Can a goat and some hens clear an overgrown allotment?

RacyRed

ScratchandSniff-->[X] wrote: »

and for animals it's not just a case of plopping them on there and coming back in a few months to find it all magically transformed. Keeping it running also requires significant time.

!!!!!!!!!!! I wouldn't dream of doing that to ANY creature! The chooks will be checked up on 3 or 4 times a day at least and their environment cared for - see my earlier posts re the excellent suggestion that it not be totally cleared but strimmed frequently - much better from a bio-diversity point of view.

I don't expect any of this to work without a massive investment of my time and energy - I'm simply trying to ensure that there is as little waste of the limited amount of energy I have as possible.

Thank you for the DEFRA link.

Redsam, I've checked and there are bee keeping courses run locally. I'm too late to do one this summer but that is something to look forward to for next year. Thank you for all of the tips

cootambear

Ring up the police (anonymously) and tell them theres a body buried there. They will dig it over for you.









In case anyone takes this seriously, its a joke.

emiff6

RacyRed wrote: »

The allotments are on the north facing slope of a fairly steep hill....

Not the ideal situation for fruit trees, especially if it's exposed to the wind - you may find you lose a lot of early blossom to frosts.

Goats need to be kept warm in winter - a draft-proof shed with lots of clean, dry bedding, and fresh water every day. And they HATE the rain. You'll need to buy feed for them in winter, too.

Some councils will "scrape" overgrown allotments for the new tenants, that is, scrape off the top growth with machinery, so that while you've still got roots and regrowth to deal with, you don't have to battle 3 foot high grass and tangled bramble bushes. See if your council offer this service.

All that said, good luck with your plans, keeping livestock is so rewarding.

sheep-ali

ScratchandSniff-->[X] is right about Defra regulations regarding goats, etc.
The other thing I would add is that you have to be very careful about what vegetation there is as some plants are toxic to goats.
Goats are great escape artists & very good at jumping fences.

Mojisola

emiff6 wrote: »

Not the ideal situation for fruit trees, especially if it's exposed to the wind - you may find you lose a lot of early blossom to frosts.

This is a good point. To give your trees the best chance, choose late-flowering varieties.

RacyRed

If goats hate rain then this is not the place for them! We have had about 2 rain free days in the last 2 months here

I've just been for a walk (in the rain) around the allotment site and can see that the prevailing winds are going to give me a problem with the fruit trees.

If I choose an allotment that is fairly close to a protective belt of trees might that help or make things worse? I'm at about 200 meters above sea level and the prevailing westerly winds come straight off the Peninnes, the valley I'm in is starts high in the west and the altitude decreases as it runs east to the coast. The temerature is normally a good 5 degrees cooler than it is at sea level, a few miles away.

The strange thing is that there is loads of wild soft fruit in this area! I think a lot of careful research is going to be necessary for me to find the right kinds of orchard fruit to grow - late flowering and low growing maybe!

Blackpool_Saver

make sure these animals are not claiming any disability benefits or the sun newspaper will be round...........

RacyRed

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

make sure these animals are not claiming any disability benefits or the sun newspaper will be round...........

???????????????????????????

I've obviously missed something - not being a reader of the Sun

Blackpool_Saver

RacyRed wrote: »

???????????????????????????

I've obviously missed something - not being a reader of the Sun

Me neither, I can't bear it lol, there are lots of posts on MSE at the moment about people who are well getting disability benefits, and the Sun are running a scheme whereby folk can report so called scroungers.

Good luck with your allotment.

Blackpool_Saver

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2679123

There ya go..............