Preparedness for when

westcoastscot

mardatha wrote: »

Confuzzled - the north west has a far milder climate than I do, we go up there on holiday because the air is so much warmer
Really interesting hearing everybody's stories and experiences, I love this thread!

We're kind of mid-west Scotland on the coast, and its a lot milder than you Mar - our real issue is rain - it rains pretty much constantly, just in varying degrees of heaviness, and the soil is so thin and sandy that if we get two dry days together its like a dustbowl! We didn't notice it so much when we grew large numbers of crops as we still go enough for our needs, but now I have a tiny garden I don't want a repeat of last year where I sowed and planted and stuff just sat there looking at me - mostly didn't grow an inch. So, this year my plan is to try and get stuff bigger in pots prior to planting in the ground - that way I may be able to keep the rain off it a while.

A couple of years ago we had a long period of cold/icy weather over winter and I loved it! I had problems getting around, but the dry crisp and bright days were a real tonic!

WCS

ginnyknit

The best year I had for growing was the year I did everything in pots, bags and tubs. I even grew a tiny aubergine I loved that aubergine like a pet.

As for snow, the best things is to do what we all do now - organise and prep. Im going to get some long life milk in as I ran out this week other than that I wont have to waste time and energy going out for basics as I have trouble walking in snow, its hurts my arthritis. Dd's fella will do any urgent leg work for me. We have meds sorted for a month so will order another month asap and get them in ready.

Confuzzled I too use a tyre pyramid and its very successful for me except this year as I decided to move it down the garden and nothing grew. this year its coming back up near the house with my courgettes in again.

Just lined DGS's new (gifted from a friend) curtains so he will be a bit warmer and used up some fabric which was excess to requirements - bonus.

RAS

mardatha wrote: »

RAS - would you kindly, when you have spare time, give us some advice on growing stuff in poor climate/poor soil areas? Or even in changing conditions as we're all experiencing now.
I don't suppose the whole of even the south of England has soil where you can shove a seed in and voila next day you have a perfect plant .. and so many new growers look at the gardening catalogues and believe them :rotfl::rotfl:
I've given in, I'm going to have to grow whatever poor deluded mad vegetable that likes being up here. Probly turnip!

mar

Posted a long un and lost it!

Is your back garden garden on the north or the south side of your house??

Confuzzled's tyres would work but I think you would struggle to find seaweed? You might also have to go for the hardiest varieties or slightly less tender plants.

Anyway, let me have an idea of your layout.

Have you ever read Hovel in the Hills by Elizabeth West??

GreyQueen

Well, been a bit of an amusing day here. It started with the SHTP (p for pan, as in blocked WC) and will end with a viewing of a DVD called Seeking a friend at the end of the world starring Steve Carrell and Keira Knightly. SHTP > SHFT via rom com.:p

And, on a note of OS/preptastic interest, I dropped a squid on a book called A Place in the Woods by Helen Hoover pub 1969 about how she and her OH left Chicago to live a primitive life in the woods of Northern Minnesota.

Howsabout that for a prepperish entertainment schedule?

I lost all my runner beans in 2012 to slugs and snails. All 3 carefully-nurtured batches. I killed hundreds of the burgers in return and will be limbering up for SlugWars2013 Part II; the Revenge of the Queen as soon as they reappear after hibernation. Mwah ha ha!

Down here in Englandshire I don't have the climate challenges that the northerly contigent face, although the lottie is on the slope of a hill and very windy, free-draining silty soil over sand. Will set like concrete after a heavy rain and when parched goes to a fine dust which sifts through your clothes and leaves you feelthy.

We too have had lottie thefts in recent years inc whole rows of tatties dug up and strawberry patches picked bare overnight. There has been chicken-napping (they took the feed too) and turkey-rustling when one plotholder raised a couple for the pot for Crimble. Anyone ever been beside a real live turkey? They're bigger and scarier than you'd think if you've only seen them plucked and beheaded.

2tonsils, several English local authorities inc mine have offered destitute and homeless europeans travel warrants to get buses back to places like Poland if they want to go; I've seen the paperwork for these. Some people end up exhausting all their resources in trying to find work and end up jobless, homeless and starving on the streets.

