The Country Smallholder - September 2024

In this issue

small vineyard
How one family became wine producers and so much more.

Buying a smallholding in France
The practical side of purchasing in another country.

Preparing to plant your Orchard
What you need to get ready for your new trees..

What is American Foulbrood?

Claire Waring looks at the disease and its consequences.

2 mins

Where the City and the Country meet

Michael Wale finds out how farming works in a more urban environment

5 mins

Petite but perfectly formed

Rebecca Farner, Editor of Vineyard magazine, visits a small vineyard

8 mins

Ruminations of a Yorkshire Vet

Julian Norton chooses an extract from his latest book

6 mins

Wild in Campsea - NIMBYism at its best! (That's Nature In My Back Yard!!)

Sue Field finds out more about this community that Grows Together’

5 mins

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.

6 mins

The Chicken Keepers Nightmare: Red Mite

If you ask chicken keepers what they dread most in terms of poultry pests most will say Red Mite. Fiona and Hugh Osborne have found that they can be treated and controlled with some simple steps.

6 mins

The wonderful world of poultry shows is in full swing

Time to have a go!’ says Grant Brereton who explains how to get the best from your first entry

6 mins

Give your hens some support

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

9 mins

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

5 mins

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.

6 mins

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

5 mins

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

3 mins

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

6 mins

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

2 mins

Still warm enough to sit outside with a Pizza

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

2 mins

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The Country Smallholder Magazine Description:

The Country Smallholder is aimed at the ever-increasing UK audience interested in living a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable way of life. From people already living on a smallholding, to allotment owners; from those with a couple of acres of land, to those aspiring to get more out of their garden or even window box. With 73% of UK residents claiming to want to live more sustainably post Covid, The Country Smallholder has something for everyone.

Every issue will carry; free vet advice; helpful practical features on all aspects of smallholding, from keeping chickens to crop rotation; information on poultry, pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, and alpacas; rural crafts; property; small tractors and machinery, as well as keeping readers up to date with all the latest news and innovations.