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Welcome to Smallholding forum, Tell us a bit about yourself/Smallholding

  • 03-10-2011 2:26pm
    #1
    Mothman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,498 ✭✭✭


    Great to see this place up and running :)

    Not much time, so I'll be brief.

    Our little patch is part of a larger farm, so space is not an issue, but we had 2 Kerry cows. One milking with 8 month old heifer calf at foot. And dry cow due to calf around new years. The calf is separated at night and in morning I hand-milk one side while calf suckles other side.

    Pigs were slaughtered couple weeks ago, just brought them home to freezer :)

    Have a number of hens of various breeds, free ranging and recently hatched out 27 chicks of various breeds.

    Cows don't particularly like the hens :eek: and the hen roost is above the cows :eek:

    Harvest time with vegetables and fruit. Great spud crop, probably thanks to a cow manure and other crops such as swedes and brassicas did well also

    Finally wood is our fuel for cooking, and heating (water and space) in winter

    Found some pics I have online. Must get others

    2 cows and pony scratching for food.
    98959C109C8D4985A893F0F93EB01118-500.jpg

    The calf escaped to garden
    E6B5DB99FEFB4B93A13705B4481BDDF2-0000317152-0002065508-00500L-B0643B91A30F495B805B97620B4FBDAD.jpg

    Kiwis!
    C1DBE3A1F34D47E38627F65CD2726F91-0000317152-0002065532-00500L-83DC2A62D60842BCAB4C3C2B25E12078.jpg

    Wood store
    4D976CF15CAC463686FEE86EE2C039AE-0000317152-0002068710-00500L-DDA74F307BF34A198A19C686E605B5D4.jpg

    Hay Field
    68540CFE46B4426F98408643AE3A0E3C-500.jpg


«1

Comments

  • #2
    Ding Dong
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 230 ✭✭Ding Dong


    We have about half an acre back garden in which to use. We have the lawn area fenced off and the rest we call ‘the field’. In the field, we have a fenced run either side. One for our 3 embden geese, and the other for our 6 hens and pair of bantams.

    We have 5 ducks a mix of Campbells and runner w a fab - looking Saxony Runner drake. Ducks and geese stay in the filed but the hens have full run of the garden.
    A raised bed for some veg and an area down the end of the fieil where we have a fruit cage for about 6/7 different types fruit bushs. Also have apple. Pear, plum, juneberry and cherry trees.
    This year we built a glasshouse after our polytunnel kept collapsing in the high winds of winter. In this we have grapes, kiwi, salads, tomatoes, pumpkin, chillis and various house plants.
    Also have a half dozen fantail doves.
    When we arrived 5 yrs ago, all there was in the garden was half a dozen mature trees and lylandii hedging on the sides. I think the garden is a lot more interesting now!


  • #3
    Ding Dong
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 230 ✭✭Ding Dong


    a couple of piccys of my setup

    176716.JPG

    176717.JPG


    [MOD]Set images to display in post[/MOD]


  • #4
    Rovi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,570 ✭✭✭Rovi


    [MOD]Excellent idea for a thread, made Sticky.[/MOD]


  • #5
    arctictree
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,336 ✭✭✭arctictree


    Hey Mothman - good to see you here!

    So we are in a small cottage in Roundwood, Wicklow on one acre.

    We have 3 hens, a dog, and grow a lot of our own veggies. This year we had spuds, peas, beans and turnips.

    Had some borrowed sheep grazing our small field this year and intend to get into rearing our own soon.

    Great to see this forum up and going...


  • #6
    mountainy man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 985 ✭✭✭mountainy man


    Hi folks , I have a small cottage on two acres here in sligo, its high up and quite exposed am near a wind farm!. I have been completly renovating the cottage, it was derelict and had not been lived in since the early 80's. I moved into a very small caravan at the back of the house and started into it and am still at it five years later, presently am living in the extention I built onto the rear.

