The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Floss

RAS said:

 
I have however seen an entire greenhouse, with glass, wobble gently down the track on a carefully driven flatbed truck, supported by "out-riders" who then carried into position. Do think about protection from the prevailing wind though, and make sure it is well nailed down, a couple on the plots walked during or before Eunice.

My replacement greenhouse frame was walked half a mile across the allotment site by me & 2 blokes - me inside at the front "driving" and a chap on each rear corner 😂

annieb64

We used to have a lean-to greenhouse against the side of the house. The previous owners of the house had joined two greenhouses together and there was a weak point at the join. After it blew down for the second time we scrapped it. I couldn't face any more windy nights listening to glass smashing.

grace68

i live in on a city council estate, but half way up a windy hill, so best purchase i made was scaffolding netting which goes over greenhouse from end November until end April, that along with bubble wrap mean unheated greenhouse is nearly frost free. I have a woodened greenhouse with polycarb windows, also a practical choice because of little boys, next door, and their footballs!

Doveling

Oh heck, quite a mess there!

I've got a cunning plan. Currently have the chicken coop and run in a sunny spot behind the garage. If we move that to underneath the big cedar tree, a greenhouse could go there. Ideal because we have 3 large water butts at the back of the garage as well. Garden is west facing but because we are bungalows we get sunshine (when it's sunny!) for most of the day.

Think I'm starting to accept my life now. I hated having to leave our beautiful period house but I just couldn't manage stairs and steps any longer. End of pity party 

Onwards and upwards - things to look forward to!

Floss

Ooh, that sounds ideal! I miss my 1930s 3-storey terrace & my allotment, but the fact that it was next door to the ex, there were no jobs locally and my family were 50 miles away made my move to a well insulated, perfectly sized 2-bed town house with driveway & gardens so much easier!

Jellytotts

I picked up a "free" 8 x 6 greenhouse on freecycle, it was a "come and dismantle it yourself"job and it took hours as all the bolts had seized and needed to be sheered off, the glass was old and several panes cracked as I took them out and there was a lot of it to lift in and out of the car but it was free!  I laid a base of slabs (also from freecycle) and then assembled the greenhouse and bolted it on to treated sleepers so it's going nowhere!  New bolts, clips and glass cost in the region of £100 which I was happy to pay but the whole dismantling/moving/rebuilding process wasn't something I'd like to do again and I'm fit and healthy.  

I'm in the process of building proper raised beds after giving up my allotment (DH is disabled and his issues are getting more complex so I can't devote the time away from the house that I was) and hopefully by the end of next week everything will be built, sanded, oiled, lined, filled and planted....I think the plants might just walk out of the greenhouse and plant themselves the way they're going.

leftatthetrafficlights

I love my greenhouse but wish it was a bit bigger! I think that we will replace it next year before the spring - dh is over 6ft tall and really struggles to move about in it 😂 Looking at the prices though it is going to take a big chunk of the savings 😳 It will be worth it though - I really want to grow as many tomatoes as possible as we use loads and I want to start canning my own so that we don't need to buy tins any more - this brings me onto my next point....😉 

I want to start 'canning' home grown produce but don't really know where to start! Do I need special equipment? I have an instant pot pressure cooker - would that be okay to use? I'm going to do some research on the internet but thought I'd ask on here as I'd prefer information from people who have done it successfully and can tell me the pitfalls! 😁

Floss

leftatthetrafficlights said:

I love my greenhouse but wish it was a bit bigger! I think that we will replace it next year before the spring - dh is over 6ft tall and really struggles to move about in it 😂    

Would it be feasible to raise it onto 2 or 3 courses of bricks and give it some extra height that way?

ZsaZsa

leftatthetrafficlights said:

I love my greenhouse but wish it was a bit bigger! I think that we will replace it next year before the spring - dh is over 6ft tall and really struggles to move about in it 😂 Looking at the prices though it is going to take a big chunk of the savings 😳 It will be worth it though - I really want to grow as many tomatoes as possible as we use loads and I want to start canning my own so that we don't need to buy tins any more - this brings me onto my next point....😉 

I want to start 'canning' home grown produce but don't really know where to start! Do I need special equipment? I have an instant pot pressure cooker - would that be okay to use? I'm going to do some research on the internet but thought I'd ask on here as I'd prefer information from people who have done it successfully and can tell me the pitfalls! 😁

There’s so little information in the Uk regarding canning. I’ve recently imported a presto as I was a bit worried about using anything other than a proper canner. If you’re on F*book there is a uk group which is quite informative Preserving and Canning Uk. Some of the members there use instant pots, and also lots of information about water bathing too.

leftatthetrafficlights

ZsaZsa said:

leftatthetrafficlights said:

I love my greenhouse but wish it was a bit bigger! I think that we will replace it next year before the spring - dh is over 6ft tall and really struggles to move about in it 😂 Looking at the prices though it is going to take a big chunk of the savings 😳 It will be worth it though - I really want to grow as many tomatoes as possible as we use loads and I want to start canning my own so that we don't need to buy tins any more - this brings me onto my next point....😉 

I want to start 'canning' home grown produce but don't really know where to start! Do I need special equipment? I have an instant pot pressure cooker - would that be okay to use? I'm going to do some research on the internet but thought I'd ask on here as I'd prefer information from people who have done it successfully and can tell me the pitfalls! 😁

There’s so little information in the Uk regarding canning. I’ve recently imported a presto as I was a bit worried about using anything other than a proper canner. If you’re on F*book there is a uk group which is quite informative Preserving and Canning Uk. Some of the members there use instant pots, and also lots of information about water bathing too.

Thanks @ZsaZsa - I'll have a look 😁