Getting ready for the RWAS Smallholder and Garden Festival 2011 (From Smallholder)

Getting ready for the RWAS Smallholder and Garden Festival 2011

1:30pm Tuesday 5th April 2011 in Editor's Blog

Last month I wrote about the proposal to sell off England’s forests and eaders’ will know by now that the Coalition has dropped these proposals – for the moment. Two main points spring to my mind as a result of this. Firstly that those concerned about woodland (and I’d guess that’s most of Smallholder readers) should keep an eye on the situation as it is likely that the Coalition will have to return to this issue at some point and that’s when input from the public will still be required to ensure a safe and forward thinking policy for the future of forests. Secondly that the public obviously do have some power in influencing decisions of Governments and other issues that I would hazard a guess concern smallholders are provision of allotments, food labelling and regulations surrounding selling locally and pig and poultry welfare. I’m very interested to hear of any other issues either before or at the RWAS Smallholder and Garden Festival on the 21/22 May where I will be meeting readers on both days. Plans are fairly galloping towards this weekend and each month Smallholder brings you more news of the event which has comprehensive coverage of smallholding and gardening. I’m getting very excited about it and am this month launching my special competition which you can read about below.

I cannot ignore what is happening in the rest of the world, even in my secluded smallholding surrounded by my animals and garden, as it is impacting on all of our lives. The price of fuel for both vehicles including tractors and for home heating, is soaring ever higher and this affects food prices. The only possible action that we as smallholders can take to this is to continue to grow our own, keep our poultry to our best ability and consider keeping other livestock if space and to minimise waste. This is very much the ethos of most smallholders already but how strange to find ourselves so thoroughly “in fashion”! I hope it will be a warm April as we will almost certainly have run out of heating oil by then and I do not plan to buy anymore – well it’s April – springtime isn’t it? Last year it was freezing so I hope it’s a bit more spring like this year and I don’t have to pile on jumpers like Michelin man and glue myself to a modest electric fire until May! Of course we couldn’t even light a fire as despite our attempts to dissuade them, the jackdaws had moved in with a steel determination and eventually we had to concede defeat and let them build their nest on our only chimney.

But the good news is that the hive have survived probably due to my almost obsessional approach to feeding them this winter and are flying – spring is certainly here or so they think!