Tales from the Smallholding - Sustainable and Self Self Reliant for Gardens and Animals

[@mikeplatts2603]

I can remember the buzz you get from watching your seedlings grow, lovely feeling.

[@carlyamandaart]

The vegetable garden looks beautiful. Thanks for showing how you hang the lambs, I find all the processing stuff so interesting, but I appreciate that it can be difficult for people to put out content like that. Have a great weekend x

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

So nice of you, thanks Carly x

[@geoffanddebshipton6797]

Another great catch up. All the hard work with the expanded veg plot will pay great dividends for years to come, I’m sure. I live in hope of getting some wild garlic started when we move. It doesn’t grow wild near us and is a bugger to start from seed but I’ll keep trying. Thanks for the animal update too. If only all of us who eat meat could source it from people like you who treat the animals and birds with such care and respect from beginning to end the world would be a better place. We appreciate Steven’s skill in doing what needs to be done in as humane a way as possible too. Keep up the great work with your channel - definitely tops on our must watch list. 😉 xx

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Thank you Deb. I totally agree. If only I could send you some WG bulbs! Xx

[@kimbradley1292]

Hi Tracy, I think the idea of selling a few more of the extra small eggs for the same price is a good idea. The hard work is starting to pay off 🙂

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

I agree. Any extra income towards the feed is welcome so definitely going to 👍 Thanks Kim x

[@susiespearing6165]

You are absolute wonders .The very best of farming .Its wonderful and so cheering .

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Wow, thank you :)

[@MTHomestead]

Wonderful raised beds and love seeing your animals and how well you care for them.

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

How kind, thank you :)

[@preppermummyuk7422]

Another fantastic video. I’m in awe at how much hard work you both put in. Well done Grave for helping out.

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Thank you so much!☺️

[@Mama-tea]

The garden is looking phenomenal! All your hard work is paying off. Here’s to a bumper crop

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Thank you! I do hope so! How’s your aches and pains now? Still suffering ?

[@jackiefoster8866]

Fantastic smallholding

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Thank you 🤩

[@arroncanfield9106]

Another great video we really look forward to each one keep up the great work

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Tbh are very kind, thank you ☺️

[@oursmallholdinglife5243]

I do enjoy your videos! Add it to the list is a common saying here as well 😂 Rodney and Buster are very good around the animals!

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Thank you. Haha, yes the long list. Notice Annie isn’t out 😂

[@tself624]

Everything looks great Tracy, your wild garlic is much further on than mine (I'm in Suffolk), your peppers are looking amazing, (mine are about 2 inches high in the propogator) and your new veg beds make me green with envy! I haven't planted my onion sets or potatoes either yet, the soil at the allotment is completely soaked! I've just looked at the BBC weather forecast to see when our next dry day is .... and apparently it's 31st March! Oh dear 😭 My veg harvest may all be late this year ☹

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

I always think even if the wild garlic is behind that we will still get the same amount of season, just a bit later. We too are keeping a good eye on the weather report and seems we won’t get a break until around then it’s looking like Good Friday here 😦 which I need to remember will still be plenty of time. I hope! fingers crossed anyway 😂

[@morrigans_cottage]

Your veggie garden looks brill! Deffo some inspo for my own!

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Thank you ☺️

[@veedebee]

The veg garden looks so good, mine has fallen to bottom of the list unfortunately this year - but the good thing is I can watch yours and copy!! Glad ponio is better, fingers crossed it was a one off x

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Aww thank you. Needs must. I’ll be here for you! Thank you re pony, I hope so 🤞

[@vickibrown8447]

Love all your vlogs 😊

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Yay! Thank you!

[@amandar7719]

I think I must’ve missed a video… (colic? 😮)…I’ll catch up. It doesn’t seem that long ago when you upgraded the barn to make it easier for looking after overwintering existing and new livestock. Looks like it worked out great and gave you the time and space to upgrade the garden. Hats off to you both (and children) for achieving the small holding goal of raising such a variety of meat. Obviously, Steve’s skills are fantastic but you have also established a great system for safe preserving that will help others to learn. The garden is looking superb. And I’m dead jello of your various composting systems. I’ve transplanted all my onion seedlings, Tracy. They are loving the rain settling them in. Sown my first lines of carrots and parsnips and broccoli transplanted too. Next are the potatoes. I do so enjoy your videos. Take care all.

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Yes to colic, sadly! Could have been so much worse though (we obvs didn’t know that at the time) Thank you for those lovely thoughts, very true now I stand and think. How big are your onions? Were they the ones from seed or did you get sets too?

