How a forced change of direction flowered into an income - and a passion
The Country Smallholder|Spring 2024
This month we meet Dawn Pearse whose need to avoid sunlight due to developing Lupus) led to a quite different way of managing her smallholding...
How a forced change of direction flowered into an income - and a passion

Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, is a surprisingly common illness, with 1 in 1000 people in the UK thought to have it. It causes joint/ muscle aches and pains, rashes, depression, inflammation, and extreme fatigue, and with 60% of sufferers having light sensitivity, it is not an ideal illness for the smallholder!

Dawn Pearse's Lupus began several years ago and in keeping with many smallholders hit with ill health, she and her husband John continued to manage their commitments (sheep, horses, pigs, poultry plus a very productive vegetable area) as best they could. Gradually though, as Dawn's illness became worse (she suffered a systematic breakdown) alongside looking after elderly relatives, their five-acre smallholding was scaled right back to the horses and just a few poultry plus with their daughters leaving home, a much smaller veg plot.

LOCKDOWN DAHLIAS

When Covid hit, as with a lot of smallholders, life took on a slightly surreal, stress-free existence. Those of us with land were lucky to have the space to relax, and with livestock to manage, enough to do to stop us becoming bored or frustrated. And so it was with Dawn and John. During the first lockdown, Dawn decided to grow a few dahlias in some of the land vacated by her reduced veg growing. With 35 years of gardening experience (both professional and at home), this proved a real success, and having posted a few photos on Facebook, people then started to ask if they could buy them (the flowers, not the photos). In Dawn's words: 'Following those first few enquiries, I then kind of fell into the idea of growing to sell.' She spent a very intense three months researching and learning (lockdown proving a particularly useful time to do so) and joined a variety of groups and forums including 'Flowers from the Farm' and 'The Best Bunch' (membership associations for cut flower growers in the UK).

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Spring 2024 من The Country Smallholder.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Spring 2024 من The Country Smallholder.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE COUNTRY SMALLHOLDER مشاهدة الكل
How to Buy a Smallholding in France- Long-time smallholder Lorraine Turnbull looks at the practicalities of moving to rural France
The Country Smallholder

How to Buy a Smallholding in France- Long-time smallholder Lorraine Turnbull looks at the practicalities of moving to rural France

Aspiring smallholders are continually thwarted by the prices of smallholdings and property with land located within the UK. Even the humblest croft in Scotland comes with a substantial price tag and conditions which would make even an adventurous wannabee consider carefully. But all is not lost. For those willing to take the adventure of a lifetime, there is always Europe, and one of the most popular places is France.

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2024
Meet the Bournemouth goats and their supporters
The Country Smallholder

Meet the Bournemouth goats and their supporters

These capricious animals are hard workers preserving the natural habitat

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2024
Still warm enough to sit outside with a Pizza
The Country Smallholder

Still warm enough to sit outside with a Pizza

Henrietta Balcon uses fresh figs to create an unusual dish at Harvest time

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2024
Goodbye to the birds of spring and summer
The Country Smallholder

Goodbye to the birds of spring and summer

If you look and listen you might be able to see them preparing to leave says The RSPB

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2024
Get ready for the colder weather in the warmth of late summer
The Country Smallholder

Get ready for the colder weather in the warmth of late summer

Claire Waring advises on doing the best to make sure your colonies survive until next spring

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2024
Preparing the Veg Patch for Winter
The Country Smallholder

Preparing the Veg Patch for Winter

Lee Senior says, a well-run plot can excitingly continue to produce good quality, tasty, fresh food for much of winter

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2024
Time to prepare to plant your orchard
The Country Smallholder

Time to prepare to plant your orchard

Wade Muggleton, smallholder and author of The Orchard Book, shares his practical experience so you can create your own fruit collection

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2024
Choosing feed for the autumn
The Country Smallholder

Choosing feed for the autumn

As autumn approaches, Joanna Palmer, nutritionist at the Smallholder Range, offers advice on choosing the right feed to support your adult birds through their annual moult and ensure your young birds grow and finish well at this time of the year.

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2024
Vet advice from an experienced poultry vet
The Country Smallholder

Vet advice from an experienced poultry vet

Reflecting on how much the humble hen has helped people world wide plus advice on stopping the scourge of red mite

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2024
Give your hens some support
The Country Smallholder

Give your hens some support

Paul Donovan looks at the right and wrong ways of handling birds

time-read
9 mins  |
September 2024