    I have 4 hens and a cockrel who free range in the orchard and veggie garden (only five apples and two plums so far but I call it an orchard:D) I grow loads of blackcurrants and gooseberries and blueberries , I have been planting loads of trees around the boundries as a shelterbelt and for fire wood , at the front of the house is an ornamental garden with trees, shrubs and every thing else in between. there are two paddocks of about 1/2 of an acre each and plan to get a couple of sheep sometime and possibly a donkey if diesel prices bon't come down! This winter I plan to plant a small area below the garden to coppice for firewood.

    I've been here for 5 years and to coin a phrase "a lot done more to do!":P

    026.jpg
    View from top of the mountain
    172.jpg

    144.jpg
    Veggie garden jan 10
    167.jpg
    Sorry that pics are too big , never done this before , oops


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  • #7
    Ding Dong
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 230 ✭✭Ding Dong


    arctictree wrote: »
    Hey Mothman - good to see you here!

    So we are in a small cottage in Roundwood, Wicklow on one acre.

    We have 3 hens, a dog, and grow a lot of our own veggies. This year we had spuds, peas, beans and turnips.

    Had some borrowed sheep grazing our small field this year and intend to get into rearing our own soon.

    Great to see this forum up and going...

    Hi Artictree, I saw on the farmining board you were looking at geting sheep. How did it work out? did u need to get fencing or was there some there. Any probs w escapees? u say they were borrowed. Did the owner look after drencing, health issues etc? I would love a few lambs to rear for freezer. Like you, Im up near Roundwood too so looking for someone with one or two fenced acres to rent. Its a great lifestyle looking after the flora and fauna


  • #8
    johngalway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,271 ✭✭✭✭johngalway


    mountainy man wrote: »
    blueberries

    How'd they do for you MM? Got my first blueberry plants last month!


  • #9
    arctictree
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,336 ✭✭✭arctictree


    Ding Dong wrote: »
    Hi Artictree, I saw on the farmining board you were looking at geting sheep. How did it work out? did u need to get fencing or was there some there. Any probs w escapees? u say they were borrowed. Did the owner look after drencing, health issues etc? I would love a few lambs to rear for freezer. Like you, Im up near Roundwood too so looking for someone with one or two fenced acres to rent. Its a great lifestyle looking after the flora and fauna

    Ah, just let the sheep in for a couple of months to keep the grass down. Was very hands off but want to try it myself soon. We had to refence one side of the field as the old fence was in bits. Yep, we love it up here, can be a bit mad in the winter though!!


  • #10
    Davenjulie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6 ✭Davenjulie


    Hi all,
    Mountainyman, that is spooky:eek:, you could have been writing about us. Been at our 2 acre plot for 5 years now. Lived in a small caravan for the first 3 while we renovated our cottage which hadn't been lived in since the eighties. We have 10 hens and are looking to get goats next year for milk and cheese, and have our first 2 pigs in the freezer.


  • #11
    mountainy man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 985 ✭✭✭mountainy man


    johngalway wrote: »
    How'd they do for you MM? Got my first blueberry plants last month!

    I put in my first plant a couple of years ago and the next year had a good crop the year after was not as good so I think a bit of feeding is required, have no problems with the fertilisation of the flowers as there are loads of the wild bilberries around.

    I put in three more last winter and the hares ate them to the ground although they have regrown and hopefully they will be fruiting next year, I have fenced off the orchard where they are to protect the hens during the day after a fox attack so I hope they will be safe now (both hens and fruit!).

    The hares were attacking my apple trees also, the little buggers :( I find that the blueberries dont have as good a flavour as the billberries but are much easier to pick. oh also acid soil is essential too.


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  • #12
    Fries-With-That
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 776 ✭✭✭Fries-With-That


    I'm delighted to see this forum has gotten the nod of approval.

    I look forward to reading all the posts and hope to pick up advice here and there for my 5 acres.

    I have tried fruit trees, 14 planted 2 years ago all eaten by wild deer, wild goats and hares. ( next year I'll fence the area before I plant trees again.)

    My little fruit bushes are doing ok without fencing , redcurrants, blackcurrants and gooseberries.

    My rhubarb crowns didn't even try to grow, and my onions were eaten by slugs.

    I have a mobile home on site but as of yet haven't got it in habitable condition.

    Its a learning curve and I'm still at the bottom.

    Fries.


  • #13
    genie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 975 ✭✭✭genie


    First of all, many thanks to whoever it was who approved the smallholding forum. :)

    I have between half and three quarters of an acre - half is a paddock and half is the cottage's back garden. The back garden is divided in half - half is lawn and flowers/herbs and the other half is veggie garden with raised beds and a small polytunnel. This year I grew carrots, cauliflower, onions, and garlic. In the polytunnel, I grew cauliflowers, courgettes, and salad. I also have blackcurrants, gooseberries, summer and autumn raspberries. I also have two young apple trees. My garden is shaded on one side by tall, mature, trees, so I can't grow tomatoes. :(

    I have four hens which free range in the paddock.

    Next year I will be extending the herb garden, planting more fruit bushes, paving an area of the back garden, and trying potatoes somewhere.

    :)


  • #14
    johngalway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,271 ✭✭✭✭johngalway


    mountainy man wrote: »
    I put in my first plant a couple of years ago and the next year had a good crop the year after was not as good so I think a bit of feeding is required, have no problems with the fertilisation of the flowers as there are loads of the wild bilberries around.

    I put in three more last winter and the hares ate them to the ground although they have regrown and hopefully they will be fruiting next year, I have fenced off the orchard where they are to protect the hens during the day after a fox attack so I hope they will be safe now (both hens and fruit!).

    The hares were attacking my apple trees also, the little buggers :( I find that the blueberries dont have as good a flavour as the billberries but are much easier to pick. oh also acid soil is essential too.

    Have a read of this below, it might help with the hares in future ;) (The bit about the paint).

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056222994

    No shortage of acid soil around me :pac: Though I still have them in the pots and they're not looking too clever at the minute :o


  • #15
    mountainy man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 985 ✭✭✭mountainy man


    johngalway wrote: »
    Have a read of this below, it might help with the hares in future ;) (The bit about the paint).

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056222994

    No shortage of acid soil around me :pac: Though I still have them in the pots and they're not looking too clever at the minute :o

    That is interesting, the little buggers also munch on witch hazel and rowans and a miriad of other things , couple of ounces of semtex in a pot of dulux should sort it :D , but seriously mught give it a go tis worth a try anyway.

    so whats up with your ones in the pots? they will be turning colour and loosing their leaves about now .


  • #16
    johngalway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,271 ✭✭✭✭johngalway


    mountainy man wrote: »
    That is interesting, the little buggers also munch on witch hazel and rowans and a miriad of other things , couple of ounces of semtex in a pot of dulux should sort it :D , but seriously mught give it a go tis worth a try anyway.

    so whats up with your ones in the pots? they will be turning colour and loosing their leaves about now .

    Not sure, possibly lack of water (or care :D), I'm going to take a couple of snaps tomorrow and post them up. Some of the upper stems aren't looking good nor some leaves either. I'd say they'll be ok once I get them out of the small pots and into the ground (fingers crossed anyway).

    I think it's the smell of the paint that the hares don't like.


  • #17
    corazon
    Registered Users Posts: 114 ✭✭corazon


    I am on 3.5 acres in Longford. Land is fairly good and we have a small stream on it. We have hens and ducks and a kitchen garden and polytunnel. Hope to get Dexter cattle and pigs in the spring. Looking forward to seeing the forum develop.


  • #18
    dm22
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭dm22


    hi have two acres (and sheds)with half being a walled garden. just starting of but hoping to get 2 pigs and a dexter with calf at foot come april/may, grew a few bits of veg this year spuds, peas, toms and lettuce but hoping to expand this next year with the addition of a pollytunnel.


  • #19
    colrow
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,141 ✭✭✭colrow


    Hi, me and my oh live on 5 acres in kerry, we've had a couple of meat heifers charolais I think, long gone now, then we had a couple of kerry cows with theirs calves, a few donkeys, we have 2 donkeys left, something happened (don't ask) and the cows had to go. I'm working away to pay for it . ;)

    I'm in the process of doing up the annexe as a holiday let.

