What Preps are you doing this week

[preppingsu]

Trying a spot of guerilla gardening in my local area

Tell us more - and keep us informed on how things grow and what you were able to harvest...

[FEISTY]

Just ordered The Survival Medicine Handbook (for when help is not on the way) and Acquaponics Gardening by Sylvia Bernstein. STILL waiting for my WaterBob to come (it's coming from the US, so I should be patient . Started planting up seed trays, but can't get out to do some proper gardening until the soil dries out a bit and the forecast is rain until the 22nd . Surprisingly, I've not been able to buy an aloe vera (for sun burn, burns, skin irritation, etc) plant locally (one old, overpriced, falling over one in the local garden centre is all that's left). Lidl had them, but they've been snapped up . Did a stock-take of edibles in my garden - apples, plums (but no plums this year!!), cherries, rosemary, sage, wild strawberries (replanting new, better, regular ones in a better spot this year), fig (no figs!), asparagus, chives, raspberries, brambles !, rhubarb and lavender. I'm sure there's more, but the point is that we never actually get to eat much. Either the birds or squirrels get to it first or they're not growing optimally to produce the best crop (a lot was already planted when we moved in). Time to completely re-do the garden for proper food (and flower) production. Most of the overgrown buddleias will go for good this year to be replaced with fruit bushes/trees, One lawn will be "hedged" with espalier fruit trees. The raised beds will be kept, but may be moved and at least one hugelcultur bed will be dug this year to see how that works. We also have a lot to fix due to storm damage, so note to self to try not to get beyond my capabilities . Thinking that, if we were dependent on the garden right now, we would starve. Need to dig out the computerised? automatic watering system I've had for years sitting on a shelf in the garage and see if it still works. One of the things I'm guilty of is not watering when I'm busy and plants die ;(. It's going to be a busy year.

Books have arrived, so many hours of reading ahead. More inclined to enjoy the aquaponics one, I have to say. Will have to gird my loins to read the medicine one , but at least we now have a hard copy in my "Squirrel Library".

[cypher]

Trying a spot of guerilla gardening in my local area

Tell us more - and keep us informed on how things grow and what you were able to harvest...

Wll, I had a bunch of left over seeds from last year; a mix of carrots, peas, corgettes, runner and broad beans, plus some strawberries and herbs.

During dog walks etc have noticed a couple of patches of land that appear to be pretty much abandoned, one being in a local park behind some buildings (just threw a few handfulls of seeds around - not hoping for much there)

Second patch is a quiet corner of the cemetary, quite a distance from any graves and seems to be neglected, during visits to family graves over the last few months I've been tidying said patch up and slowly adding compost to the soil, have planted a few rows of carrot/pea/corgette/peas. - should be a decent crop.

Also along the edge of a dike between a path and field that never seems to get cut back i've chucked a mix of mint, rosemary, thyme, sage and alpine strawberries. - fingers crossed.

i'll keep you updated

[FEISTY]

Hi Cypher

Will be interesting to see what you get out of something that would otherwise be wasted. If the rosemary takes off, you'll never have to buy those little packages again . We inherited a couple of rosemary bushes in our garden in a very inauspicious spot (you wouldn't plant it there ) and I have to chop it back quite hard each year. I should really package it up and sit at the end of the drive on a sunny day selling it to passing dog walkers! They are years old though and getting woody, so I'll be starting a few cuttings this year. I only use it on lamb and my kids are horrified at the thought of eating it, passing the gambolling lambs each day on the way to school in the spring and summer. Blast ! It'll be different if they're ever really starving though. The one I like the most is the little bay tree. Having left a large shrub in a large, expensive planter back at our old house because it was just too much trouble to take it, I now have a wee tree in the garden here which should give me some good leaves this year. I use a few packets a year, so that's a good saving. Don't know if you mentioned chives. They are also ridiculously easy to grow and once in place will come up year after year. I think you can even eat the purple flowers. I would beg a bit of someone's rhubarb (now before it really gets going - mine is already up but not too big), stick that in and look forward to free rhubarb tart next year - don't cut it this year, as it needs to build up a bit first) . Hope I'm not teaching my granny how to suck eggs - put it down to enthusiasm .

[FEISTY]

WaterBob has finally arrived. Didn't realise it can hold up to 100 gallons. I wish we had a bigger bath! The good new is that I didn't have to pay anything else (have had to pay customs import tax from the US in the past). I think lack of water in the West of Scotland will be the least of our issues, but my next prep will be water purification tablets. Have seen them on a site (Hennie Haines or something vaguely like that, based in Wales) for a little over £5/100 (plus P&P probably). Does anyone know of anywhere they are cheaper?

[Hamradioop]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oasis-167mg-Eme ... rification
Each 167mg tablet treats 20-25 litres of suspect water
10 strips of 10 tablets
Excellent for emergency preparedness
Add one tablet to twenty litres (5 gallons) of water and wait thirty minutes
Expiry date: 07/2018
£1.40

[FEISTY]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oasis-167mg-Eme ... rification
Each 167mg tablet treats 20-25 litres of suspect water
10 strips of 10 tablets
Excellent for emergency preparedness
Add one tablet to twenty litres (5 gallons) of water and wait thirty minutes
Expiry date: 07/2018
£1.40

That's way better! Thank you!

[cpslashm]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oasis-167mg-Eme ... rification
Each 167mg tablet treats 20-25 litres of suspect water
10 strips of 10 tablets
Excellent for emergency preparedness
Add one tablet to twenty litres (5 gallons) of water and wait thirty minutes
Expiry date: 07/2018
£1.40

+£1.19 p&p. Still good value.

[FEISTY]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oasis-167mg-Eme ... rification
Each 167mg tablet treats 20-25 litres of suspect water
10 strips of 10 tablets
Excellent for emergency preparedness
Add one tablet to twenty litres (5 gallons) of water and wait thirty minutes
Expiry date: 07/2018
£1.40

+£1.19 p&p. Still good value.

A few comments have been made about 20l of water being too much, but if you're at home, you'll need that. Otherwise, I'll see about crushing them up and using the fraction required for a couple of litres - I'm sure I could work that out . Much better value than the ones I looked at. Thanks Hamradioop and for the response re p&p - sorry I can't see your name here and, although I looked, my ageing brain has forgotten already .

[cypher]

Rhubarb is a great idea, will swipe some from the outlaws when we next have to visit.
Chives are a good idea too, will grab a pack from the cheapie shop when i'm passing.