Preparing for Winter V

Lucy5781

It's been all about finally sorting out the garden since we moved in last summer. Between DH having a bout of sciatica and then me having the baby in the September it was all just about the house. Garden finally got it's lawn laid at the start of July.

Then we had the torrential rain last week and..... we gained two small leaks in the conservatory roof. So that needs sorting out. It was built by the previous owners decades ago and upon looking into redoing the roof (which would cost as much as a whole new conservatory anyway!!) We realised it has no lead flashing where it meets the back wall of the house :eek:

fuddle

Thank you. It's all very useful.

I adore hand-knitted socks and even though I can crochet a pair in my sleep without a pattern they aren't knitted (stroppy attitude!) Well I think I'd best go peruse wool then. Naughty people encouraging me.

I do need to be warm as I allotment though eh?!

VintageHistorian

fuddle wrote: »

I do need to be warm as I allotment though eh?!

Definitely, you don't want to catch a chill!

[Deleted User]

Sorry, I haven`t read back yet but will do later. I am so busy preparing food for the freezer, the allotment (80 x 8) is very productive just now. Everything has been grown wrt me eating solo, so it is mostly stuff that will freeze for winter. I have already frozen lots of berries, mostly blackcurrants and gooseberries and recently blueberries and now raspberries are coming ripe. In a couple of months it will be all systems go with apples as I don`t have enough storage space for whole apple storage, anyway the max they keep is to january, when I switch over to frozen portions

I am also freezing portions of what I call a ratatouille mix, mostly shredded green beans in with other veg like courgettes and the obligatory onion, garlic, herbs and tomato. I should have enough for the whole winter at the rate they are producing now.

Once everything is tucked away into the freezer, or dehydrated if I run out of space, then I will be making sure that fuel is in and winter sheets are handy. I have been ready for winter for a few years now and haven`t much to do. Last winters store of chocolate has lasted the whole year and eaten small amounts on a daily basis, the 70% does not make me crave more and more but is always a treat after lunch. Must get some more in this autumn

[Deleted User]

Goodness me it's a good year for produce isn't it? He Who Knows has almost finished lifting our main crop potatoes and despite the lack of rain they're super sized and mainly very sound, just a few casualties which will be used up first. The berries (particularly blackberries) are producing way more then we can eat so the freezer is filling nicely and the only thing NOT thriving this year is the runner beans which seem to have mostly male flowers and have set very few beans but I don't like them frozen so that's not a disaster. The wood store is virtually full and today will see the blankets and fleeces going through the wash in preparation for cooler weather, I may get the duvets outside for an airing on the line too if the weather stays good. Will go through hats, scarves and gloves tomorrow and wash those and also check the state of footwear to see if anything needs replacing, sadly long gone are the days of being able to have shoes repaired!

fuddle

I've just been reading the Met office warns of unprecedented rainfall for this winter. I live near the top of a hill on a downward slope so water can pass past me but not accumulate I don't think. What precautions do hill dwellers need to take in terms protecting themselves from water?

Also how will a lot of winter rainfall likely effect the allotment, growing and preparing for spring?

[Deleted User]

Clear all your drains petal and make sure the council clears those in the road too, make sure your guttering is clean and empty and that your 'down pipes' are flowing and not blocked and set up some water butts on that nice new allotment of yours, put guttering up on the shed and greenhouse if it isn't already there and harvest all that lovely free rain water for your plot!!!

Prolonged rainfall might wash out some of the soil nutrients but as you're on a slope the plots themselves should drain and remain workable. If you have a compost heap going when we get to the dig on the plot before cultivating give it a good top dressing with compost and some horse manure if you can get hold of it and that should replace anything lost to the rainfall.

Pooky

I was feeling quite prepped for winter but both DDs are moving out on Friday so my stocks of food and blankets etc have taken a hit. Good excuse to crochet some more!

We have over 40 apples on our mini tree despite it blowing over in February storms - it's a hybrid cooker/eater so will use them in all manner of things once they're ready, they're huge now......loads of berries on the blackberry bushes near here too, it's a very good year for foraging.

mardatha

Fuddle check your windows, find out where the winds usually come from - up here it's from the west. I have newish double glazing but it still lets in water - a 70mph gale will drive rain through the tiniest gaps and my windowsills sometimes get pools of water. In heavy rain the rones will burst and water will pour out - I lost a plant because it was right under a leaky rone and drowned it.
High winds are a lot more trouble and dangerous than heavy rain, to hill people like us lol

fuddle

I have to kick the previous plot holder off first. There's 3 butts there but I don't know which are his and which belong to the plot, if any. We need his tomatoes out of that greenhouse ASAP. When do you think? September maybe?

mar the wind is west here too and we're a west facing house. All windows and doors are new but I've been outside to look at the pointing and that needs some remedial work ASAP. I can do it myself as it's quite low down and the window guy showed me after I showed an interest because he had a grumble about me not wanting plastic strips down by the outside of the windows. Thankfully the pointing work has been renewed by the windows so I'm hoping it will be ok.

I maybe should have thought of the wind when I put bark in my front garden! Just so you know, I'm trying to emulate a certain ladies front garden. It will take time but if it works on that hill it will work on mine!