[oakridge]

I am 72 so it is a long story made worse by the ramblings of old age.  I got the bug from my Grandad who was born in 1871 and had his 'garden' which was 2.5 acres where he had about 600 laying and fattening chickens and the rest was given over to fruit and vegetables.  In 1977 I took on 5 allotments which i worked until 1986 when we moved to our present house.  Here I had a 15 acre holding of very acid (4.5Ph) land where we had 13 outdoor sows, a boar, fattened a rotation of 2 calves and had 60 angora goats.  The terrible pork prices and regulations, especially the dreaded Health and Safety encouraged us to give up livestock, as well as no holidays for 16 years.  I have retained 1.25 acres where the stock tunnels were so this is mostly good soil.  It is not all under cultivation because there is an infestation of brambles and bracken.  I grow some cut flowers and vegetables we have bush fruit, gooseberries, blueberries and raspberrise - er - and wild blackberries.  There are also 19 top fruit trees, 14 planted this year.  I have been on the blind register since 1976 although I have some sight.

[ARPoet]

Hi, Oakrigde. Sounds like a great set up. Welcome from me in Sunny Sheffield.

[Yorkie]

Welcome to the site 

If you want to edit your forum profile to add your general location, we'll remember whereabouts you are 

[Fairy Plotmother]

Hello and welcome

[Baldy]

Welcome - sounds like have lots of wisdom and experience that you could pass on - hope you enjoy this site.
I've learned a lot here and passed on lots of 'wisdom' myself. 

Pip pip,
Balders

[oakridge]

Thank you all.  I don't know about wisdom, my knowledge is a bit old fashioned although I did get roped in to teach horticulture - not gardening - to students at a local FE College.

[Fairy Plotmother]

Nothing wrong with old-fashioned wisdom. It is usually proved to be better than the modern version!