4/5 acres of bad land - worth anything?

nutjobb

I have an option to purchase 5 acres of poor land cheap. It is hilly and overgrown with a stream flowing through it.

How could I make money from it?

Planting I believe requires 10 acres?
Land fill not suitable because of stream?

I can't think of any way of putting it to use.I am not a farmer and do not own other land/animals but the option to purchase is going with something else I am buying.

blindside88

Is it adjoining a house you’re buying? If you want to use it yourself, a couple of pigs will clear out the overgrowth in no time. If it’s adjoining other land you could potentially rent it to a sheep farmer as they can deal with poor quality land

grimbergen

Sounds suitable for forestry - native woodland plantation maybe. No minimum size for that and will give you a good return in the premiums. Give a forestry company a shout

JoeCasey

If the streams flow is large enough you could get a micro hydro plant.

nutjobb

thanks lads,

Yes ajoining the house alright. Will look into both of those, there is sheep a few miles away alright.

funkey_monkey

If it is cheap, even if you done nothing it will make a good neighbour. I presume as your house is adjoining, then there is a possibility of an a site on this property too?

5 acres is still a sufficient amount to rent out to a farmer even if for a small amount just to maintain it. You could plant some of the farest away if you want. Would not want a full forest right up to my boundary.

Micro hydro is a distant possibility. Not sure about the area you are in but if you are not a farmer you could try to get one installed and sell back into the grid. I'd imagine it would cost a lot more than you would imagine. Dept might not like you messing about with the water course. Plus, when you get the Gov involved costs can spiral.

If you are meat eaters you could put in a pig or two or some sheep. Your butcher should be able to arrange slaughter and butchering for you. Sell him 1/2 carcass keep the other half for yourself. We have done that and it works out well.

grassroot1

You could leave it to nature

my3cents

How will the extra land affect the value of your house?

funkey_monkey

grassroot1 wrote: »

You could leave it to nature

Would not want that beside me. Fella near us moved away and left it to nature.
Sounds like a great idea, but within a few years it became overgrown and a complete hash. Even if you leave it to nature it will still require tending to. Most land requires some type of management, you just need to find the most suitable for the amount of time, money and effort you are willing to put in.

80sDiesel

Plant your own native forest to enjoy in years to come. Some birch, oak, Aspen , wild cherry, mountain Ash scotch pine. Would be a nice little project and would give you decades of pleasure. You'll be remembered years after we are all gone.

Genghis Cant

nutjobb wrote: »

thanks lads,

Yes ajoining the house alright. Will look into both of those, there is sheep a few miles away alright.

At least if you buy and own it you can control what happens there.
It may keep some other nutjobb out of it :-)

Say my name

I think there's a forestry for fibre scheme that can cover plots of 1ha up?

Anyways if in the southeast or south maybe eucalyptus.

https://dplant.ie/eucalyptus/

wildwillow

If it is actually a good price and you can afford it, My advice would be to buy.
You have had some good lifestock suggestions.

Plant some of it with varieties of willow suitable for basket weaving. You could harvest it and sell it to craftspeople. Or you could learn to weave and make some baskets or sculptures.

The different colours would look wonderful and it would thrive in damp ground.
Cutting it frequently keeps the area in check. Could also use as renewable source of firewood if we are still allowed to burn it.

Markcheese

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Would not want that beside me. Fella near us moved away and left it to nature.
Sounds like a great idea, but within a few years it became overgrown and a complete hash. Even if you leave it to nature it will still require tending to. Most land requires some type of management, you just need to find the most suitable for the amount of time, money and effort you are willing to put in.

Depends what you want of it really, it might look a bit rough, won't do the wildlife any harm...