Created by Tess Marshall Dec 18, 2010 at 10:23am. Last updated by Tess Marshall Dec 18, 2010.
Created by Tess Marshall Dec 18, 2010 at 10:22am. Last updated by Tess Marshall Dec 18, 2010.
Created by Tess Marshall Dec 18, 2010 at 10:21am. Last updated by Tess Marshall Dec 18, 2010.
Created by Tess Marshall Dec 18, 2010 at 10:20am. Last updated by Tess Marshall Dec 18, 2010.
Created by Marian Van Eyk McCain Jun 30, 2009 at 8:59am. Last updated by Tess Marshall Dec 18, 2010.
Welcome to this network of smallholders, kitchen gardeners and all kinds of people interested in smaller-scale planet-friendly food production. Please jump in, say hello, connect with old friends and make new ones.
Our network is a rich resource for learning about smallholding, making contacts, swapping ideas and helping each other. Between us we have a wealth of experience, whether we're diggers, dreamers, thinkers or all three.
If you're new here, we have a section just for you - scroll down the home page. And click the Notes tab above for some "how-to" information about this network and to see our community guidelines. (If you're thinking of joining, please note that membership is moderated to avoid spam, so approval may not be immediate, depending on availability of the network administrators.)
Started by Judy King in Discussions - General. Last reply by Judy King Jan 22. 2 Replies 0 Likes
This programme will be broadcast on January 17th at 9.30pm on BBC2 and should also appear on iPlayer. The programme covers genetic engineering (hopefully a balanced approach), and could be useful for people worried or confused about the subject.…Continue
Started by Sara in Discussions - General. Last reply by Sara Jan 14. 2 Replies 0 Likes
Hello all,This is my first post besides the Introduction, so I hope I'm doing this right. If not, please point me on the right direction, always happy to learn.My partner and I are about to start holding a stall in a local market (veg, fruits,…Continue
Started by phil parker in Discussions - General. Last reply by phil parker Jan 10. 2 Replies 0 Likes
Hi I've got 8 acres of good wet clay soil welsh farmland on a gentle slope.At the moment I am using a 400 cc quad with towed topper, roller and fertilizer spinner. Am I better off with a compact tractor or sticking with the quad. Whichever I opt for…Continue
Started by ssc in Discussions - General. Last reply by ssc Dec 29, 2011. 3 Replies 0 Likes
Hi - I don't know if I am allowed to post things for sale. If not will the mods please remove this. Otherwise I have five very well grown pedigree registered Yearling Wiltshire Horn ewes, running with registered ram since November and not…Continue
Started by Julie Millard in Discussions - General. Last reply by Heather Squires Dec 21, 2011. 5 Replies 0 Likes
Morning everyone on this damp and dreary day - does anyoe know of any smallholding courses for the beginner which covers a little of everything - my husband and I are both from farming backgrounds so know quite a lot but are both a little rusty!!
Started by Tess Marshall in Discussions - General. Last reply by Heather Squires Dec 21, 2011. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Hello everyone, Libby Bricknell has come up with a good idea - to publish here a list of local Smallholders' groups and associations. I know of a few, and will start adding them over the weekend, but please can everyone who knows details of their…Continue
Posted by libby bricknell on January 5, 2012 at 9:03pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Hi,
We are at last moving to Bala N.Wales this weekend and in the organised chaos of the last few weeks Im as ready as I can be to start a new life. Pen Isar Llan is a guest house, it has an attached 2 bed cottage for rent and a 20 bed…
ContinuePosted by Linda Penney on December 11, 2011 at 9:14am 2 Comments 0 Likes
Well this photo was taken at the end…
Posted by Judy King on December 7, 2011 at 7:42pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
This programme seen on BBC4 on 6/12/11 is available on BBC iPlayer for a short time.
A room sized glass box containing a kitchen and small garden was an exhibit at Edinburgh Zoo for some weeks, food and drink was left in the box and a…
ContinuePosted by Judy King on September 28, 2011 at 2:58pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
This programme was broadcast on More4 last night (27th September). It is available on channel4od.
Mike Hands, whose family farm in Cornwall has been studying alternatives to equatorial slash and burn farming for 25 years, and has developed…
ContinuePosted by Sky McCain on July 20, 2011 at 7:51am 0 Comments 0 Likes
“There is an emerging scientific consensus that a shift to small scale sustainable agriculture and localized food systems will address most, if not all the underlying causes of deteriorating agricultural productivity as well as the conservation…
ContinuePosted by Julie Randtoul on June 11, 2011 at 3:35pm 0 Comments 3 Likes
Bought my first house at the grand old age of 40 having lived in a lovely static caravan for 8 years which was sited in north wales. Having made the garden the way we wanted. I got the grow it eat it bug, after buying over priced veg and fruit…
ContinueWe're very glad you've joined. Here are a few of the things you can do next to help you get the most out of the network:
Add a photo to your profile. It's amazing how much difference this simple step makes in emphasising that we're a network of human beings, not cyborgs, and it's very easy: click here to find out how.
Introduce yourself. Go to our ongoing discussion thread called, appropriately enough, "Introductions" and tell us a few things about yourself. Mind gone blank? For starters, how about your reasons for joining the network, your favourite breakfast and one random fact about yourself.
Post some photos of your smallholding or garden.
Join a special interest group. We have a group for almost every subject: bees, chickens, goats, people looking for land, food and cooking, small ads to name only a few. Don't find the group for you? Start one.
Read our community guidelines, which are simple, straightforward and promote a good experience of this network for all our members.
Queries or suggestions? Please address them to me, Tess. Leave a comment on my wall or send me a private message.
The Smallholders Online network is sponsored by the Wholesome Food Association (WFA), a non-profit organisation providing an alternative point-of-sale symbol for small growers and food producers who can’t afford the cost and time involved in organic certification but who use nature-friendly methods, and supply their produce to local customers. Find out more about the history of the WFA here.
Tess Giles Marshall runs Smallholders Online and is also managing director of the WFA.
Smallholders Online started out as a email newsletter founded by Alan Beat and Ron Skingley in 2002 and was edited for much of its history by Sky McCain (who founded the WFA).
Marian Van Eyk McCain started and ran Smallholders Online until mid 2010.
© 2012 Created by Tess Marshall.