Small land, small profit?

2 posts
Mon, 04/04/2016 - 13:42 #1

Member for

8 years
stuartd
Last seen: 04/04/2016 - 15:47
Joined: 04/04/2016 - 13:30

Small land, small profit?

Hi folks. I moved to a property recently where, apart from our yard and a few acres of bushland, we also have about 1200 square metres of cleared land, and we just don't know what to do with it. It's quite slopey, but it seems to be naturally terraced. It faces north-east, so gets plenty of sun. And it's in the Gold Coast hinterland, so not much in the way of winters, with soil that is pretty dry and rocky with plenty of clay. We've gone through a few different ideas (olive trees, sheep/goats, etc) with our latest being to just plant fruit and nut trees to make it into a family orchard. But then I thought there might be something I could plant there that would generate a bit of extra income -- I just don't know what. Any suggestions on making a small profit from a small area like this would be much appreciated!

 

Cheers,

Stu. 

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Tue, 04/05/2016 - 12:07 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Stue,

first I would have a soil test done, as different plants need different soil conditions. You may have to use some clay breaker in the soil to help break down that clay if you are going to succeed in planting any thing for profit. One good thing about having clay in the soil is that if you get a permit for a small dam, it should hold water o.k.

 

Olive trees may not be too good an idea as the market seems to be a bit saturated and they take a while to bear. However, some farmers plant them and do boutique type preserved olives with herbs and such- these sell well at local markets.

 

 Fruit trees would bear after 2 or three years if you plant advanced grafted ones. it is usual to knock the first season's fruit off to let the tree make maximum growth, tempting though it is to let it grow and mature. Meanwhile you could plant lots of vegetables and perhaps put in a few beehives (you can do courses on bee keeping). Honey makes a good profit- sometimes in a good season you can obtain 50 kg from each hive. If you plant corn, it can be underplanted with beans, which also help to add nitrogen to the soil. These are just a few thoughts off the top of my head.

 

cheers and good luck with your enterprise,

Barb

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