What Preps are you doing this week? Part 10

[Frnc]

Was on twitter reading up, and this chap starts telling me he moved to northern Scotland, at least 250 miles from any city, bought a croft, to be ahead of the game when food runs out in cities. Now that's prepping! Too late for me to do that. But I will have another go at growing veg next year. My main probem was that nothing grew. Slugs I think. Peas did grow actually. Also I had it all covered in nets to stop cats doing you know what in the soil, but the nets are a massive pain in the rear. They go over a frame that keeps falling apart. The grass keeps growing into the netting. It's a back breaking job just getting in to do anything.
Any suggestions?

Shoot the cats! Seriously,with veg gardens- start small. Rather than single crops in small set ups,constant cropping is easier and more productive anyway. Stuff like salad crops,climbing beans are good and produce a lot over a longer time. In my case I use perennial plants. Onions,cabbages,fruits,Jerusalem artichokes. No work and constant.

What is "constant cropping"?

[Frnc]

Was on twitter reading up, and this chap starts telling me he moved to northern Scotland, at least 250 miles from any city, bought a croft, to be ahead of the game when food runs out in cities. Now that's prepping! Too late for me to do that. But I will have another go at growing veg next year. My main probem was that nothing grew. Slugs I think. Peas did grow actually. Also I had it all covered in nets to stop cats doing you know what in the soil, but the nets are a massive pain in the rear. They go over a frame that keeps falling apart. The grass keeps growing into the netting. It's a back breaking job just getting in to do anything.
Any suggestions?

I'm now financially secure to do the same thing. My health and need for medical access now prevents such a thing.

Sucks getting old sometimes.

Medical access in old age is one reason against living 250 miles from a city, yes. In fact my mum mentioned this. She lives a bit out of the way. She also said it was very hard to find a GP where she lives.

[jansman]

Was on twitter reading up, and this chap starts telling me he moved to northern Scotland, at least 250 miles from any city, bought a croft, to be ahead of the game when food runs out in cities. Now that's prepping! Too late for me to do that. But I will have another go at growing veg next year. My main probem was that nothing grew. Slugs I think. Peas did grow actually. Also I had it all covered in nets to stop cats doing you know what in the soil, but the nets are a massive pain in the rear. They go over a frame that keeps falling apart. The grass keeps growing into the netting. It's a back breaking job just getting in to do anything.
Any suggestions?

Shoot the cats! Seriously,with veg gardens- start small. Rather than single crops in small set ups,constant cropping is easier and more productive anyway. Stuff like salad crops,climbing beans are good and produce a lot over a longer time. In my case I use perennial plants. Onions,cabbages,fruits,Jerusalem artichokes. No work and constant.

What is "constant cropping"?

Constant cropping is for instance ,my perennial cabbage. It keeps giving LOTS of leaves constantly with no attention. Unlike a ,let’s say ,savoy cabbage that is cut once only. Constant cropping.

[GeeGee]

Blooming neighbours..again ..this time construction of some extension ..a few doors up ..doing it themselves with big machines ..no idea how but they've gone through a gas pipe in theirs and next doors too
6 30 am so many gas vans on the street couldn't get by people trying to get out to work etc kids for school it was absolute mayhem ..
The smell of gas awful
Everybody switched off ..back to the portable shower Andy
Chaos all day and theyre all still here ... vans all over
Had a couple of bags packed anyhow
Made sure Mr Ggs meds available
Made sure our important paperwork is ready to grab too and a full tank in car
Cat basket and water and food ..Shirley the cat isn't staying if we have to go
So far they haven't evacuated us all and hope it stays that way
No harm in being ready

[Yorkshire Andy]

Blooming neighbours..again ..this time construction of some extension ..a few doors up ..doing it themselves with big machines ..no idea how but they've gone through a gas pipe in theirs and next doors too
6 30 am so many gas vans on the street couldn't get by people trying to get out to work etc kids for school it was absolute mayhem ..
The smell of gas awful
Everybody switched off ..back to the portable shower Andy
Chaos all day and theyre all still here ... vans all over
Had a couple of bags packed anyhow
Made sure Mr Ggs meds available
Made sure our important paperwork is ready to grab too and a full tank in car
Cat basket and water and food ..Shirley the cat isn't staying if we have to go
So far they haven't evacuated us all and hope it stays that way
No harm in being ready

How do you rate the pump up shower I'm in the it'll get the job done category

Keep looking at the LPG camping boilers wit the 12v pump ... then not buying one it'll happen one day probably after a beer or 3

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camplux-Outdoo ... 40&sr=8-11

