What Preps are you doing this week? Part 7.

[itsybitsy]

I'm very late trying to organise the veg garden and I cannot get seeds at all, unless at silly prices. Sellers on ebay asking £4 postage for a pkt of seeds All the sites I usually go to like Realseeds are closed until they catch up. Everything is out of stock. Starting to panic now because meat is already scarce, now no veg either

Sorry I posted on another thread then read this one, hopefully they will be open again soon

Suttons is open. i got some tomato seeds from them yesterday. They are taking longer than usual though, understandably.

VEGETABLE SEED DESPATCH TIMES Orders are currently taking longer than usual and we are very sorry about that. We will try to resume normal service levels as soon as possible. In the meantime orders for seeds are generally being despatched in 7-10 days.

[Jamesey1981]

I'm drying some more veg, got a couple of bags of carrots on the go.

Have discovered that the trays from my old dehydrator also fit the new one, which is nice, so now I have ten trays, I can't imagine that if I stack ten up it'll dry very efficiently but I reckon I could probably get away with seven or eight, I often leave it to go overnight so it's probably having a couple of hours more than it needs most of the time anyway.

[ukpreppergrrl]

I've put solar panels in each of my vehicles to keep the batteries topped up when not being used. One is on the drive so could be charged using a mains battery charger, but the other is round the corner on the road. Experience has taught me that the 5-10w panels you can buy specifically for cars are just not enough power for one of my cars (it seems to have quite a high drain when not running). So I've bought small 20w panels, which came complete with a 10A charge controller for each panel and very sturdy reusable crocodile clips on the ends of the solar panel cables. All I needed to add was another length of 16 gauge cable to go from the charge controller to the battery, cut the crocodile clips off the solar panel cables and put them on the end of 16 gauge cable, wire it all together and Robert's your mother's brother! I sat in the car for about 30 mins and watched its battery go from 12.3V to 12.5V so definitely working! Each of the 20w panels plus charge controller plus extra cable came to less than a 10w "special" car panel, so actually saved some cash despite getting better panels.

[ForgeCorvus]

Ha ha!damned cold. Just had a call from the gaffer. I have been ‘furloughed’. Tax man will pay me... yeah right! Been offered a job , waiting for a call.

And I wonder who your boss thinks will be re-filling the tax mans coffers next year? He will! Along with the rest of us.

Clearly there's little choice for anything but all these measures, but the next round of "austerity" is going to make the last decade look like a walk in the park...

As it happens my current contract has suddenly taken a drastic turn - from a promise of a 6 month renewal to potentially finishing on 31st so currently justifying why they should keep me on for a least a month or two..

In my opinion there won’t be austerity. There will be massive quantitative easing and perhaps even direct monetary injection.

This means inflation and currency collapse.

For me, this is the bigger issue which will eclipse current noise around covid-19.

The one advantage (if you can call it that) is that its not just our economy..... A bit like the muck-spreader, if you're all standing by then you'll all get a share.

[PreppingPingu]

Preps this week are seeing what I'm currently using out of physical stored preps so they can be replaced and financial prepping due to hubby and probably myself being furloughed. Staying in has proved that you can save money on fuel, eating out and generally the buying of stuff you don't need! So hopefully that will make up for the shortfall in both our wages. But yes budgets and all things monetary are this week's preps.

[jansman]

Over the last two days I have reorganised my workshop/ sheds.They are all now sorted,and spacious.I can lay my hands on all my gear easily.Even better,I now have a dedicated fishing shed.Pity I can't go fishing

[Nurseandy]

Started planting the usual annual vegetables in the greenhouse & potatoes in the ground. Also trying Jerusalem artichokes for the first time.
Sadly Sutton's were out if parsnip seed but sent me pak choi instead
Got plenty of other seed though bought at the end of the season last year when on sale.
Have been redeployed to covid palliative care ward - first shift tomorrow. Let's hope its really boring - ie not busy.

[jansman]

Started planting the usual annual vegetables in the greenhouse & potatoes in the ground. Also trying Jerusalem artichokes for the first time.
Sadly Sutton's were out if parsnip seed but sent me pak choi instead
Got plenty of other seed though bought at the end of the season last year when on sale.
Have been redeployed to covid palliative care ward - first shift tomorrow. Let's hope its really boring - ie not busy.

Make sure that where you plant the Jerusalem artichokes is where you want them to be.Only a scrap will grow next year,and they are pretty much indestructible!

[diamond lil]

Still too early to plant up here but I'm buying up coffee. Anybody know how long coffee beans last before they lose flavour?

[Nurseandy]

Started planting the usual annual vegetables in the greenhouse & potatoes in the ground. Also trying Jerusalem artichokes for the first time.
Sadly Sutton's were out if parsnip seed but sent me pak choi instead
Got plenty of other seed though bought at the end of the season last year when on sale.
Have been redeployed to covid palliative care ward - first shift tomorrow. Let's hope its really boring - ie not busy.

Make sure that where you plant the Jerusalem artichokes is where you want them to be.Only a scrap will grow next year,and they are pretty much indestructible!

Thank you Jansman, yes, had read that. That's actually part of their appeal. The gardens quite exposed with a significant rabbit population!