Preparedness for when

Fifer73

born_blonde wrote: »

Please be careful of cheap camping gas containers, one blew on site in the summer and sent the cooker 16 feet away!
Very loud bang as well.

As i only intend to use this in case of power shortage, might just bite the bullet and buy CP250 canister ( and this fifer doesnt like over spending ) better to be safe than sorry

mardatha

VS, if I get seed tatties now (supposing I can find any) will they keep until planting time next year??

[Deleted User]

VAL - I totally agree with your post above, surely what is needed is an education programme to teach good practise to newly joined allotmenteers? Allotment associations could easily put together a do and don't list to send out when allocating the plot and the site representatives could pick up any mistakes when they do the periodic inspections of the site. It isn't rocket science is it, but if you're a newcomer to growing your own you wouldn't necessarily have the knowledge you needed. Cheers Lyn x.

RAS

valk_scot wrote: »

I was so interested in this I went and looked it up in the news, here.

And tbh, I'm on the side of the Goverment here, up to a point. Even on my allotment site where we're pretty clued up about blight and have a few rules about what to do when it arrives we've still got numpty plot holders that don't cut down the shaws at the first sign of blight as per the rules, giving it a chance to completely take hold. And when they do eventually comply what do they do with the shaws? Dump them on the compost heaps instead of burning them. Then they don't clear their potato beds properly and there are dozens of disease carrying volunteer plants the next year, or they lift their spuds and chuck all the diseased ones in the compost bin again. And don't get me onto the plot holders that use supermarket potatoes instead of growing proper disease free seed spuds, or even worse using potatoes from their own disease ridden crops the following year. And then you get the folk that compost their potato peelings too....:eek:

And this is on one allotment site with tough rules about potato crops and diseases, you understand, so gawd knows what some sites/home gardeners get up to re disease control in the ground and disposal of diseased material. So if the Potato Council is reporting that home growers are responsible for a disproportional level of disease spread when it comes to blight, I'm inclined to belive them.

(I used to work for the Scottish Dept of Agriculture btw, in the seed potato scheme. I used to be a field inspector for disease levels in potato crops. Which is one reason our allotment site is red hot on blight control, I wrote most of the disease control rules. )

You really want to know?

I have given up growing tomatoes on my plot since the tattie fiends moved in.

They each have a full plot or more. Between 70-90 percent of their plots are used to grow potatoes each and every year, with a bed of onions, one of cabbage and some leeks or strawberries to break up the monotony.

Most of them do not even know they should cut their haulms when blight first shows - we get brown stems on display by September. I have got one to co-operate.

They clamp their potatoes every winter and use the over-wintered tubers that have started to sprout to plant the next spring.

They do not clear the land of damaged tubers, but leave them to rot over winter. Foliage is either dug in or left to rot as a rule - for most of them compost is a bit much to think about.

That's probably five out 10 in the row I am on.

T'committee love them and think they are great gardeners because they dig over their ground every autumn and leave it bare. And they do not grow TREES. And their plots look all nice and uniform and in rows all summer!

Some have started using copper sulphate this year as last but the real cure is a complete change of culture.

I mention these antics to on potato expert and the shocked response was "Hell'll mend them".

fuddle

I can't understand why anyone who wanted to grow their own and spend the time caring for their patches would jeopardise their crops by acting this way.

Is it down to needing education or is it a case of foul play, can't be arrissed or whatever you want to call it.

I must say I wouldn't have a clue what to do, or even that there were rules that needed to be adhered to but I agree with Lyn, in that newbies and the majority of people would adhere if they knew... education has gotta be better than a blanket ban?

D&DD

Evening all blimey its been like revolving doors here with visitors all day! Good job I finished the quality street just before..

Val thanks for the link will have a good read in a mo just off to catch up on the rest of the days news

Mar personallyI'd hold off getting the seed potatoes they'll be around just after xmas in the garden centres and it'll save you having to worry about storing them

I didn't know that so many plotholders are clueless/thoughtless/or just plain daft to be honest.I always presumed to have an allotment you needed a fairly good knowledge of how to grow things properly I'm a bit shocked really..

vanoonoo

2tonsils wrote: »

I have just seen this game on facebook.

The item on your immediate right is the only item you can use as a weapon in a zombie apocalypse.....what is it?

In my case it's a leopard print cushion...guess I am going to have to hold them down and smother them with it lol

Is anyone else going to play?:beer:

my power cord for my laptop - note I sayPOWERcord not PARAcord *sigh* heehee

vanoonoo

princesstippytoes wrote: »

Can someone explain to me what this thread is about please? I've tried reading but it seems to jump about a bit. I'm actually scared to ask and terrified of posting anything vanoonoo might find offensive in case she reports me. So please be nice. I just don't get it.

it's not me you need to worry about in that regard

D&DD

Thriftwizard I really liked your post and yes I agree those in more rural areas need to prep on a totally different level to us cityfolk.One thing I always wonder about though is how the rural folk and city folk compare when having a crisis..

It always strikes me that * apart from the level headed craprollz brigade of course* around here if theres the slightest glitch people fall apart extremely quickly..the queues when we had the non-existent fuel strike were ridiculous !! We have a foot of snow and we grind to a halt..that sort of thing whereas out in the more rural areas life goes on as it seems to be no big deal am I right in my assumptions I wonder?

vanoonoo

hello to all the newbies

hello to all the regulars

hello to all the haters

we're making our bi-annual (is that twice a year or every two years?) batch of beef casserole tomorrow so busy sorting out all the pots for the freezer

keep up the good work - apologies if I have missed anything major i had to skim!

and to my left I have a slankie so i wouldnt be much good with that in the fight against the zed heads. but i could probably get my bulldog to f#rt in their general direction if needed as that generally clears the room.

that or

I could use my sharp tongue to good effect I reckon