    We've got an overgrown veg garden, and have loads of raspberries and currants.

    I let a neighbour use the fields for his sheep and cattle to keep my bit of Ireland well looked after.

    I enjoy watching what happens on the farming forum, hope this place goes well


  • #20
    eatmedrinkme
    Registered Users Posts: 33 ✭eatmedrinkme


    I'm on a smallholding in the Northwest, about 12.5 acres, of hilly, North facing, badly drained land, split into sizeable fields at present. It was mainly used as beef and horse pasture, and the pasture quality is good, but the walls are in wrack and ruin, and the fences are more in theory than in practice.

    We've been in foir 18 months, and are still sorting out the house, and the vegetable garden. Hopefully, by next year, we'll have sheep and either a house cow, or pigs coming on, with the chickens in this winter, all going well.

    We have badgers, deer, fox, pine marten (RIP our ducks) and rabbits roaming our land, and are currently in the planning stage for paddocks, native forestry, and a polytunnel.


  • #21
    bnear
    Registered Users Posts: 178 ✭✭bnear


    Hi
    I have about 10 acres in Louth, I've started a vegetable garden and have 3 apple trees. Also I've planted fruit bushes which have done really well and I make my own jam and this year made green tomato chutney, yummy. I've also made elderflower cordial and champagne, not very strong but very nice all the same !
    I keep hens and alpacas, I'm learning to spin so I can spin my alpaca fleeece and eventually have someone knit ( not my strong point) jumpers scarves, etc,. which I can sell. I would like to keep a couple of pigs for the freezer but have'nt got that far yet... lotta things I'd like to do in the future to be more self sufficient and I'm sure this forum will be a big help to people like me. :D


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  • #22
    adgsevans
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭adgsevans


    Hello , we have a couple of acres and have tried a few different things . We had a few lambs who are now in the freezer . 2 pigs who should be in the freezer soon . Also some ducks , chickens and of course turkeys .
    Also have the polytunnel and vegetable patch , looking forward to next year .
    I would be very grateful for some advice on the curing of our pigs as i would hate to do it wrong , they are nice animals . I was trying to post some photos but i cant seemto
    Nice to meet you


  • #23
    kellie1
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭kellie1


    Hi all
    This is great just what i was looking for:D. have just moved into our 4.5 acre small holding after 11 months of renovation! We currently have 3 horses and various breeds of hen, plus the usual 2 dogs and 3 cats!

    We have various shed, a pig sty, 3 span hay shed and are currently building 3 stables in an existing shed. Most of the sheds are pretty poor, original mud and stone walls! Hoping to renovate these in time!!!

    Managed to get 323 square bales of hay from our 'bottom' field which we felt very proud about. This is all new to us so it was quite a learning curve. I didn't sleep for quite a while worrying about when to cut the hay!!

    Still trying to come up with a plan as we want to try to make a little money off the land if we can. Will definately be having pigs and seriously thinking about some sheep!! Any advice....:confused:

    Can't wait to get the veg garden up and running have big plans for a polytunnel, fruit garden and orchard!!! Was laughing as the big saying here at the moment is that 'next spring we will......'! Think Spring is going to be pretty hectic.:p

    Great to read all the threads, look forward to more posts in the future!!


  • #24
    kerryted
    Closed Accounts Posts: 131 ✭✭kerryted


    Hi all
    We moved from the city out to the country a few years back to live the good life. We read a lot of these books on growing veg and it looked so easy and we looked forward to harvesting these lovely veg staight from the ground. we spent a fortune on raised beds and a large tunnel. We had lovely big spuds this year but some slugs got at them before we did ,our hens havent layed an egg in 6 weeks, we had plenty tomatoes peppers and chilles in the tunnel but they all rippened on the same day the 5 october . I go into the garden center and come out with a cure for everything and maybe 100 euro lighter on the pocket, but its all worth it at least i get a good farmers tan and the wife loves it, the tan that is


  • #25
    Askim
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 307 ✭✭Askim


    kerryted wrote: »

    our hens havent layed an egg in 6 weeks

    most hens stop laying in winter, except young hybrid birds

    A


  • #26
    bozd
    Registered Users Posts: 90 ✭✭bozd


    hi all,

    new here and see many interesting topics on this site.

