In this issue

SQUARE FOOT GARDENING - Maximise the yield from every inch of your vegetable patch.

PERFECT PRESERVING - Freeze and dry your home-grown harvest.

Setting up shop

Farm shops showed their value during the coronavirus crisis, partly feeding the nation for those early months of lockdown. But what would it take to set one up on your holding? Charlotte Cooper opens the door on the subject

8 mins

Talking trees

The work of arboriculturists is varied and specialised. Debbie Kingsley finds out more from tree surgeon and smallholder Bruce Macfarlane

7 mins

Going Nuts For Walnuts

In this extract from his book, The Walnut Tree: Tales of Growing and Uses, Charles Hulbert-Powell explains how he planted walnuts on his farm

8 mins

A Bad Workman Blames His Tools!

In the first of a new mini-series, Kevin Alviti looks at the tools that have made themselves indispensable on the smallholding through the centuries and into 2020

6 mins

'Although a male, Pepper was bottle-fed as a kid and is pretty docile'

Stephan Price didn’t keep animals while living near Bristol, but since his move to Vimoutiers, France, in 2017, a chèvre des fossés goat has worked its way into his affections and has proved an effective vegetation-clearing machine

7 mins

Breaking the ice

Icelandic sheep are a true multi-purpose breed, producing meat, milk and wool, says Tim Tyne, who was recently asked to judge Icelandics for an online show

8 mins

Grab life by the horns

Horned sheep are easy to handle, hardy and relatively self-sufficient. Carefully managed, they are fantastic for smallholdings, suggests vet Charlotte Mouland

2 mins

Fit for farrowing?

Care of the sow before and during farrowing is vital for a healthy litter, as is after care of the piglets, as Liz Shankland explains in the first of two articles for newcomers to breeding

6 mins

Don't sit on the fence!

When keeping chickens in a garden, it’s important to choose fencing that’s not only fit for purpose, but also pleasing on the eye. Andy Cawthray recommends thinking through all the options before making this big investment

5 mins

A quick buck

It is easy and fast to grow and is also a weed suppressant, soil improver and it can be used to make gluten-free flour, so what’s not to like about buckwheat

6 mins

Read all stories from The Country Smallholder

The Country Smallholder Magazine Description:

The Country Smallholder is aimed at the ever-increasing UK audience interested in living a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable way of life. From people already living on a smallholding, to allotment owners; from those with a couple of acres of land, to those aspiring to get more out of their garden or even window box. With 73% of UK residents claiming to want to live more sustainably post Covid, The Country Smallholder has something for everyone.

Every issue will carry; free vet advice; helpful practical features on all aspects of smallholding, from keeping chickens to crop rotation; information on poultry, pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, and alpacas; rural crafts; property; small tractors and machinery, as well as keeping readers up to date with all the latest news and innovations.