about. We built all our chicken runs from timber but if I was to start again I would go for the heras fencing too as it really is so easy and not any more expensive. I am sure as doganjo said if you put an ad in the courier someone will jump at the chance and the high raised beds is an exellent idea.
Hope you get something sorted out soon

                       Eck 

[NormandyMary]

Not sure where you live, but wondering whether your unwanted land could be parcelled off into allotments to rent out to local folks. Surely all you would have to do is make sure that water is available. Great way to meet people too.

[AnnS]

What about that land share site, might be someone local interested.


AnnS

[Ina]

What about that land share site, might be someone local interested.


AnnS

I was just going to suggest this when your post came up... You might even find somebody who is interested in taking up your spare accommodation as well as land. If you were nearer here I would possibly be interested!

[SallyintNorth]

You could register as a WWOOF host and see who turns up...  The friend I bought the moorland farm with said that all the really good people she had taken on on her previous farm had arrived as WWOOFers.  (And that's how I'd met her, too.)

[Ina]

You could register as a WWOOF host and see who turns up... 

Don't you have to be registered organic to do that?

[downtoearth]

I thought that you had to be registered organic too.  As far as the hens are concered, I have herras fencing but cant bear to clip their wings so they regularly flew out! Always liked to shut them in as foxy is quite often hear and they didnt all go into the coop, so could be left out if had an automatic door.  Could put in advert. Tried that on gumtree that it didnt come to anything. Have asked around locally but folk look at me strangely -  as if - who in their right mind would want to do that!!  Think we are rare breeds ourselves!!

[Fanackapan]

I think you did a wise thing here by tossing your idea out to like minded folk, trouble is we aren't on your doorstep so can't be of real help. Next thing probably would be to find someone with the same interests/ideas as yourself locally . Do you have allotments locally - maybe someone there would like a bigger challenge than their own plot or maybe gardening clubs try approaching the committees with a plan to 'sell'.
I agree with you about the hens if you feel at the moment that you can't care for them up to the standard you like then rehoming was sensible. However that may be another avenue you could explore, there could be folk out there who would like to keep hens themselves but have no space to do so, you could mark out plots for them to have as hen pens and source heras fencing/roofing as a group and maybe cut costs.
You have started thinking of ideas now I think you need to look in the right places for the right people to join you in a venture.

[SallyintNorth]

With the proviso that I am no longer involved in running WWOOF, so you'd need to check with the current PTB, you certainly didn't have to be registered organic, no.  You absolutely did have to be right-on, environmentally attuned and sensitive, etc.  But a high proportion of WWOOF hosts are too small for it to be practical to be registered organic.  So long as whatever you are, or aren't, is properly and openly written up in your entry in the guide, then it would be up to WWOOFers to decide whether they do or don't wish to WWOOF at your premises.

In the first instance, as a prospective host, you would contact WWOOF UK and discuss with them - by email perhaps, at first - whether you would be likely to be acceptable as a host.  If you use a lot of Roundup, it's probably not worth opening a conversation with them, but if you lean towards organic / sustainable / permaculture type principles, then I'd say it was certainly worth discussing with them.

[Fleecewife]

As Sally says, you don't have to be registered organic for Wwoofs - how could you be as many people who take Wwoofers have only gardens.  The registration schemes are geared towards commercial enterprises.  So I think you just have to work according to general organic principles.
If you don't feel you are suitable for Wwoofs, there is a similar organisation called helpX where visitors can help in the garden, with the livestock and so on, but will also help with general work.  Each person says what their skill is and you say what you have to offer and the kind of help you need (without laying yourself open to exploitation) and you fix things up between yourselves.  It doesn't cost you anything to be a host.  Worth a try?  (when you google helpX there seems to be another similar site, helpex or similar, so avoid that)
 
By giving one of these schemes a try you will see how well you cope with sharing your home and enterprise with strangers, before you commit to going into business long term, where you might think the person you are going to share with is wonderful for the first 3 months, but then you fall out big time.

[downtoearth]

Excellent advice as always, thanks. I do believe in organic and permaculture principals so no problem with lots of chemicals etc. Will look into woofing, am used to sharing my home as ran a b&b for many years.  Pretty good at sussing out folk, well so I thought!! Would prefer not to share but would if had to.  Just rather work with someone likeminded. Not a big pool of folk here but will give it a shot again.

[Ina]

As Sally says, you don't have to be registered organic for Wwoofs - how could you be as many people who take Wwoofers have only gardens.

Ah - I thought wwoof stood for willing workers on organic farms... So I was expecting it had to be a farm, even if a small one.