The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

jamanda

Oooh, forgot I transplanted some strawberries the other day.  I'm trying to do anything possible to reduce the stress of what I think may be coming over the next few months/year.

[Deleted User]

If we look ahead now to where we 'think' the world might be in a years time, we'll probably not be too far off the reality if we prepare for it as best we can NOW! as worst we'll have things we can use anyway and at best we'll be ahead of the game in every way we want to be as long as we can keep safe, well and healthy between now and then.  I know prepping is regarded as approaching lunacy by some but it's served quite a few of well through the beginning of this most trying of times, I find prepping very grounding in terms of keeping me level and not in panic mode because I don't know what's going to happen in the near future.  Planning the future I want for us by working round current restrictions and thinking my way through alternatives is also making me less fearful and more hopeful of the future.  I don't know where we're headed, I don't have the crystal ball some folks do but if I can cover all the bases I can imagine and be ready for them to happen we might have a better chance of making it through to the other side of covid-19 to a new world xxx.

Thriftygifty

No greenhouse for us, my parents cement mixer is past it and the tool hire place is closed, i'm so frustrated and feel defeated ive been trying for months to get this base done and parents and husband and weather I feel have been working against me, its not really their fault, I'm just finding it hard being limited due to pregnancy and sidelined. Its a double blow as the whole of the top garden is covered in a huge pile of gravel for cementing and building supplies, which is where the veg beds were going.  Time to dig the lawn up instead and round up every container we own urgh. I guess the cucumbers and tomatoes will have to go on the patio now. 

-taff

You don't need a cement mixer. A piece of ply board or similar on the ground, add the sand and cement on top, mix together, make a well in the middle and it's just like making pasta., pour the water in and start mixing from the middle in. My faher did this for years until he got himself a cement mixer. You may make some different colour stuff and have to do it in stages, and it's harder work, but...if you want a base....Or you can do it in a wheelbarrow

Si_Clist

Well, this is interesting.  We were favoured with a delivery from Morrisons last Thursday.  I just logged back into their site following the changes they announced before Easter, and it now informs me that they don't deliver to this area yet!

Thriftygifty

-taff said:

You don't need a cement mixer. A piece of ply board or similar on the ground, add the sand and cement on top, mix together, make a well in the middle and it's just like making pasta., pour the water in and start mixing from the middle in. My faher did this for years until he got himself a cement mixer. You may make some different colour stuff and have to do it in stages, and it's harder work, but...if you want a base....Or you can do it in a wheelbarrow

This was DH suggestion, trouble is my Dad is a head strong long retired builder due to health and his way is the best way 😕 which I know sounds ridiculous when we are fully grown adults 😂 and DH is very much not remotely a builder/DIY person although is capable once he is pushed/guided. I'll let the dust settle for a few days as everyone is avoiding the overdue hormonal pregnant woman and probably have this baby in that time then pick my battle of doing it by hand next week! 

markin

Any way to bolt a handle or wheel to the mixer drum and use human power?

Thriftygifty

markin said:

Any way to bolt a handle or wheel to the mixer drum and use human power?

Hmm thats an interesting idea i'll send DH to investigate, hadn't thought of that. I think ultimately we will end up going down the wheelbarrow route just may take 10 loads. 

markin

After around 2x2m 4in using a wheelbarrow we were pooped and gave up for the day, It was a summer heatwave though i think it was 30C.

Rummer

Like many of you my thoughts have turned to planning for the next few months/year. I have been working hard to maximise what is growing in the garden and I will use the money I save buying fruit and veggies over the summer and autumn to top up my stocks and make sure that we have a reasonable buffer of food for the winter.

This has shown me I need to have better preps in place for the longer term such as larger stocks of flour, milk and egg deliveries and possibly a fruit and veg box. I know these things could be stopped in the future however if I had had them in place before this started deliveries would have continued and it would have been less stressful that waiting for a supermarket shop.

Although we had enough in to keep us going for quite some time I feel going forwards that I could have prepared some things differently.