What Preps are you doing this week? Part 9

[jansman]

Jenny, Dont panic. You are not too late yet and often later sowings do better than earlier ones and overtake them.
...
Keep trying - you will get there.

WOW!
I water and check my seedling pots daily, and I just had the shock of my life. Four of six tomato seeds just BURST THROUGH. And I mean BURST.
When I watered at 11am yesterday there was just compost. This morning, they were over 2cm tall !!!! 2cm in a DAY!!!! That's 1cm of shoot and 1cm of baby leaf. Sowed 14 March.
It's beyond belief that they grew so fast, but I swear I could not see anything yesterday.

These little tinkers were in plastic pots. Nothing but ONE carrot germinated in my card pots, even from February.

I THINK I might have an answer to getting the moisture right in my loo rolls: Sit them in a tray of 1cm compost and water that. Seems to moisten the cardboard enough.

I can give you some really solid advice about using toilet roll pots ; Don’t. Plastic pots are far superior,and consistent.

[PreppingPingu]

"I can give you some really solid advice about using toilet roll pots ; Don’t. Plastic pots are far superior, and consistent."

I do use them to start my parsnips off. They hate any root messing about so that's why I use the loo roll/kit roll tubes, as I can plant them into the ground without disturbing the roots. It enable me to start them off then put them in the ground. I get very good germination rates this way but if I plant straight into the ground at the allotment, they rarely grow. Not sure why I have such an issue - I used to joke that the ants ran off with the seeds! Now I'm wondering if that wasn't too far from the truth But yes, everything else goes in normal pots/seed plug trays.

As for this weeks preps, we are upping our bottled water supplies. I have 11 litres in the garage and about 15 litres in the house, plus a couple of litres down the allotment for use when I boil a cuppa etc. That isn't a lot really. Obviously if the whatsit really did hit the fan, then the bath and a whole variety of containers would be filled before we lost supply but I would like to increase our bottled storage. I need to replace my water purification tabs as I checked them the other day and they were several years out of date so I am guessing not as effective. Water purification tabs take up very little space and don't cost the earth. A pack of 50 tabs is about 7 or 8 quid and that gives you 50 litres. Also I just thought, I ought to print out a crib sheet from the internet about how to make a filter to I can combine that with boiling. Again that is really total end of the world, breakdown of society stuff but interesting knowledge to have non the less. Probably never need to know but ... that knowledge is better to have and not need, than need and not have!

[Yorkshire Andy]

"I can give you some really solid advice about using toilet roll pots ; Don’t. Plastic pots are far superior, and consistent."

I do use them to start my parsnips off. They hate any root messing about so that's why I use the loo roll/kit roll tubes, as I can plant them into the ground without disturbing the roots. It enable me to start them off then put them in the ground. I get very good germination rates this way but if I plant straight into the ground at the allotment, they rarely grow. Not sure why I have such an issue - I used to joke that the ants ran off with the seeds! Now I'm wondering if that wasn't too far from the truth But yes, everything else goes in normal pots/seed plug trays.

As for this weeks preps, we are upping our bottled water supplies. I have 11 litres in the garage and about 15 litres in the house, plus a couple of litres down the allotment for use when I boil a cuppa etc. That isn't a lot really. Obviously if the whatsit really did hit the fan, then the bath and a whole variety of containers would be filled before we lost supply but I would like to increase our bottled storage. I need to replace my water purification tabs as I checked them the other day and they were several years out of date so I am guessing not as effective. Water purification tabs take up very little space and don't cost the earth. A pack of 50 tabs is about 7 or 8 quid and that gives you 50 litres. Also I just thought, I ought to print out a crib sheet from the internet about how to make a filter to I can combine that with boiling. Again that is really total end of the world, breakdown of society stuff but interesting knowledge to have non the less. Probably never need to know but ... that knowledge is better to have and not need, than need and not have!

Cheap way is a few caravan water bottles filled to the brim and stored in a cool dark place I got 25l iso food grade drums from the boat yard for £8 each.... And a tap to suit for about a fiver

[Yorkshire Andy]

As for filtration a mill bag and a Sawyer mini a old pop bottle should handle most filtration plus thin bleach or puritabs

https://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayI ... spheader=1


https://www.amazon.co.uk/SAWYER-PRODUCT ... th=1&psc=1

See here:

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=11357&hilit=Sawyer+mini

[jennyjj01]

[Yorkshire Andy]

I'm slightly at odds with YA's 25L containers, because I can't lift them, because they get tap filled and because they cost £££. My pref is 5L or 2L sealed bottles of spring water from Tesco or ALDI. More convenient for MY storage locations Plus I actually use them day to day for wine making. I stack them on their sides like a honeycomb. Each to his own.


Much Kudos to Yorkshire Andy on the Millbank Bag Idea and bulk filtering with a Sawyer. I'd not heard of that idea and now it's obvious.

I've got them originally for camping so they are dual use camping water supply and water storage at home that and I spend my days lugging similar barrels of oil about they are heavy but stack nicely in the cupboard

[Jerseyspud]

We use 25l water containers at the yard for filling field water buckets so if it came to it theres always those and they are refilled everynight.

Otherwise i have 5l water containers stacked under beds at mine and 2 x 10l highlands waters i bought off amazon at my sisters in the secret bunker

[jansman]

As for filtration a mill bag and a Sawyer mini a old pop bottle should handle most filtration plus thin bleach or puritabs

https://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayI ... spheader=1


https://www.amazon.co.uk/SAWYER-PRODUCT ... th=1&psc=1

See here:

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=11357&hilit=Sawyer+mini

That’s my system too,along with 400 gallons of stored rainwater. We also have 20 gallons of tap water - 4x 5 gallon containers ( with a syphon) ,and half a dozen pop bottles of tap water too.

[jansman]

"I can give you some really solid advice about using toilet roll pots ; Don’t. Plastic pots are far superior, and consistent."

I do use them to start my parsnips off. They hate any root messing about so that's why I use the loo roll/kit roll tube...

I think I'll tend towards just using them for carrots and Parsnips. Most other stuff SEEMS tolerent to being transplanted. Started germinating a LOT of assorted seeds today. I aborted the compost with my onion seeds in and popped in some aubergines, courgettes and badly timed okra.

As for this weeks preps, we are upping our bottled water supplies.... Obviously if the whatsit really did hit the fan, then the bath and a whole variety of containers would be filled before we lost supply...

. I plan to lob BIG bin bags in my 3 big wheely bins, fill them from a hose and use that as supply of last resort with filters and sterilizer tablets. I have these... EVAQ8 Oasis 167mg Emergency Water Purification Tablets 500 Tablets - Treats 10,000 Litres - amazon

I'm slightly at odds with YA's 25L containers, because I can't lift them, because they get tap filled and because they cost £££. My pref is 5L or 2L sealed bottles of spring water from Tesco or ALDI. More convenient for MY storage locations Plus I actually use them day to day for wine making. I stack them on their sides like a honeycomb. Each to his own.

Again that is really total end of the world, breakdown of society stuff but interesting knowledge to have non the less. Probably never need to know but ... that knowledge is better to have and not need, than need and not have!

Very true and finds me wanting.

Much Kudos to Yorkshire Andy on the Millbank Bag Idea and bulk filtering with a Sawyer. I'd not heard of that idea and now it's obvious.

No way I would use bin liners in a rubbish bin. That is not a viable plan. Sorry,but you are adding another layer of purification to your plan.More work than needed,and guts ache waiting to happen. Bin bags,and the wheely bin are not food safe. The crap that was in your bin( unsterile) WILL migrate and that will mean more chemicals,that could well be short in supply.Nor is it sustainable. I have rainwater catchment,and a brook over the road.SHTF,how will you restore?

[Arzosah]

No way I would use bin liners in a rubbish bin. That is not a viable plan. Sorry,but you are adding another layer of purification to your plan.More work than needed,and guts ache waiting to happen. Bin bags,and the wheely bin are not food safe. The crap that was in your bin( unsterile) WILL migrate and that will mean more chemicals,that could well be short in supply.Nor is it sustainable. I have rainwater catchment,and a brook over the road.SHTF,how will you restore?

I've got that intention myself, like Jenny - not using bin liners, though they probably look the same (mine are stashed away upstairs) like this https://www.binliners.co.uk/240ltr-larg ... in-liners/

From the reviews, people are actually using them for rubbish, but I'd be cleaning out the bin and unfolding the bag to store water in - to help with clothes washing, toilet flush, first wash for dirty clothes or dirty feet, watering the garden, whatever. Plenty of use for water that isn't as sterile as drinking water, I'd have thought.