email: thegardensmallholder@yahoo.co.uk
Hello, thank you for the interest in our blog! We’re Karen and Rich, ex-townies who exchanged city life for ‘The Good Life’ 10 years ago by moving to a small rural village in Bedfordshire, UK. Our home stands on a large plot with roughly half an acre of garden, here we grow vegetables, fruit trees and keep chickens.
We love blogging about our garden smallholding and hope to inspire others to have a go at living the good life and become garden smallholders too! You don’t need as much space as we have, the average-size garden can keep a family in vegetables for most of the year. Don’t forget to check out your local allotments if space really is tight, some sites allow chickens too.
Karen also grows vegetables on her allotment in the village and writes an allotment blog http://www.pumpkinsandbunting.com.
Karen is the main blog author and enjoys photography, foraging and cooking with fresh home produce.
Rich is a recognised marketing professional and the handy man around the garden smallholding.
We hope you enjoy reading about our garden smallholding and life with our feathery friends, the blog has many years of information regarding growing your own and chicken keeping so please do use the search option if you’re looking for particular information. You can get in touch with us at thegardensmallholder@yahoo.co.uk
© All images and written content are copyright of thegardensmallholder.com unless otherwise stated. If you would like to contact us, please use the email below:
thegardensmallholder@yahoo.co.uk
Your blog is inspiring – beautiful photographs and really informative, well written content. Thankyou!
Thank you!
Love your blog. I will be living vicariously through your industry :) Maybe one day I will get it together but for the moment I’m resting. Like you I used to live in London and had a gardening/garden design career for 17 years – hence a sore back and being worn out, it’s hard work isn’t it? So now I just potter and look and have embarked on this cow adventure…
I love your blog.
I have a small garden in Brtittany ( France ) but I lived in Northampton 3 years ago!
Hi Karen – I just found your blog and feel both inspired and reassured. I’ve recently left the city for the countryside and now have my own patch to tame, so I’ll look forward to following all your expertise. Gorgeous photos!
I’ve just found your blog today and it’s really inspiring! I am going to love catching up on all I’ve missed and following in 2013 :)
Thank you very much for your lovely comment Anna!
Thank you for your comments thinkingcowgirl, Notre petit jardin Breton and ascott9618. Apologies for not replying sooner!
Just found your blog, lovely philosophy and I look forward to reading more as I try to acheive similar aims here in the Outer Hebrides. Thanks, Tracey
Just discovered your blog and love it. We retired early to a rural spot in Cornwall last year and are just in the process of getting the veg plot going and planning on getting some rescue battery chickens soon. So I will be following your blog with great interest as I’m a newbie to all this, despite being brought up in rural Romney Marsh with chickens, horses and a veggie gardening nan. It’s taken more then 40 years to get back to it – but I’m very keen now!
Hello Karen! I just found your blog and Absolutely LOVE IT! I had no idea about Rescue Hens! Sweet Emily :) I learned something new – thanks! Looking forward to spending a little more time reading your blog this rainy weekend. Lost to learn about your neck of the woods.
~Maria
Hi Maria, many thanks for stopping by and for your great feedback!
Hey Karen! Wow, your blog is so inspiring! I simply adore your lifestyle. At the moment I am living in a busy, fast pace urban area. I too would love to move in a rural area where I can find peace and serenity in the garden!
Hi Vegansavy, many thanks for stopping by and for your lovely comment! I hope you find your peace and serenity soon.
A very beautiful blog and an inspiring way to live. I hope one day to grow fruit and veg as delicious as yours.
Thank you for your kind comment
You have a great blog,it is nice to find a fellow Brit gardener. Your garden and allotment look great. I would love to have a bigger garden to be self sufficient…maybe one day.
Many thanks Greenhousestarter! Where in the UK are you?
Evening! I’m in St Helens, between Manchester and Liverpool. It’s not grim up North at the moment!
Hi Karen, love the blog! No only do I share your first name but also your aspirations and sentiments : )
HI Karen, I wanted to say that your photographs are beautiful. I often think what my life would be like if I could move away from the city and plant my own vegetables. I love that you live this life and I can live vicariously through you. Looking forward to reading your posts.
Beautiful blog. Nicely done.
Hi Karen,
I’ve just nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award, just to say I think your blog is great :)
Jen
Hi Jen,
Many thanks for the award, and for your lovely comment regarding my blog.
Karen
Just found you. Super blog. Congratulations!
Many thanks Norman!
Beautiful blog! Really enjoy reading it!
Wonderful blog, I look forward to reading about how you get on
Beautiful pictures. I look forward to reading your blog as I am at the starting point of a similar journey.
What a beautiful blog…and I love your way of life, it’s just perfect!
Just found your blog.. i love it! We just bought our property to start our farm, so hopefully i can use some of your ideas for gardening in the next month! =)
Hello aislingalpacafarm and thank you for your kind comment! Best of luck with your new farm :)
Lovely blog – really like the photographs they are great.
I am so happy that I found your blog. I look forward to following your progress and admiring your beautiful photographs!
Thank you Sarah!
Hola Karen.!!
Bonitas fotos en tu blog de tu agradable y bonito huerto.
Saludos desde España para ti y un fuerte abrazo para tu gallina. :)
mademadera – Mi español no es muy bueno, gracias por tu comentario
Really excellent blog, but you know that…Really admire the effort that goes into answering comments, and the beautiful photos of course. Today is the first time I had a real look through, will have to find some time somewhere to read more.
Many thanks for your comment Marco!
Very inspiring and lovely photos too.
gaiainaction – Many thanks!
Love the blog … it’s a lot of effort to maintain and your photos are really inspiring. Thanks from The Rural Gardeners!
The Rural Gardeners, many thanks for your kind words!