What would you do with 2 acres of land?

xdewdewx

So we have started renting two acres which is around 10/15 mins from our home, what would you do with it ?

tizerbelle

Why would you rent 2 acres of land if you don't know what you are going to do with it?

What does the lease say you can / can not do - no point deciding to graze buffalo, if the lease says no grazing rights; no point thinking about putting in a shed, if there's a no structures clause etc etc

Kyrae

I'd rewild it! Plant a meadow, some woodland, maybe a lake of some sort. Encourage lots of wildlife and wild flowers, a nice little haven


Or I'd get some goats! Always thought it would be nice to have goats

McKneff

Rent it out as allotments.

Davesnave

It would depend on what the land is like.

I think that good agricultural land should be used for that, not squandered on people's whims and fancies. Whether we own land or rent it, it's only on loan, and the best of it ought to be producing our food.

kerri_gt

What were you planning to do with it when you decided to rent it? Has this changed for some reason and what does the lease say you can / can't do with it?

Elsewhere

If you are near a major airport you could use it as a long term car park. It's probably not big enough for a race track, or to launch missiles at Syria... but maybe a paintball venue - or grow Christmas trees if you are patient?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46042804.html

forgotmyname

Probably wish i had another 2 acres?

I never seem to have enough space.

Jumping_Froggy

Depends how long the lease/rental agreement is and what your original plans were. If you just wanted a bit of space, then I wouldn't do much with it. That amount of land is going to be hard enough work just as a bit of space, anything else will put you off. How long the rent agreement is will dictate what you should put into it.

Converting former grass land into a veggie plot can have problems with various pests, so I'd get that turned over now and let the birds peck away at it over the winter/spring. In fact, I'm doing something very similar on a new allotment plot that has reverted back to lawn.

If it were me, and I had a 15+ year agreement on it and had carte blanche, I would plant a mixture of fast growing and native trees for fuel and wildlife. There are species of trees that will give you usable fuel crops in about 5 years – but I wouldn't want a complete monoculture, hence adding mixed native species back. If you haven't got free propagation, the initial outlay is expensive, so you would need at least a couple more cropping seasons to take propagation material from original stock and expand your crop, to make it worthwhile. There are other biofuel crop options, but they get complicated.

I would also put up a huge polytunnel and have a large veggie plot. I would also look at the position of the land; I am absolutely all for creating a nature haven, but only when it applies to it's natural surroundings. No point trying to create a tropical oasis on top of a mountain! Ok, that's an extreme example, but if it were at the bottom of a valley and was wetland, I'd drain some out for cultivation, but leave the rest and encourage natural wetland flora and fauna. Again, another extreme example, but hopefully you see my point. I'd certainly have a native wildflower meadow if the situation of its location called for it.

But this is me. I've seen people with 5 acres who love nothing more than mounting their ride on lawnmower, and go round and round in circles every few weeks mowing and keeping the grass neatly trimmed. I'm not a fan of 5 acres of flat, obsessively mowed grass, but each to their own.

I am extremely envious, I wish I had 2 acres! Have been looking for years for sensibly priced small parcels of agricultural land. Whenever I've seen just 2 or 3 acres available, they all want 30k plus!!!!! Sometimes just half acre of scrub will go for 30k! So I've looked at renting, but not sure the best route to go. How did you manage to get hold of it?

twiglet98

What has the land been used for - is it grass (grazed?), rough weed-infested scrub, trees, mud...? What is the soil - clay, sand, loam? Does it slope, is it sunny or shaded, exposed or sheltered, is it fenced, does any public right of way cross it? Is it presently subject to any grants for woodland or meadow? Can you put up any sort of building (shed, polytunnel, barn, stable)?

How is the neighbouring land used? Is it an area where people generally are growing fruit or veg, or using plots recreationally, or keeping livestock?

What did you hope to do with it when you decided to take it on?

I've been renting a 2.4 acre paddock adjacent to my house for 20 years and was evicted this summer when the family decided to sell. I had a grazing tenancy which would not allow using the land for any other purpose.

harrys_nan

looking at the price of Christmas trees, I think I would be tempted to plant it up with them, long time before harvest but could be a good return?
And have as a dig your own :rotfl: