What have done towards your prep?

[Straight Shooter]

John the farm dropped off some Brussel sprout plants last week (they are planted up) planted up six buckets with potatoes the buckets were on offer along with six 2ft plastic planters , sown some chives, basil , coriander, spring onions and some lettuce . The top polytunnel is now full of tomato plants ,cucumbers sweet and hot peppers and all climbing frames are set up .

All veg in the raised beds are doing well and making good progress , I have sown some mixed pulses around the ground in hedgerows (camo planting) ….will see how they get on this year ! also planted some a few miles down the track.

Ordered another steel dust bin …..its now prepped and half full (faraday cage) also ordered 12 volt cable , switches , sockets , and various spade fittings with a crimper to do it all right....lots of stuff on the go prepping wise .

[Straight Shooter]

Ordered two more 100 watt solar panels to complete the system for the aquaponics set up, also a 12 volt circulation pump and some Y connectors , just need one more battery and I will have it all ready to install into the new building I intend to built to house it all.

I have a copper cylinder ready to install the 12 volt dc emersion heater to produce hot water this will be housed in the new building also .

The site location has changed many times for this building (as I have mentioned many times) but the well established damson tree will have to go (will try to re site) but I will wait for the fruit first, in the meanwhile I will build all the wall frames first in readiness , the good thing is the tree is dead centre of the site , so I can get all the foundations in without any problems.


From a gardening perspective everything is going very well and SS is a happy chappie ……...I have taken steps and safeguards this year not to be caught out as I was last year...….nearly snapped the kingpost on the digger pulling a cabbage …..and the runaway tomato down the drive....missing the truck by only inches and only being stopped by the 150 year old oak tree ….yep it could have turned into a killer tomato in the blink of an eye ! …...but after those therapy sessions I am now coping again and I now risk assess every vegetable ..so much so I have mounted a eight ton hydraulic ram on a trailer (pulled by the digger ) to enable me to execute any pulling or picking of veg / fruit in complete safety .

[Mortblanc]

Don't cut the damson tree! It is one of my favorite fruits.

I have fond memories of damson preserves and jam made by my grandmother so many decades ago. I can still taste that tart sweet flavor on hot bread.

I have not had any of those preserves for 50 years now.

[Straight Shooter]

50 years you say......hummmm…. well I can make that go away.... this year pal...PM me ….where do I send it ? …...only problem we see is bread may well be cooled off ! but our pleasure none the less.

[MaryN]

Well, after last year's success with pickled onions, this year I am planning to grow gherkins for pickling. I've never grown the prickly little things, so it should be fun. I think the lovely weather has brought everything on nicely. The fruit trees and bushes look like being a bumper crop, and my asparagus bed is sprouting well. I now just have to persuade OH to fire up his chainsaw to deal with a dead maytree in the hedge. It will make a nice load of logs for later this year. It seems that there are 101 little jobs to do and they all take an absolute age. Best time of the year.

[Mortblanc]

(5 May 2019, 18:51)Straight Shooter Wrote: 50 years you say......hummmm…. well I can make that go away.... this year pal...PM me ….where do I send it ? …...only problem we see is bread may well be cooled off ! but our pleasure none the less.

Thanks for the offer SS but I have been taken off anything that looks like it touched sugar, including most fruits. Can't have the bread either!

Another thing added to the memories and dreams list.

[Straight Shooter]

No problem MB...….urrrr…...we have some cans of beef stew ? any good pal.

[Straight Shooter]

Drove a roadway around the bottom polytunnel (35 ft x 12 ft ) to enable access to the lower ground ( about an acre) although this ground is on a slight slope , there is really good potential for some livestock and vegetables plus a nice spring for a easy water source (all year round) and loads of trees and best of all south facing , I did level off this ground about 20 years back so not much to lick it into some shape.

Laid nine tons of scalping's / chippings and tracked it in today.....the beast (power barrow) and the digger eat it with ease …..without doubt ….money well spent ! all raised beds are full...….just 4 2 ft planters left to finish off and plant up......transplanting my runner beans tomorrow 60 plants …….picking lettuce and radish ! …………..crunchy,fresh and beautiful tasting ...bloody yum yum yum .

[Straight Shooter]

I can't tell you what i'v been up to this week ! ………………...its top secret !

[Pete Grey]

The reason why i haven’t been posting much recently...............(is not top secret SS)...........where i’ve been it’s difficult to get on the internet. Off in the camper on the Welsh border, and then up north. Back now and trying to catch up with gardening.