Prepping for Brexit thread

greenbee

As we saw during lockdown, one of the issues with eating what we grown here is that we've relied on migrant labour to harvest it for years. Without freedom of movement from EU countries we may find that we're short of pickers for things that can't easily be harvested mechanically - sprouts and cabbages are generally picked by hand (and it's a hard, cold, miserable job too). 

Primrose

People sound a pretty sensible bunch on here. Ni think we just have to will ourselves to be flexible and adapt to the circumstances of the day.  There are always new life skills to be learned feom difficult circumstances and whilst conditions can seem hard at the time we look back later and can be grateful for the survival lessons they taught us.
Just hoping though that I,m never reduced to having to revisit the Hay Box cooking scheme I had to demonstrate for my Girl Guide cookery badge several decades ago.  Did once have to revisit it during the Three Day Week years ago during the miners strike with some rather unsatisfactory improvised equipment though !! 

DryTheRain

Primrose said:

As probably one of the older forum members I still have vivid memories of my mother trying to manage our food supplies during World War 2 with bombs constantly dropping, severe rationing in place and the whole of the UK cut off from the world in terms of imported food supplies.  Whatever Brexit difficulties lie ahead in the short term I,m sure there is still no comparison between today,s possible difficulties and what happened over those years.
Perhaps the best way of preparing is to lay in a stock of "must have" vital non perishable  supplies and for meals, draw up some menus which will allow you to vary those ingredients. Some fresh vegetable supplies may be a problem short term but tinned vegetable substitutes will contain the necessary vitamins needed for a healthy diet.    Perhaps arrange with friends and family that this year,s presents will consist of "Brexit emergency supplies" and make a fun thing of it.  There could be the year  when that unexpected Chriatmas gift of a jar of olives and a bottle of olive oil is worth its weight in gold compared with a pot of expensive moisturising  cream or perfume ! 

Like the idea of a christmas box   One of my favourite finds this year has been the non-refrigerated long life M&S plant kitchen meals (£2.50 ish) which are very comforting and warming, and most are at least two of five a day.  Also very easy to make into to a more substantial meal by roasting up onions or whatever veg you have for about 20 minutes, then popping the ‘ready’ on top to heat through.  Quite a few of the M&S tinned soups have five a day scores as well, as do Baxters (both about a pound) and again ideal for boosting up with other ingredients for nutrition and variety.

RAS

KatyLovesCats said

I was already planning on utilising my garden next year as I have just moved from a place that didn't have any green space and I'm grateful to be able have some soil to work with. I shall try not to panic now and take on board the really useful tips that people have posted on here. Thanks all. 

Hi Katy

A couple of resources that might prove useful:

You can grow an amazing amount using beds around 4 foot square, or a similar width. Basically work out how far your arms stretch and double it. If you can get Mel Batholomew's book from the library, do so, but bear in mind he was an engineer and likes structures. I think raised beds just create hidey holes for slugs. Otherwise there are plans of GO's website.

Square Foot Gardens - organicgarden.org.uk

Soil is almost everything but unless yours is great it's worth prepping now. Either trench compost in the proposed space or just create a mound of waste on the surface (compost tractor). Do it now and by the end of March you'll have much more fertile ground.

Assuming they can still get in, it's worth looking out for Wilkie's seed range. Last year they had a great 25p package of mixed lettuce which I started really early. They were put in some borrowed polytunnel space and we failed to consume everything from 12 plants. The spring heatwave did for them unfortunately. You might get something from an early sowing transplanted into 15cm pots in the window, using perhaps a dozen seeds. 

Otherwise LI*lie do a small but cheap range in February. 4 or 5 packs for £1 for small seed and 4 for £2 for peas and beans, including mangetout or sugarsnaps, runner beans and climbing French beans. Check the pictures because the translations are dodgy. A 4 foot square with a teepee would provide provide space for all of these. You only need 2 runners per person, 3 or 4 climbing French beans per person, and the rest can be mangetout. However it would be worth an early sowing of mangetout before that. They are frost hardy, sow beginning of March to put out at the beginning of April. I'm up north, so you could start a few weeks early if down south.

EDIT for clarity: sow the peas indoors and moved them outside in April.
Happy gardening

KatyLovesCats

RAS said:

KatyLovesCats said

I was already planning on utilising my garden next year as I have just moved from a place that didn't have any green space and I'm grateful to be able have some soil to work with. I shall try not to panic now and take on board the really useful tips that people have posted on here. Thanks all. 

