The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

thriftwizard

Allotment-wise, this is such a vital time of year! Plus it's excellent exercise and it's hard to imagine why you'd have to get within 2m of anyone else, at least at our site of 126 plots. My plot is half-cleared & onions, shallots, parsnips, carrots & first-earlies planted, but the weeds on the other half will just romp away & drown the lot if I don't get on top of them now. As it was still a pasture-field 3 years ago, we're not talking about the odd clump of couch grass & dandelions, infuriating though they are; I'm contending with serious brambles, nettles, thistles, dock and creeping buttercup whose roots were neatly chopped-up & distributed when the landowners rotavated (but didn't plough) the site before letting it to us. As it's also solid clay, next to a fairly big river, it's been completely unworkable until now, thanks to the weather - and now is my window of opportunity!

I'm awaiting official advice as to whether we should still go up there, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, but there will be more lost than just growing-time if we can't get on with it. In the meantime, our little garden is about to vanish (again) under the 3mx2m polytunnel I bought to cover up my bantams when the bird flu panic was on. At least I can grow some salad & things in there.

DigForVictory

May your allotment committee use horse sense (along with other horse related outputs) to good effect!

[Deleted User]

We're waiting to see if it's safe to go to the allotment.  HWK tried to go yesterday morning and the car park was rammed and most people were on their plots so he drove past and came home again.

Greenglockenspiel

Gove apparently said going to the allotment is still allowed, as are deliveries of even non essential items: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/mar/24/uk-lockdown-gove-tries-to-clarify-confusion-over-rules

Thriftygifty

thriftwizard said:

Allotment-wise, this is such a vital time of year! Plus it's excellent exercise and it's hard to imagine why you'd have to get within 2m of anyone else, at least at our site of 126 plots. My plot is half-cleared & onions, shallots, parsnips, carrots & first-earlies planted, but the weeds on the other half will just romp away & drown the lot if I don't get on top of them now. As it was still a pasture-field 3 years ago, we're not talking about the odd clump of couch grass & dandelions, infuriating though they are; I'm contending with serious brambles, nettles, thistles, dock and creeping buttercup whose roots were neatly chopped-up & distributed when the landowners rotavated (but didn't plough) the site before letting it to us. As it's also solid clay, next to a fairly big river, it's been completely unworkable until now, thanks to the weather - and now is my window of opportunity!

I'm awaiting official advice as to whether we should still go up there, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, but there will be more lost than just growing-time if we can't get on with it. In the meantime, our little garden is about to vanish (again) under the 3mx2m polytunnel I bought to cover up my bantams when the bird flu panic was on. At least I can grow some salad & things in there.

I agree allotments are indeed important and better than a trolley at the supermarket, I think the government said its fine to go to them, but I guess it depends on the allotment and sense of people attending, the people that I have seen talking about going are people in very low risk category and have the attitude of i'm going to by pass any rules if I can see a loop hole and go everyday on family outings. Our allotment that we use to have has 2 taps for the whole place, the plots have been divided in half so close proximity to neighbours, the top plot has one shed which the bottom plot shares, there is a community shed with electric for a kettle etc, if common sense is there fine, I think more is required for info with how long this stays on surfaces and maybe a few allotment rules applied. 

basketcase

De-lurking briefly to say:

1  Thank you for all the great advice and tips on here.  It has helped me to prepare and so, apart from a few gaps, we can survive OK in a reasonably relaxed manner.  I read a while back how some of you had been ridiculed for prepping.  I've never been amongst that number and don't know where those who do that are coming from.  Hopefully after this they'll shut up! 

2  I think the difficulty with getting people to follow the rules so far has been because, when you look at them, they aren't rules!  Hopefully, as a poster above - sorry, can't look to see who it was! - says once it's calmed down it'll be better,  I don't think it's been well thought out in advance of action, though.   eg I believe more people would stay in if they knew how food was going to be delivered.  There should be an agreed system in place and "get a home delivery from the supermarket" when you can't get through is frightening to many.  (Who should have been prepared but, unlike you good people, they weren't!)

I've been comparing that to the advice leaflet on rationing (is it called Ration Quiz?)  Every "yes, but what about..." you could think of was asked and answered in that leaflet before rationing was introduced.  This time it seems that there's a statement then people have to ask for clarification.  It's a confusing time. 

That said, there are selfish people out there who really need a clip round the ear - especially those buying to profit, not use.  What has really annoyed and upset me is that DD, who doesn't have an awful lot of storage space has noticed that she can't get the GF stuff she needs because when the 'ordinary' flour runs out, thoughtless people take the other.  I can't get it where I am either.  And that's only one example.  Again, this thread has helped because it made me think about making sure we had enough 'special' stuff too, but by getting a little extra so there was enough for everybody who needs it.

Back to lurking and learning...

MingVase

I've got out my wartime cook books and am focusing on making my stash of food last longer. I can't get an online delivery slot anywhere so god knows where our next food shop will come from 

[Deleted User]

BASKETCASE if your daughter has a pharmacy accessible from where she lives they might be able to order in gluten free products for her.  When I worked in a pharmacy they were listed in the suppliers catalogues along with the drugs etc. that we had delivered several times a day.  Worth asking perhaps? I work on the principle that if you ask and they sa NO you're no worse off than if you hadn't asked at all xxx.

boultdj

My OH is cleaning out the greenhouse and getting the pot's ready for me to pot on the courgettes and cucumbers that have started to pop their heads up in the next few week's.

Jazee

Apparently Morrisons are using dpd to deliver essential food boxes to those who need them.  Sorry I don't have a link but this is not their usual delivery service.