This Smallholding Life – Book

(4 customer reviews)

£8.99

paperback ISBN: 978-1-8380010-0-1

5 in stock

Category:

Description

So, are you thinking of buying a place in the country and growing your own vegetables, and keeping a few hens, sheep, pigs or even bees? Are you looking to turn your new life into a successful enterprise?

In this book, Adrian draws from personal experience to take you through the highs and lows of life on a smallholding, and how small or quick decisions can have a major impact on your life. From the depths of losing a cherished animal to the highs of making your first sale, this book takes you on a fascinating journey.

A real insight into smallholding life. It describes many of the challenges you will face – physical, mental and financial. This book offers guidance on what is really involved and what you need to think about when moving into this life. It will inspire you to take the plunge, but with your eyes open. In this book,

Adrian will show you how a bit of planning can go a long way, how the key to this life is finding the right balance for you and how this smallholding life is a life worth living.

Note – shipping to UK and EU only.  For purchases elsewhere, please purchase the book from Amazon.

4 reviews for This Smallholding Life – Book

  1. Chris Thompson (verified owner)

    Over the years I have ready many many books on smallholding life. These all seemed to fall into one of two types of books. The instructional manual that tells you all the facts you need to now to run your smallholding. Bit like a Haynes car manual. It all looks clinical and easy, but in real life, the nuts are corroded, and nothing comes apart in the way the manual shows you. The other type is the storybook, full of fun anecdotes about small holding life, which is entertaining to read, but limited in factual detail.

    I feel Adrian gets the mix of fact and anecdote spot on. There are chapters what it costs to keep livestock, equipment needed, amount of land needed and so on, but also mixed with real life experience, what it’s like to look after sheep, bees, veg plots and so on.

    I had to ration myself to one chapter per day otherwise I would have consumed the book in one reading,

    Definitely a 5 star read.

  2. Patricia McIntosh

    Good mix of facts and figures and real stories that can bring a tear to your eye or make you laugh out loud. I strongly recommend it

  3. Beatrix Lamb

    A refreshing read, different from other smallholder booksI really enjoyed this book because it mixes it real life anecdotes with information useful for someone thinking about moving to a smallholding. It is therefore very engaging and not “just another book about how to live off the land”. I found it also to be a very honest book in as far as it might even put someone off taking the leap into the smallholder life! It basically spells out that unless you have another job of some sort you are not going to make ends meet no matter how many eggs you intend to sell by the side of the road. I liked this approach because it encourages you to think very carefully before throwing yourself into investing in pigs, sheep, cows or whatever you have in mind. Personally I had absolutely no idea sheep were such hard work and for so little return! My eyes have really been opened, next time I drive along a road and see a field of sheep and lambs I will spare a thought for the farmers and shepherds working away behind the scenes for ridiculously long hours in all kinds of weather. I found the tables on “how much profit can be made” on each animal very illuminating. Also the charts on what each animal needs. It is certainly food for thought because I now know that the smallholder life is not by any means a cheap and cheerful life, it is quite an expensive life, especially at the beginning with all the infrastructure needing putting in place and investment in livestock. I can now see why many smallholders run courses or sell high value or unusual items, just to make their animals pay for their hay, let alone turn a profit. I would absolutely still consider the smallholder life, it has been a dream of mine for a very long time, but after reading this book I will now be thinking about ways to balance a part time job with running a smallholding as opposed to simply living off the land.

  4. Helen Hart

    Honest and PracticalFull of facts and figures, this book is what you need if you are seriously considering setting up a smallholding. Adrian doesn’t hold back with the reality of both the financial and emotional investment you will need to be a smallholder. It is refreshing to read about the mistakes made and occasional animal lost. I highly recommend this book.

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