Barnaby Shaw tends to his bees David Parry

Prev

• 
• 
• 

Next

View gallery

Light bulbs? Check. Tap washers? Check. Pigsties? Er... check. This could be a typical DIY shopping list of the future, according to B&Q.

Last week, the store ­announced plans to stock pigsties – or arcs – next year to cater for a growing trend in home farming.

B&Q believe it’s spotted a gap in the market, with ­research saying that 4 per cent of us want to keep Little Miss Piggy in our backyard. They’d be following in the footsteps of chef Gordon Ramsay, who raised two pigs, Trinny and Susannah, in his garden before serving them up for dinner.

If it catches on as much as chicken-rearing and beekeeping, B&Q is on to a winner. Chicken coops sales have increased by a quarter over the past year, while the London Beekeepers Association says 1,500 people inquired about its beekeeping course last year – but just 200 places are up for grabs.

With stylish products available, such as the new Beehaus (a yellow oblong hive) and the Eglu chicken coop that looks like an old ­Apple iMac, it seems to be easier than ever to get a slice of The Good Life. But is it?

Paul Peacock, editor of Home Farmer magazine, says: “There are big obstacles you have to think about first. Most urban gardens would be a no-no for pig-rearing. You need room for a trailer to get pigs in and out of your garden ­without stressing them. If not, you won’t get the licence from the ­Government you need to make sure they move around freely.

“Pigs will also smell, and churn up your lawn, and you need two to keep each other company.”

Bees and chickens are more urban-friendly and less costly options. The ­Beehaus costs £465 while the Eglu is £365 from Omlet.co.uk.

Dr Ivor Davies, of the British Beekeepers’ Association, says: “What I find most ­exciting about bees is not the honey, but the beautifully organised social ­order of a hive.”

The advice is to go on a course with your local ­association to learn how to protect your ­colony from parasites.

A garden is a safer place for bees than an allotment, where kids have been known to tip over hives.

Chickens are less expensive to keep. You can re-home rescued battery chickens for free. “They’re fun, easy to keep and provide eggs every day,” says Peacock.

‘It’s enormously satisfying’

Nurse Vanessa Hammond, 36, keeps three rescued battery chickens in her garden in Barnet.

“When I first got them, they were timid. But it’s been enormously satisfying watching them grow in confidence. They’ll stand still to let you pick them up and even venture up to the house.”

PROS

• Eggs on tap: “We get two to three eggs a day.”

• Pecking dustbin: “They eat all our scraps.”

CONS

• Messy peckers: “Cleaning out their poo is a chore.”

• Feeders needed: “They need feeding if you’re away.”

‘I find beekeeping very relaxing’

Youth worker Barnaby Shaw, 28, keeps three hives of honeybees in his garden in Kennington.

“To begin with, I’d get stung a few times and react badly by flapping my arms. Even if I’m in protective clothing, a bee can pierce a lightweight suit and thin latex gloves if they get a good strike.

“In the summer, the colony produces about 60lb of honey, which I sell for £3 a jar at Walworth Garden Farm. The taste is richer than manuka honey because there’s a ­diversity of local crops they feed on, from cherry-tree sap to elderflower. I paid £135 for the colony and tend to the hive about one or two hours a week.

“I find it very relaxing, partly because the ­pacifying spray used to calm the bees also has a therapeutic effect on me!”

PROS

• Biodiversity: “They help increase pollination of plants and trees.”

• Honey: “You can make honey wines.”

CONS

• Being stung: “It’s rare but it still happens.”

• Making time: “They require attention for about an hour a week.”