    I bought in Wexford a 14 acre small holding 14 years ago and was inspired by Seymours book to try something different - showed my wife photocopied page on how to kill your hen after a day in the office and she thought I was mad when I said I want to do that.
    Well I still am!

    we have slowed down now, only have cats,hens and bees but will be hopefully getting cattle again soon.

    we have had in the past - goats, cattle, pigs, ducks, geese,turkeys and various shortterm visitors. over the years i have had wwoofers stay to work in our veg patch orchard, softfruit area and tunnel.also i am restoring the original farmhouse with limemortar.

    it is a great way to waste i mean spend your hardearned cash, i know we will never be self-sufficient but as my wife said on xmas morning going to dig the spuds - "everything else on the plate is home reared or produced i'm not using your ####in aldi spuds", which i had bought for 15cents.

    look forward to looking in how other people are coping with the daily challenges and rewards from what they do


  • #27
    frankie2shoes
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 391 ✭✭frankie2shoes


    we live on 2 acres outside kilkenny. house, garden and sheds take up one acre. we have successfully grown some veg, raspberries and blackcurrants. we have a couple of apple trees with nothing growing on them yet and some great heavy fruiting plum and pear trees. 3 hybrid chickens (got a little solar light for inside their coop to make them lay through the winter-some success there). Would love to get goats and pigs but herself is dead set against killing the pigs so kinda defeats the purpose really....
    a polytunnel would be great too when finances allow.
    great to see this forum. hopefully we can all benefit from it.
    joined my local giy (grow it yourself). could be helpful I think!!


  • #28
    Matt Care
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭Matt Care


    Hi

    55 year old bloke recently moved to near Ballaghaderreen in Co. Roscommon and bought an old 2 storey farmhouse in 2.5 acres. We (wife, builder and myself) have now restored the house to live-able condition and we are looking to use the land to create allotment, fruit orchard, some chooks and maybe a goat or 3. Not done goats before so we are off on a Goat Training course at a holding near Boyle, Saturday week.

    Cheers, everyone
    Matt


  • #29
    mountainy man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 985 ✭✭✭mountainy man


    Matt Care wrote: »
    Hi

    55 year old bloke recently moved to near Ballaghaderreen in Co. Roscommon and bought an old 2 storey farmhouse in 2.5 acres. We (wife, builder and myself) have now restored the house to live-able condition and we are looking to use the land to create allotment, fruit orchard, some chooks and maybe a goat or 3. Not done goats before so we are off on a Goat Training course at a holding near Boyle, Saturday week.

    Cheers, everyone
    Matt

    Hi Matt, welcome, Great plans for the land, do you have a link for the goat course, I would be interested in attending. thanks and good luck.


  • #30
    Matt Care
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭Matt Care


    This link may work, but I know that our date (Sat week) ended up oversubscribed so the people had to introduce a second date, which is 27th May. We found it via DoneDeal.ie typing in "goats Roscommon" and it was second page down in the queue.

    af16a6af-b2c9-4ca2-9632-785fcf638212@safemail.donedeal.ie

    Good hunting.
    Matt


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  • #31
    Matt Care
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭Matt Care


    Sorry - forgot to mention, holding where goat course happening is called "Harmony Farm" so you could probably google that too


    af16a6af-b2c9-4ca2-9632-785fcf638212@safemail.donedeal.ie

    Matt


  • #32
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Small beer here compared to others here; but a great amount of experience under my belt. Age and disability limit critter wise and also I am deeply involved in working to feed and support those in terrible need overseas ans here. By market trading to raise money ...

    Until ten years ago, I was on a small island, with a goat, two Jacob's sheep, a multitude of hens, geese, ducks, cats and I bred peafowl. And of course, all my vegetables and flowers etc.

