The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

MingVase

From Bloomberg

U.K. consumers will face higher prices on goods coming from the European Union after Brexit, whether Boris Johnson signs a free trade agreement with the bloc or not, according to a major business group.

Products imported from the EU after Jan. 1 2021 will require customs declarations, which cost between 16 pounds ($21) and 56 pounds per product line. They will also need documents like rules of origin paperwork, new red tape that is automatically triggered by Britain leaving the bloc’s single market and customs union.

“These things will have to happen regardless of how good the deal is,” said William Bain, policy adviser at the British Retail Consortium, which represents 5,000 businesses making 180 billion pounds of retail sales. “Any increase in cost in a low margin industry is ultimately going to be faced by the consumer.”

Looming higher costs for companies dealing with the EU, which is Britain’s largest trading partner and a source of half its imports, is a result of Prime Minister Johnson’s approach to trade talks with the bloc. Johnson is seeking a more distant economic relationship with the EU -- akin to the bloc’s deal with Canada -- so that the U.K. does not have to align with EU rules and can independently sign trade agreements with other countries.

maryb

Not waffling, very useful and interesting

missychrissy

If nothing else comes out of Brexit And Covid 19 I hope it encourages people to be more self sufficient. I know there are people with no outdoor space but there are things that can be grown indoors. Herbs, for one. Before the frosts I always bring some tomato plants indoors. I saved 2 plastic bases from defunct hamster cages and I can get 2 tomato plants in pots in each one. Anything that can hold water and therefore protect your floor Is great. I’ve grown chilli peppers and peppers indoor too. 

I know I’m lucky, I have a garden and hope I am utilising my space well. Since retirement I am becoming a little more self sufficient each year. My youngest son has recently built me 4 raised beds and once the turf we took up and placed upside down in the beds has rotted down I’m hoping to grow even more next spring. However, I’ve grown veg in pots for years and will continue to do so.

Zentimes

So, I am thinking of buying a cold frame, don't have space for a greenhouse, but I could do with somewhere to have small plants outdoors yet protected for the early part of the season. I am thinking of this, or something similar. I prefer a bit of vertical height as my back isn't great. Anyone able to recommend one, or have this particular one?

https://marshallsgarden.com/products/grow-it-wooden-growhouse-10903789?variant=31505863475251&currency=GBP&ds_rl=1278790&ds_rl=1284267&ds_rl=1278790&ds_rl=1284267&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-Y3I46P36QIVcmHmCh27mQBjEAQYAiABEgIqn_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

jamanda

That looks like a lot of money for what it is - a bit of scrap timber and some polycarb sheets.  Do you know anyone who could knock one up for you if you show them the picture?
I keep dithering as to whether I have too many preps or panicking because I don't have enough.  I'm expecting this winter to be difficult food/price/shopping wise and I'm driving myself daft arguing with myself both sides of the argument.
Has anyone else noticed food prices are shooting up?  Some possibly for good reason, but some a bit baffling.

Zentimes

jamanda said:

That looks like a lot of money for what it is - a bit of scrap timber and some polycarb sheets.  Do you know anyone who could knock one up for you if you show them the picture?
I keep dithering as to whether I have too many preps or panicking because I don't have enough.  I'm expecting this winter to be difficult food/price/shopping wise and I'm driving myself daft arguing with myself both sides of the argument.
Has anyone else noticed food prices are shooting up?  Some possibly for good reason, but some a bit baffling.

Yes, I have since read reviews of it elsewhere that describe it as 'flimsy' and that it 'splintered' near the screws. So that is out. But I saw another one that looks far better quality, has a 25 yr guarantee.

https://www.organiccatalogue.com/products/half-wall-frame_mh6830

I know what you mean re prepping. I feel more and more aware that anything we get is just a small buffer against what is inevitably to come, but we do need to do it, I'm sure we'll be grateful when winter comes that we have extra stocks in. After all, we don't know what sort of winter is in store! Will it be very cold/snowy, will there be another coronavirus outbreak, who knows! So I am adding to my stocks again (bits have gotten too low and I've been lax replacing things - or they've been difficult to replace).

thriftwizard

Oh yes, food prices have gone up! Fresh fruit & veg always go up at this time of year; it's the "Hungry Gap" and we're now getting the first of the new season's produce from further south - expect it to be even more expensive next year, then, when forms have to be filled in - but everything seems to be getting more expensive, or smaller. Also, it was a very wet spring, followed immediately by a drought down here at least, neither of which are ideal growing conditions for most crops, so prices may not fall back down as they usually do.

I'm also trying to use every spare centimetre of garden to grow stuff; there are strawberries in my hanging baskets, bags of spuds in every gap between shrubs, and I'm constructing a smallish raised bed from parts of old bunkbeds to keep some kale (with due apologies to MingVase!) chard & leeks here for the winter, rather closer than the allotment. It'll need a "lid" with hoops & bird mesh to keep the bantams out, so I need to source some scrap timber for that; I looked at ready-made prices online - £60 for the bed, £90 for the cover - and decided I could probably make something visually acceptable from stuff we already have for rather less!

dreaming

Zentimes said:

Yes, I have since read reviews of it elsewhere that describe it as 'flimsy' and that it 'splintered' near the screws. So that is out. But I saw another one that looks far better quality, has a 25 yr guarantee.

https://www.organiccatalogue.com/products/half-wall-frame_mh6830

I know what you mean re prepping. I feel more and more aware that anything we get is just a small buffer against what is inevitably to come, but we do need to do it, I'm sure we'll be grateful when winter comes that we have extra stocks in. After all, we don't know what sort of winter is in store! Will it be very cold/snowy, will there be another coronavirus outbreak, who knows! So I am adding to my stocks again (bits have gotten too low and I've been lax replacing things - or they've been difficult to replace).

I had one of the first little frames you linked to (the wooden one) and yes it was very flimsy and fell to pieces after one season. The other one looks better but the price (eek!) and to be honest I think I get more mileage out of the cheapo mini-greenhouses sold in Wilko and such places. I do weight them down (a coupe of paving slabs on the bottom shelf) as they can go walkabout  in wind but so much cheaper and the plastic cover can usually be replaced, although I take mine off in the winter so it tends not to go brittle as some can. I do aspire to a "proper" greenhouse but not sure where I could site it, or whether it would be really worth it for a singleton.

pineapple

Another one here with bags of potatoes in every spare space though still not convinced it's cheaper growing them than buying them. But they do taster better imo and you can choose the variety. I''m supposed to be shielding and haven't been shopping in months so compost has to be via telephone/internet order and the price seems to have gone through the roof. Got hold of some wool compost the other day. It smells very, err, rich and there are reddish worms in it - which I'm assured 'is a good thing' Not altogether convinced!

GaleSF63

Si_Clist said:.  Sorry for waffling on so much about the bottling

I don't have a garden, or an allotment, and have never bottled anything in my life. That doesn't mean I don't find reading about it very interesting. Keep it up!

That isn't to say I haven't reaped the benefits as my mother used to do all sorts of things. I grew up foraging the hedgerows with her. 

I did make some strawberry jam once but decided with the cost and the mess that in future I would go on buying it.