Hi Katy

A couple of resources that might prove useful:

You can grow an amazing amount using beds around 4 foot square, or a similar width. Basically work out how far your arms stretch and double it. If you can get Mel Batholomew's book from the library, do so, but bear in mind he was an engineer and likes structures. I think raised beds just create hidey holes for slugs. Otherwise there are plans of GO's website.

Square Foot Gardens - organicgarden.org.uk

Soil is almost everything but unless yours is great it's worth prepping now. Either trench compost in the proposed space or just create a mound of waste on the surface (compost tractor). Do it now and by the end of March you'll have much more fertile ground.

Assuming they can still get in, it's worth looking out for Wilkie's seed range. Last year they had a great 25p package of mixed lettuce which I started really early. They were put in some borrowed polytunnel space and we failed to consume everything from 12 plants. The spring heatwave did for them unfortunately. You might get something from an early sowing transplanted into 15cm pots in the window, using perhaps a dozen seeds. 

Otherwise LI*lie do a small but cheap range in February. 4 or 5 packs for £1 for small seed and 4 for £2 for peas and beans, including mangetout or sugarsnaps, runner beans and climbing French beans. Check the pictures because the translations are dodgy. A 4 foot square with a teepee would provide provide space for all of these. You only need 2 runners per person, 3 or 4 climbing French beans per person, and the rest can be mangetout. However it would be worth an early sowing of mangetout before that. They are frost hardy, sow beginning of March to put out at the beginning of April. I'm up north, so you could start a few weeks early if down south.

Happy gardening

Oh this is fab, thank you so much! 

Farway

KatyLovesCats said:

RAS said:

KatyLovesCats said

I was already planning on utilising my garden next year as I have just moved from a place that didn't have any green space and I'm grateful to be able have some soil to work with. I shall try not to panic now and take on board the really useful tips that people have posted on here. Thanks all. 

Hi Katy

A couple of resources that might prove useful:

You can grow an amazing amount using beds around 4 foot square, or a similar width. Basically work out how far your arms stretch and double it. If you can get Mel Batholomew's book from the library, do so, but bear in mind he was an engineer and likes structures. I think raised beds just create hidey holes for slugs. Otherwise there are plans of GO's website.

Square Foot Gardens - organicgarden.org.uk

Soil is almost everything but unless yours is great it's worth prepping now. Either trench compost in the proposed space or just create a mound of waste on the surface (compost tractor). Do it now and by the end of March you'll have much more fertile ground.

Assuming they can still get in, it's worth looking out for Wilkie's seed range. Last year they had a great 25p package of mixed lettuce which I started really early. They were put in some borrowed polytunnel space and we failed to consume everything from 12 plants. The spring heatwave did for them unfortunately. You might get something from an early sowing transplanted into 15cm pots in the window, using perhaps a dozen seeds. 

Otherwise LI*lie do a small but cheap range in February. 4 or 5 packs for £1 for small seed and 4 for £2 for peas and beans, including mangetout or sugarsnaps, runner beans and climbing French beans. Check the pictures because the translations are dodgy. A 4 foot square with a teepee would provide provide space for all of these. You only need 2 runners per person, 3 or 4 climbing French beans per person, and the rest can be mangetout. However it would be worth an early sowing of mangetout before that. They are frost hardy, sow beginning of March to put out at the beginning of April. I'm up north, so you could start a few weeks early if down south.

Happy gardening

Oh this is fab, thank you so much! 

And remember there is a green fingers board on MSE if you need any advice, we're just as friendly as this one

cornishchick

I have been growing rainbow chard and cut and come again lettuce on my window sill most of the year, It looks pretty and I harvest a hand full of leaves every few days to eat as salad or extra greens in stirfry or curries etc, easy to grow and maintain, and no pests lol 

Mummy2cheekymonkeys

We had good success with spinach beet this year. We can never successfully grow normal spinach but the spinach beet was great.

Greenglockenspiel

I’m planning my supermarket deliveries for the rest of December and I’m going to get some of the longer lasting fresh f&v that will last us at least the first few weeks of January. Currently thinking potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, cabbage, beetroot, apples, pears, ripen at home avocados, tangerines. Maybe cauliflower and plums but I’ve never really timed how long they last. We already have plenty of squash. Any other suggestions? Unfortunately I don’t like most root veg so I’m not cut out for a post-Brexit diet of British-grown turnips 

Primrose

Do swede and parsnips fall in your disliked category?. They store well in a cool garage or shed and as you say squash is the all time saviour as it stores for months.  Sprouts on stalks also store well if the base of the stalk is kept in a few inches of water .  Those tight balls of red and white cabbage are also good for cooking and salads, as are balls of celeriac when you can get them