I really hope the neighbour has good insurance the gas board will tear him a new back passage of you get the gist ... Lad at work once hit a BT cable £20,000 later

Was a guy up the street doing his driveway 5 years or so ago very nice too now it's done .. walked past as he was digging eh mate watch the gas main pointing / motioning a line with my hand ..... Hour later walked back from the shops he came bounding across to me shook my hand turns out he found it where I pointed but obviously went careful so no damage gas valve manhole in the pavement in line with his gas meter was a good guess


Least it's happening in the summer and your not cold without heat

Mates dad once hit a alkathine (blue plastic water pipe) digging in his front garden.... Me and his son were pratting about putting neons under his clio Managed to expose it quickly chop it and kink it over... Sent him to the local pipe shop (literally) as he was driving I rung rob the owner "guy coming in muddy jeans white England top get a 25mm stop tap 4x inserts and a inline coupling on your counter and added up ready and tell him to hurry up back .... " Mates dad looked at me gob smacked when he got back that the stuff was ready .. in that time I'd got my dad's pipe cutter.... Pipe cut under pressure jet of water into the air .. insert pressed / bashed in ... Stop tap pushed on with valve open.... And collar tightened.. then tap turned off ... Panic over with the water off the 6" of tap plus 6" coupling used the off cut of pipe to link together


It's well worth adding the gas board emergency number UK: 0800111999 to your phone alongside electric board 105 ... As for Yorkshire water.... Last time I rung them they told me to do it on line well somewhere between the fire service and northern power grid strong words were had with YW it was flooding round a substation and the number I had for leaks no longer works

Update I've done some digging....

Bit lower down there's now a new number for emergency leaks :

0345 124 2424

[jansman]

Blooming neighbours..again ..this time construction of some extension ..a few doors up ..doing it themselves with big machines ..no idea how but they've gone through a gas pipe in theirs and next doors too
6 30 am so many gas vans on the street couldn't get by people trying to get out to work etc kids for school it was absolute mayhem ..
The smell of gas awful
Everybody switched off ..back to the portable shower Andy
Chaos all day and theyre all still here ... vans all over
Had a couple of bags packed anyhow
Made sure Mr Ggs meds available
Made sure our important paperwork is ready to grab too and a full tank in car
Cat basket and water and food ..Shirley the cat isn't staying if we have to go
So far they haven't evacuated us all and hope it stays that way
No harm in being ready

Oh dear! Some folks have zero idea about the safety issues in their homes,they really have zero. Glad you’ve mentioned the drugs too. I ( like Mister G ) have loads,so I’ll get some in our hotel bag. Top tip and thanks. Let’s hope that potential gas explosion stays that way too. This country does have some stupid people though…

[jansman]

Blooming neighbours..again ..this time construction of some extension ..a few doors up ..doing it themselves with big machines ..no idea how but they've gone through a gas pipe in theirs and next doors too
6 30 am so many gas vans on the street couldn't get by people trying to get out to work etc kids for school it was absolute mayhem ..
The smell of gas awful
Everybody switched off ..back to the portable shower Andy
Chaos all day and theyre all still here ... vans all over
Had a couple of bags packed anyhow
Made sure Mr Ggs meds available
Made sure our important paperwork is ready to grab too and a full tank in car
Cat basket and water and food ..Shirley the cat isn't staying if we have to go
So far they haven't evacuated us all and hope it stays that way
No harm in being ready

How do you rate the pump up shower I'm in the it'll get the job done category

Keep looking at the LPG camping boilers wit the 12v pump ... then not buying one it'll happen one day probably after a beer or 3

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camplux-Outdoo ... 40&sr=8-11

I really hope the neighbour has good insurance the gas board will tear him a new back passage of you get the gist ... Lad at work once hit a BT cable £20,000 later

Was a guy up the street doing his driveway 5 years or so ago very nice too now it's done .. walked past as he was digging eh mate watch the gas main pointing / motioning a line with my hand ..... Hour later walked back from the shops he came bounding across to me shook my hand turns out he found it where I pointed but obviously went careful so no damage gas valve manhole in the pavement in line with his gas meter was a good guess


Least it's happening in the summer and your not cold without heat

Mates dad once hit a alkathine (blue plastic water pipe) digging in his front garden.... Me and his son were pratting about putting neons under his clio Managed to expose it quickly chop it and kink it over... Sent him to the local pipe shop (literally) as he was driving I rung rob the owner "guy coming in muddy jeans white England top get a 25mm stop tap 4x inserts and a inline coupling on your counter and added up ready and tell him to hurry up back .... " Mates dad looked at me gob smacked when he got back that the stuff was ready .. in that time I'd got my dad's pipe cutter.... Pipe cut under pressure jet of water into the air .. insert pressed / bashed in ... Stop tap pushed on with valve open.... And collar tightened.. then tap turned off ... Panic over with the water off the 6" of tap plus 6" coupling used the off cut of pipe to link together