    It was too far north to grow eg beans etc, and too windy for a tunnel.

    Now I have a large garden, between 1/8th and 1/4 acre, cleared two years ago but overgrown this year in places.. Nevertheless, it has fed me all year and also a great joy in selling plants from seed and cut flowers at market.. my main sales are hand knitting, hand made rosaries and gourmet preserves and various other bits eg baking...

    I am down in West Cork now and amazed at what will grow after life in the northern mountain. No tunnel or greenhouse but I manage well.

    Only critters now are two dogs and two cats, all rescued.. they keep the rabbits etc away.

    The garden is long and fairly narrow and the sun goes lengthwise up it so it is very warm in there between the hedges.

    Saving seed cuts costs and helps greatly.
    Am trying fruit, but the outlay on plants is too much now.


  • #33
    SligoEdo
    Registered Users Posts: 40 ✭SligoEdo


    Howdy,
    Living in Wicklow at the moment, in the middle of nowhere. At the end of this month, however, myself and her in doors are moving to a 12-13 acre small-holding in Co. Sligo.
    Half the land is bog, the other half currently has the neighbour's cows on it.
    At the moment we have 4 chickens (2 Blackrock and 2 Bluebell ), 3 Khaki campbell ducks and 4 cats.
    When we get to Sligo, we want to look at getting pigs, goats and maybe a few Dexter cows or something and probably some geese and more ducks and chucks.
    Hopefully, by about this time next year we will be supplying a majority of our own food or else getting very close to it.
    This is a great section to have on boards....I'm sure it'll prove very valuable.


  • #34
    mountainy man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 985 ✭✭✭mountainy man


    SligoEdo wrote: »
    Howdy,
    Living in Wicklow at the moment, in the middle of nowhere. At the end of this month, however, myself and her in doors are moving to a 12-13 acre small-holding in Co. Sligo.
    Half the land is bog, the other half currently has the neighbour's cows on it.
    At the moment we have 4 chickens (2 Blackrock and 2 Bluebell ), 3 Khaki campbell ducks and 4 cats.
    When we get to Sligo, we want to look at getting pigs, goats and maybe a few Dexter cows or something and probably some geese and more ducks and chucks.
    Hopefully, by about this time next year we will be supplying a majority of our own food or else getting very close to it.
    This is a great section to have on boards....I'm sure it'll prove very valuable.

    Welcome to the forum and of course to Sligo, your plans sound exciting, good luck with it. What part of the county are you moving to?


  • #35
    Matt Care
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭Matt Care


    Hi. I feel a bit cheeky welcoming you to Sligo too as I am in Roscommon (north end, so close by!) and I've only been here 5 minutes, myself. None the less, welcome and good luck. I like the bog idea. The chunk of land we bought excluded any bog area, though it's less than half a mile away down the hill. You can rent bog of course - a fellow smallholder-er says for about €300 rent and a bit of physical work, you can avail yourself of about €1000 worth of fuel, so the economics look quite good as long as you don't mind the work.

    So, we may be near-neighbours! Welcome
    Matt


  • #36
    SligoEdo
    Registered Users Posts: 40 ✭SligoEdo


    Cheers.
    I'll be up near Dromore West, so not to far from Easkey and the like.
    I believe there's some good fishing up there too...so I guess I'll be taking up fishing.


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  • #37
    Matt Care
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭Matt Care


    I'd be interested to know how you get on with the goats and pigs thing. They are both suggestions we've had and we went on a goat course but we have parked them for now as we seem to have so much else going on. We have, though, applied for our herd number and just recently had the DVO inspection, so we should get the number this week, if the fast-talking inspector guy is to be believed.


  • #38
    laoch na mona
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,966 ✭✭✭laoch na mona


    Hi
    not much of a holding yet as i am in college. I have a corner of my one acre field set aside for veg (horse occupies the rest) i grow spuds beetroot carrots salad cabbage onions
    i add new plants to the list every year this year i planted some apple trees


  • #39
    Chisler2
    Registered Users Posts: 438 ✭✭Chisler2


    I am thrilled to find this forum on Boards.ie. and want to introduce myself as I hope to get and give to other smallholders.

