What Preps are you doing this week? Part 8.

[Vitamin c]

Topped up food preps with 24 500g packs of pasta can't go wrong £4.50.
Been looking for same stuff due to shortages for 3 weeks now lidl out of frozen veg AldI out of chilled meat .

[jennyjj01]

jennyjj I think blight has been a huge issue for a lot of people this year, apparently even Monty Don has it on his tomatoes

Yes. I saw the video. That's how I diagnosed it. It really looks awful and struck down my crop over less than a week. Also destroyed the crops of neighbours on both sides. I have to decide now whether to dump the containers full of soil and compost. Opinions vary on whether fungus spores might survive there. This has really knocked my confidence.

[jansman]

Jansman are you willing to share your chilli rhubarb chutney recipe please. It sounds delicious!

Yes ,I will. Leave it with me and I’ll put it up later.

[jansman]

Thought I’d put it on here : viewtopic.php?t=11078

The original recipe uses a little cayenne pepper. These days I beef it up with chilli flakes to taste.

[GillyBee]

I have just purchased some Crimson Crush tomato seed for next year as it has had good reports of surviving this year's blight-fest. My greenhouse tomatoes are hanging in there and producing but this has not been a good year for veg.
I am stock taking at the moment. Not just food. Family shoes, coats, winter clothes and repair supplies as it looks like we are about to move into an "everything shortage". DH fireworks supplier has issued a severe warning, echoes by suppliers of IT kit at work. It isnt just the HGV driver problem either. In the cases I know of the stuff isnt leaving the Far East let alone reaching the UK.

[jennyjj01]

I have just purchased some Crimson Crush tomato seed for next year as it has had good reports of surviving this year's blight-fest.

WOW. Suttons seed said this variety was 100% blight resistant! Back in 2014
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/plants-bl ... mson-crush
https://www.suttons.co.uk/vegetable-see ... h_mh-32561

As much as 45p per seed though !!!!!!!

it looks like we are about to move into an "everything shortage". DH fireworks supplier has issued a severe warning, echoes by suppliers of IT kit at work. It isnt just the HGV driver problem either. In the cases I know of the stuff isnt leaving the Far East let alone reaching the UK.

It might be a perception thing, but it feels like the supposed supply chain problems are MUCH worse than they seem. When you see bare shelves in ASDA and B&M and when the local Poundstretcher closes down, you know there's trouble brewing. And don't get me started on price inflation. GRRR.

[soapbox]Still, it might save the environment if every bit of obscenely wasteful and useless plastic tat shipped around the world just got left at the factory gates and those factories had to recycle said tat into something useful.[/soapbox]

[GillyBee]

I have just purchased some Crimson Crush tomato seed for next year as it has had good reports of surviving this year's blight-fest.

WOW. Suttons seed said this variety was 100% blight resistant! Back in 2014
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/plants-bl ... mson-crush
https://www.suttons.co.uk/vegetable-see ... h_mh-32561

As much as 45p per seed though !!!!!!!

I have just got mine from here: I can cope with 12p a seed!
https://www.premierseedsdirect.com/prod ... -crush-f1/

[jansman]

jennyjj I think blight has been a huge issue for a lot of people this year, apparently even Monty Don has it on his tomatoes

Yes. I saw the video. That's how I diagnosed it. It really looks awful and struck down my crop over less than a week. Also destroyed the crops of neighbours on both sides. I have to decide now whether to dump the containers full of soil and compost. Opinions vary on whether fungus spores might survive there. This has really knocked my confidence.

Don’t be disheartened.That is gardening,it was ever thus I am afraid. Blight,caterpillars,flea beetle,no rain,too much rain ,too hot,too cold,pigeons,rabbits,and so it goes on…

Every year you will have a spectacular success,but also a spectacular failure.In any given area the failures and successes seem to be the same across the neighbourhood.My outdoor tomatoes are also suffering from blight. Fortunately it’s not SHTF. We won’t starve. Indoor tomatoes don’t suffer blight ( well I’ve never known it in 30+ years. A remedy that works on outdoor tomatoes is a single soluble aspirin in a 2 litre watering can,and apply to compost and leaves every other day.It needs to be applied BEFORE blight season.

I would suggest getting shot of infected plants and compost.

[jennyjj01]

I have to decide now whether to dump the containers full of soil and compost. Opinions vary on whether fungus spores might survive there. This has really knocked my confidence.

Don’t be disheartened.That is gardening,it was ever thus I am afraid. Blight,caterpillars,flea beetle,no rain,too much rain ,too hot,too cold,pigeons,rabbits,and so it goes on…
...
A remedy that works on outdoor tomatoes is a single soluble aspirin in a 2 litre watering can,and apply to compost and leaves every other day.It needs to be applied BEFORE blight season.

I would suggest getting shot of infected plants and compost.

Thanks for the pep talk and advice. I'm a bit p1553d off that a quarter of a tonne of decent compost/soil has been ruined and many minutes of nurturing wasted. I see various sites that say scorch the soil in various ways.... Or I could just grow something else in there, but if spores can survive 3 or 4 years, I'll bite the bullet and dispose of it.
Damned expensive crop of just 3 red tomatoes ( I don't like chutney )

One important FYI for any others that got blight: DISINFECT ANY CANES OR SUPPORTS that were used.

Anyway: This week I've been bottling beer and wine and blanching and freezing masses of chard. Also looking to preserve but not pickle some of neighbour's cucumber crop, I made my first batch of cucumber crisps in the dehydrator. Very fragile crisps but an amusing exercise.

[jansman]

I have to decide now whether to dump the containers full of soil and compost. Opinions vary on whether fungus spores might survive there. This has really knocked my confidence.

Don’t be disheartened.That is gardening,it was ever thus I am afraid. Blight,caterpillars,flea beetle,no rain,too much rain ,too hot,too cold,pigeons,rabbits,and so it goes on…
...
A remedy that works on outdoor tomatoes is a single soluble aspirin in a 2 litre watering can,and apply to compost and leaves every other day.It needs to be applied BEFORE blight season.

I would suggest getting shot of infected plants and compost.

Thanks for the pep talk and advice. I'm a bit p1553d off that a quarter of a tonne of decent compost/soil has been ruined and many minutes of nurturing wasted. I see various sites that say scorch the soil in various ways.... Or I could just grow something else in there, but if spores can survive 3 or 4 years, I'll bite the bullet and dispose of it.
Damned expensive crop of just 3 red tomatoes ( I don't like chutney )

One important FYI for any others that got blight: DISINFECT ANY CANES OR SUPPORTS that were used.

Anyway: This week I've been bottling beer and wine and blanching and freezing masses of chard. Also looking to preserve but not pickle some of neighbour's cucumber crop, I made my first batch of cucumber crisps in the dehydrator. Very fragile crisps but an amusing exercise.

Use the compost to grow NON Solanacea crops. Beans or greens are far more ‘survival friendly’ , beans especially. Blight will not affect them. If you are using commercial compost, remember to add fertiliser.