[@amandar7719]

@@OurSmallholdingAdventure Hi Tracy. The onions I transplanted were those that germinated from seed I sowed around a week before you posted your onion seed sowing video. They certainly weren’t pencil thick - rather skinny tbh - but they needed up potting from their little cells or transplanted out. Put them under fleece, straight from the greenhouse, to protect against cold wind (and allium leaf miner) about a week ago. All are settled in and growing well in their tented bed. Fingers crossed. Had poor germination this year though. All sown to germinate in the house then put into greenhouse. Some didn’t show at all, some only half popped up. We have about half of the Stuttgart sown, a quarter red baron and Sturon. 80% of the Bedfordshire Champs that always do well here but wasn’t relying on this year because the seeds were 3 years out of date…🤷‍♀️. And 10% of the Walla Walla. I did a second sowing of the Walla Walla and red baron but no show. I couldn’t find any more Sturon seed but bought some shallot seeds at the local garden centre that had completely slipped my mind to sow and they are doing well; about 80% germination. They have a week or two growing before I plant them out. Threw the rest of what I had into pots instead of chucking them out. A few have germinated. Obviously not really viable seeds. I have about 15 small Sturon onions (sets I suppose) left over from last year’s harvest that are sprouting and hope to plant them out this weekend to grow on for seed collection. Was hoping to start around 400 onions this year and I’ve got 140 transplanted. And around 100 shallots coming on. Might buy some onion seedlings from the nursery…. We’ll see. Rather fallen out with onions atm! 😄 Do you feed the wild garlic to the chickens/ducks? I had heard that it’s a natural dewormer for them. Saying goes deer, turkeys, pheasant etc eat it at the edge of woods to deworm after the winter…. 🤷‍♀️. If it’s true, maybe you could throw some seed around the edge of your woods/pens. Best check first…. Have a great weekend 👍🏻

[@danmartin9558]

Lamb looks tasty

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

🤞 thank you

[@Mama-tea]

I use the chicken feeder/water dispenser for my puppies as they can’t make as much mess or tip it over

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

What a great idea!

[@sarawalker8479]

Great progress! How big are your peppers 😮 mine are tiny. I tried to weed a bed today but the gnats were awful. My head is full of bites. I will wear a hat next time. Even if it’s warm 😂

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

I seem to always have a hat and then just move to sweaty hats 😂 are you peppers warm and in light? The flies etc have been dreadful lately

[@sarawalker8479]

@@OurSmallholdingAdventure they are warm but I might put them under the grow lights too, I’ve been meaning to do it. We’re not going away this weekend as planned so I’ve got lots planned now 😂 fingers crossed it stays dry so the grass can get its 1st hair cut. I also want to turn the compost, hopefully there’s some usable stuff in there.

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

@@sarawalker8479 I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you 🤞

[@charlottebidmead2451]

How do you make the flesh of your poultry tender, is it in the hanging time? Guts in or out? What age do you cull is that a factor in the tenderness, thanks

[@seanmckeown6120]

Great video. I think it's fantastic that you guys are able to do all your meat processing on site. We're you able to get the necessary licences because Steven is a butcher? It's getting to the exciting/manically busy part of the season now. Looking forward to future videos as always

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Thank you Sean. Good question. I should have been clearer in the video. It’s the firearms licence Steven has, nothing to do with the abattoir skills so to speak. We have a friend who coincidentally works in the abattoir and when we first started doing it, ensured we knew exactly what to do for the best outcome ie quick. It’s so windy here today but the sun is out and there’s no rain so in to the garden we go!

[@seanmckeown6120]

@OurSmallholdingAdventure thanks Tracy that makes sense (every day's a school day) i really think it's fantastic the way you do everything to keep your animals free from stress. I would go as far as to say it probably improves the taste as well 😊

[@janine7612]

Have you seen those fly catcher bags? They trap loads and then folks freeze them and feed to their birds

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Are they like the red top? What a good idea to feed them to the birds!

[@mickhardstaff6605]

It's really starting to take shape now Tracy , a lot of hard work has gone into it and it's something that is going to reward you many times over . That topsoil looked top quality. How do you kull the lambs then is it with a gun ? Ps did you check out the blue buttons in the greenhouse on Google ?

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Thank you Mick! Steven is firearms licensed here, yes we do.

[@mickhardstaff6605]

Just added a bit to my original comment , did you manage to see it ?

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

@@mickhardstaff6605 I hadn’t seen it no, so thanks for telling me. Only new comments get notifications, sometimes not even replies but glad I saw them. I did (called blewits too, from memory?) and I am just not sure. They’re the one thing I’m really nervous about identifying, those and certain plants 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@davinacaine3615]

Tracey aka Duck Wrangler 😅

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

😂 😂

[@Coxeysbodgering]

You like to worry us lol when you did the car crash effects I thought oh no not again, this poor family. But thankfully it was just bullyboys sheep 😂 May not be to everyone's taste but do you mind telling us the equipment , procedure and licensing used to dispatch the lamb? I was looking into the home dispatch regulations as it quite a distance to my nearest abitor and expensive. Mike

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Haha oh dear, not my intention, I meant to say things came crashing to a half 😂 not us in a crash 😂 No problem on the question. Steven is firearms licences so he uses those for instant dispatch. Otherwise we would use a bolt gun and follow the regs here www.gov.uk/guidance/slaughter-poultry-livestock-and-rabbits-for-home-consumption He does it outside near where they graze but out of sight of the other animals and the sheep are led away with food so unaware. This is hard to read for some now. After dispatch they are bled out (neck) which takes a few minutes. We have a little shed with no floor where he hangs them and removes their skin with a knife and then their innards. They are then put hanging, in a fridge that we have just for this which is the one in the video. This is to set up the meat and tenderise before butchering in a few days (basically when it fits in with us). Does that help? :)

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

This also prevents travel stress etc.

[@Coxeysbodgering]

@@OurSmallholdingAdventure thank you x

[@Mama-tea]

What’s the purpose of hanging meat before butchering it?

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

It makes the meat “relax” and tenderises it so it isn’t tough x