    A 65-year-old female 'Dub', I retired last year after 20 years working as a psychotherapist in the NHS in England (one of the thousands of economic migrants in the 1970's).

    My maternal grandmother had a garden in Inchicore and I planted and harvested vegetables with her from about age 4.............and loved it! My father planted up our half-acre garden in Dublin - roses, trees and protective privet hedge in the front, north-east facing aspect, and fruit and vegetables which we cropped (and fed a family of 5 on!) throughout the year...........and I learned from this. During my last 5 years of working life I had an allotment where in lived in England. Unfortunately my mother was at that stage in nursing care in Ireland and I spent a 'long weekend' every month so was not 'hands-on' enough to keep it weed-free and productive..........but I loved it and learned from it!

    Eventually free of having to be a 'day-labourer', with a pension and good physical health - thank god! - and time, I went and met a big handsome American hulk and fell in love with him and he with me. In June 2012 I came to the live on the prairie with him (he is a Professor of Economics) and we are surrounded by the US Grainbasket - beans on one side, corn on the other, hogs and feeder-cattle enterprise on a scale you would not believe (our next-door neighbour, an architect, owns an 800-acre farm which is managed by ONE EMPLOYEE with the kind of robotic planters, harvesters etc. which would strike terror! The American mid-west has also experienced the worst draught since 1930.

    ...........and for this Irish lass who has been in love with the mountains and coastline of Connemara since childhood, no mountains and no sea!

    So I am in the market for a smallholding in Mayo, Sligo or Clare, between 5 to 15 acres. My Significant Other reaches Senior Faculty Status in 18 months and will be free to join me for extended periods on the smallholding. I know there will be a lot to do but I can't wait. I love trees and yearn to plant an oak plantation. I won't be here to see it mature but it makes me very happy to contemplate the prospect.

    I have lots of questions and am so pleased to find a group of people who need to scratch a similar itch to mine, so to speak.


  • #40
    MickeyShtyles
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,371 ✭✭✭MickeyShtyles


    Hi, I'm a 20yr/old student studying Agricultural Engineering in Tralee IT.
    I'm working on a vegetable farm in County Meath. I help a friend out with a small plot he has with what I've gained from work.


  • #41
    marizpan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 443 ✭✭marizpan


    We have a house cow, bees, chickens, veg garden and pigs in our smallholding.
    As we have small children we feel like its a very good lifestyle and education for them.
    We recently started a blog about it...
    www.oursmallfamilyholding.blogspot.ie


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  • #42
    paulmcgrath
    Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭paulmcgrath


    I'm looking forward to dipping in here for advice over the next few months.

    Have big ideas.


  • #43
    Chisler2
    Registered Users Posts: 438 ✭✭Chisler2


    SligoEdo wrote: »
    Howdy,
    Living in Wicklow at the moment, in the middle of nowhere. At the end of this month, however, myself and her in doors are moving to a 12-13 acre small-holding in Co. Sligo.
    Half the land is bog, the other half currently has the neighbour's cows on it.
    At the moment we have 4 chickens (2 Blackrock and 2 Bluebell ), 3 Khaki campbell ducks and 4 cats.
    When we get to Sligo, we want to look at getting pigs, goats and maybe a few Dexter cows or something and probably some geese and more ducks and chucks.
    Hopefully, by about this time next year we will be supplying a majority of our own food or else getting very close to it.
    This is a great section to have on boards....I'm sure it'll prove very valuable.

    I wondered how you are getting on, a year after your post? I've just found a small-holding in Mayo so am particularly interested to have any detail about the difficulties, weather, time-scale you've set yourselves, and renovating a property to run the whole schebang from, which is my first task.