It's well worth adding the gas board emergency number UK: 0800111999 to your phone alongside electric board 105 ... As for Yorkshire water.... Last time I rung them they told me to do it on line well somewhere between the fire service and northern power grid strong words were had with YW it was flooding round a substation and the number I had for leaks no longer works

Update I've done some digging....
Screenshot_20230713-230753.png




Bit lower down there's now a new number for emergency leaks :

0345 124 2424

We have cowboy builders re doing next doors wall . Started digging for a foundation and I pointed out instantly they started that gas and electric cables were directly under their spade ,6” deep and 8” apart! How do I know? I made it my business when I found mine back in the day! And there is a label on back of our fence post too.

[Frnc]

Shoot the cats! Seriously,with veg gardens- start small. Rather than single crops in small set ups,constant cropping is easier and more productive anyway. Stuff like salad crops,climbing beans are good and produce a lot over a longer time. In my case I use perennial plants. Onions,cabbages,fruits,Jerusalem artichokes. No work and constant.

What is "constant cropping"?

Constant cropping is for instance ,my perennial cabbage. It keeps giving LOTS of leaves constantly with no attention. Unlike a ,let’s say ,savoy cabbage that is cut once only. Constant cropping.

Right, sounds good. So do you just cut a few leaves off?

[jansman]

What is "constant cropping"?

Constant cropping is for instance ,my perennial cabbage. It keeps giving LOTS of leaves constantly with no attention. Unlike a ,let’s say ,savoy cabbage that is cut once only. Constant cropping.

Right, sounds good. So do you just cut a few leaves off?

Yes. Lettuce for instance. I grow a loose leaf one. I take a few leaves from the half a dozen plants at a time, rather than just cutting the entire plant. Kale is the same. Half a dozen plants ,few leaves off each. Climbing beans are just about in that class. Keep cropping regularly,the vines will continue to set flowers. Perpetual spinach beet the same. Crop the leaves ,not the entire plant. Beetroot can be done the same. Crop the red leaves gently,and you will still get beetroot at the end.

However,now I am poorly,I concentrate on the perennials. Have done for years on and off. I have a Daubenton and Taunton Deane kale. Three plants that will last five years ,and a simple cutting takes easily - snap a small leaf off and stick it in the ground! Lovely flavour,and the plant grows up to 2 metres high! Massive cropping. We have raspberries,blackberries,gooseberries,apples,plums,pears and rhubarb. Speak for themselves. There are a lot of mini fruit trees now that can be grown in tubs.
Than my onions. Egyptian and Welsh. Not a ‘normal’ onion but a super - Spring onion. They spread easily and last forever. My Welsh onion I divide every now and then to create a new plant. 33 years ago the originals were given me.

https://incrediblevegetables.co.uk/taunton-deane-kale/

[Frnc]

Constant cropping is for instance ,my perennial cabbage. It keeps giving LOTS of leaves constantly with no attention. Unlike a ,let’s say ,savoy cabbage that is cut once only. Constant cropping.

Right, sounds good. So do you just cut a few leaves off?

Yes. Lettuce for instance. I grow a loose leaf one. I take a few leaves from the half a dozen plants at a time, rather than just cutting the entire plant. Kale is the same. Half a dozen plants ,few leaves off each. Climbing beans are just about in that class. Keep cropping regularly,the vines will continue to set flowers. Perpetual spinach beet the same. Crop the leaves ,not the entire plant. Beetroot can be done the same. Crop the red leaves gently,and you will still get beetroot at the end.

However,now I am poorly,I concentrate on the perennials. Have done for years on and off. I have a Daubenton and Taunton Deane kale. Three plants that will last five years ,and a simple cutting takes easily - snap a small leaf off and stick it in the ground! Lovely flavour,and the plant grows up to 2 metres high! Massive cropping. We have raspberries,blackberries,gooseberries,apples,plums,pears and rhubarb. Speak for themselves. There are a lot of mini fruit trees now that can be grown in tubs.
Than my onions. Egyptian and Welsh. Not a ‘normal’ onion but a super - Spring onion. They spread easily and last forever. My Welsh onion I divide every now and then to create a new plant. 33 years ago the originals were given me.

https://incrediblevegetables.co.uk/taunton-deane-kale/

Cheers for the info, very useful.