A homelessness officer once explained to me that any EU national has a right to be in another EU country for up to 3 months without being subject to immigration control but after 3 months, they must have one of the following three statuses: be financially independant and self-supporting, be a full-time student, be a worker. The worker status incs spells of unemployment although you first have to had worked in the country you're trying to claim unemployment benefits in.

I guess that if an EU national couldn't meet those criteria they should leave but I don't know if there's any effort to remove people. The squatter camps of unemployed europeans in the woods and commons around my hometown have largely disappeared. I don't know why; people have given up and gone elsewhere in the UK/ gone back to their own countries. Or possibly have found employment and settled accomodation.

Ach well, check out the rest of OS then get down to my movie.

RAS

On home front I picked up this "A Year in the Village of Eternity" about food growing, foraging, storing and cooking in Italy for a small consideration in the CS at the weekend - almost brand new when I got it and now a bit thumbed.

A lot of the people whose experience contributes to the book grew up in occupied Italy and the times of hunger before and after the war. The village is known for it very active and very elderly population.

One completely left field recipe - tagne - eggless frittata made from the young shoots of Old Man's Beard! Also great recipes for making laina (ordinary pasta made without eggs) and loads of preserves.

As GQ says offering non EU and non-resident EU citizens a ticket home has been going on for a while here. I think the French do not even bother to get consent.

One point I would make 2T if you are talking to people considering moving to other countries is that they are very very careful. It is not just things like the habitual residence test in the UK (check that out of the benefits forum) but also the increasing amount of really serious exploitation of people who do not speak the language or understand the systems. Three of the five countries whose citizens are most likely to be trafficked into the UK are in the EU zone.

Men who came to be croupiers find themselves being forced to provide additional services to the punters during breaks, others have been sent out to commit crimes or sell their bodies. Those trying to escape have been savagely beaten. Sadly those trafficked from one country are most likely to enter legally in the company of relatives or supposed friends before finding out what is planned for them.

People need escape plans and enough money to establish themselves before they travel.

mardatha

I think my mistake is in trying to grow what people on here do, when my conditions aren't suitable. My neighbours aren't into gardening mainly because they're too old or they're farm workers/shepherds and are too bloody knackered.
When I came here the gardens front & back, was full of rotten cabbages and sprouts :eek:
RAS the front garden faces south; the back garden faces north. The wind blows from the west mostly. Height according to the OS map is 994ft.
EDITED - yes I have that book but forget what's in it!

2tonsils

I don't know of anyone thinking of moving to other countries RAS. Most of the ex pats who moved here have already left to go back to the Uk as they could not manage here with no work and no benefits of any kind, or very low wages. I don't think its much easier in any other country than it is here.

We have enough to set us up if we had to leave, for instance in case of war breaking out, but I would be reluctant to leave the lovely home we have worked so hard to buy and renovate.

the_cake

Re growing veg in "challenging" (!!) conditions - I have had great success and lovely tasting veg from the Real Seed Company in Wales ... will attempt a linky: http://www.realseeds.co.uk/about.html
Hurray, seems to have worked. They are a very interesting company, and all their info. is relevant and very helpful. Cannot recommend them highly enough.

[Deleted User]

I think the whole country had a useless growing year in 2012, we have a little micro climate here because we are sheltered by the Isle of Wight and even with being this far south we had abysmal faliures with most of what we tried to grow outside. When things did eventually decide to germinate the weather was so cold and wet that like everywhere else the plants just stopped growing. Then there were the slugs Ugh!!! and the pigeons took anything they left so we didn't have anything like the crop we usually get. I froze everything that did deign to produce but if we were relying entirely on home grown to see us through I am sure we would be hungry by now. Then there was almost no wild food at all, the exception being blackberries and the only other things to show at all were Hawthorn and now Ivy but the birds have stripped the trees and the ivy is almost gone too. No acorns at all, very few hazelnuts, very few chestmuts and no conkers. Lets hope things are better this year for everyone, wherever they live, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Helen2k8

Definitely look at alternative and odd vegetables - most of our common ones are sun-loving annuals. Ha! Look at Agroforestry Research Trust - big book about forest gardens - lots of information out there about alternatives that can grow in shade etc.
I picked up this ebook while it was 99p but not read it yet http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A9WS95M/ref=oh_d__o05_details_o05__i00 Ooo still 99p!