  • #44
    GS11
    Registered Users Posts: 385 ✭✭GS11


    Greetings from Offaly, I'm not sure I'd call what I have a smallholding, I have a house on approx 3/4 acres. We've been growing a lot of veg over the last few years, Spuds, carrots, parsnips, a lot of peas, beans, french beans, asparagus,jerusalem artichoke, onions, garlic, spinach, lettuce, cabbages(althought not very succesfully), slugs are a big problem. Built a greenhouse 2 years ago, so doing a lot of early veg in there and the usual tomatoes, peppers, aubergine and courgettes with varying success. This year I have 2 plots of various squashes and a pumpkin that I'm growing in a barrell. I have 2 fig plants in the greenhouse and a vine as well. Also Rhubarb and loads of strawberries, red currants and black currants. I had wonderful Rasberries last year but the plants died, bought some new ones in Aldi but they don't seem to be doing too well, I was a bit late planting them. Also have a couple of apple trees and pear trees.

    I'm going to be rearing a few pigs with 2 neighbours this year, thats something totally new for me, hopefully it goes well.


  • #45
    mick145
    Registered Users Posts: 85 ✭✭mick145


    We have 5 Aylesbury ducks and one Khaki cross mallard drake.
    We keep them in a disused hay shed

    I plan to get 5 Khaki's, 5 mallards and some runner ducks to increase egg production

    Would there be any way to entice aylesburys to lay eggs as they are not the best egg layers?


  • #46
    Moffett
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭Moffett


    Hi Folks, my wife and I have just moved into a new house near Union Wood in Sligo. Despite having both grown up on farms, we don't know much about raising livestock but hope to learn. We are fortunate enough to have 3 acres and had planned a small orchard to start, but having read some of the threads, I might have to re-think or initial strategy....the place is teaming with wild deer! After the orchard we intend on getting some pigs and some chucks. As for the rest, who knows? Now, I'm off to read some more posts on the forum, cheers!


  • #47
    Chisler2
    Registered Users Posts: 438 ✭✭Chisler2


    Welcome Mr & Mrs Moffat! What's the "lie" of your land? My own plans to put in coppicing and start an orchard this autumn (south-facing sloping land between one and two thousand feet, West Mayo) have had to be put on hold due to a broken femur. It will be interesting to discuss strategy and varieties next year and swap tips.


  • #48
    Moffett
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭Moffett


    Hi Chisler, south sloping, thick woods to the east. I have shelter from our house which would lie south of the intended area and a large shed to the north. We are not much over sealevel, I would estimtae 200-500ft! I have read the fruit tree hand book by Ben Pike ( seems like a good book for the novice ) and to be honest, the chapter about aspects and shelter was quite lost on me. Especially when he admitted himself, that the most successful areas were in the past, found by chance! He has outline diagrams about traditional wind breaks etc. My biggest worry is the deer. They are everywhere except inside the house! My soil sampling kit has arrived ( I'm in work today, and don't think I will be out much in that evening!) so I'm going to start there. I'm going to stick with something tradtional and hardy from a mid size stock. I have never grown as much as a daisy before this. My grandfather had a large orchard right beside the sea, it was felled when i was in my early teens for pasture. The neighbours orchard ( which I am told are from the same stock ) is still going strong, albeit unkempt and forgotten about. The land has since changed hands, so we no longer get any apples off it! After that, the chickens, and then maybe the pigs!...I nearly forgot to add 'get well soon'!...


  • #49
    micky mouse
    Closed Accounts Posts: 278 ✭✭micky mouse


    Those of you that grow your own vegetables,how do you store carrots for the winter,does cover them in sand work.Thanks


  • #50
    randomperson12
    Closed Accounts Posts: 226 ✭✭randomperson12


    hazel or nut bushes as i call them are great for hurdles and sticks


  • #51
    Nearly~November
    Registered Users Posts: 28 ✭Nearly~November


    Hello...Happy new year to ye! I'm an absentee (sigh) and am landless; but I'm setting the wheels in motion to move back to the North West (my native Donegal - or possibly Sligo/Leitrim) - build a house and establish a permaculture smallholding.
    ..Would love to pick people's brains and generally read your posts and ask questions if that's ok?!

    S.


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