What have done towards your prep?

[Straight Shooter]

The bicycle/alternator has been completed ! And working fine , just a bit of paint on the support frame I welded up but bad bit ........when the ignition light kicks in ....telling me ( go faster you old fart , you are not generating enough to charge anything ) ......I hate the bugger already ! .

Had a stroke of luck today , picked up some automatic growing trays ( two tubs per tray with automatic float cut off valve ) plus all the copper filters for the tubs ...thirty trays , forty tubs and all the pipes and fittings even a inline filter .....£20.00 the lot ......the guy said he bought it from the police ( used for growing weed ) so that will go in the big poly tunnel ( starting the reset and recover week after next ) .

Ordered more hydroponics nutrients (on offer) ..... the progress with my small setup is truly mind blowing ! Bloody incredible ! ..........good job I covered all the plants it’s very cold here and been below freezing at night ....today has been very cold all day ! ....still not lost anything except one of wild child’s climbing plants....but replaced that today ! ......all is good here on the homestead ! .

[Pete Grey]

SS, Congratulations on the bike generator, all that exercise SS will soon stand for SUPER SLIM .

[Straight Shooter]

Made a start on the big poly tunnel yesterday , cleared the inside then the sil dug out a trench the full 35 ft along the affected side ( bowed out ) then released the polythene along the length . Today we propped up the centre ridge ( to a string line ) supporting all the hoops until the ridge was smack on straight , then ran another string line along the 35 ft run and adjusted all the hoops to the line.

I then cut some 6” plastic underground pipe into 20” pieces and split them down the length with a angle grinder so that I could encase the hoop tubes at the bottom then wired them to stop any spreading .....I sledged 1” rebar 40” long inside the pipe form , mixed up some strong mix concrete ( like piss ) and pored into all 8 forms and used my hammer drill to vibrate the mix.......it’s all looking good ....I will leave it set until Tuesday to play it safe , besides the new cool tape will not arrive till then ( decided to re tape it all while it’s all stripped ) .

Ordered all the fittings for another hydroponics system to fit in there , this will consist of one 6” pipe the full length 35 ft and a return pipe of 4” pipe for small stuff....herbs and lettuce the 6” pipe will be for tomatoes , cucumbers, butternut squash , aubergine and peppers n chilli .

I will did out for the sump / feed tank ( with the digger) ....the sil is off this coming week so will will get it all done and dusted and all fired up by next weekend .........Fix bayonets men ! Onwards .

[Straight Shooter]

The 35 ft poly tunnel has been completed today , re taped , re covered and two new doors and frames ....all done and as tight as a drum .

All the pipe fittings for the hydroponics system is ready to put together tomorrow and will be completed ...up and running by mid day and by Tuesday full of plants.

On my test rig hydroponics .......I have harvested lettuce the size of cabbages and I am not joking ! ....the tomatoes have flowers .....they are standing at three feet tall ! .......it’s incredible , got a job to get my head around it .....the nett cups I ordered yesterday just turned up 3” and 4” ........full steam ahead ! Charge on !

[Straight Shooter]

The hydroponics system is completed and fired up and running I will let it run till tomorrow ( Monday ) to make sure that any bits from drilling the nett cup holes so I can remove any unwanted bits out of the sump tank with a fishing net ....should be clear I hoovered the pipes real good .......I will add the nutrients next and let it circulate for another 24 hours and start planting the seedlings on Tuesday .

THE SYSTEM

Configured in the shape of a ( U ) horizontally , the first run of 30 ft is a 4” plastic soil pipe ( fed from the sump via a pump )the direction then changes 90 degrees for 3 ft then another 90 degree bend and converter to 6” plastic soil pipe with a return length of 30 ft to a reducer back to 4” collar ...a stop end blank is fitted with a 2” tank connector fitted with a 2” pipe that terminates back into the sump ...and round and round she go’s and as the plants grow the sump will have to be filled as time go’s by ....the bigger plants grow the more top ups .......capacity of 4 “ pipe 35 pots at 12” centres ......capacity of 6” pipe 16 pots at 25 “ centres total capacity of the sump tank and pipes is 350 litres nutrients total equals 40 mil per 10 ltrs 1.4 litres .

[Straight Shooter]

Update ....the hydroponics is loaded up ( 50% ) tomatoes , cucumbers , butternut squash , aubergines , cauliflower , cabbage , basil , coriander , lettuce ........that self watering system I bought for £20 quid ( looked it up on the net ) that system is £603.00 turned out to be a great buy ! .....that is now up and running in the same poly tunnel the only thing left to do in there is to clean the aquaponics system I set up last year ( and never used by the sil ) stock the tank with fish ( tilapia ) ....their waste will feed that system .....and we get to eat the fish ! When big enough .

Took a trip to my mates farm (John) this morning ......he is using a walking stick these days to get about .....so the sil and yours truly stripped the cover off his poly tunnel , then re taped the hoops and fitted a new cover 20ft x 10ft I was telling him about the hydroponics system he seemed very keen , he will come and check it out and how it works first ....if he likes it ( and he will ! ) I will build a system for him no problem ! ........charge on !

[Mortblanc]

I spent some time up on the roof today. Patching a leak from a gutter torn away in the wind this weekend. I am hoping that I got the problem solved since I ruined a ceiling panel during that same event.

Working in the roof is more difficult than it used to be. Can't imagine why? Hard to get up there, hard to get down and dizzy as he!! the whole time I am hanging over that edge doing the repair.

[Straight Shooter]

You go careful Mort ! ....I realise these jobs need urgent attention and I would expect you to tool up for the job with a suitable harness or rope ! The older we get the higher the risk .

Planted on my runner beans today forty plants and as many left in the tray. Update on the big hydroponics set up .... not as good as the test rig , so I added more nutrient two days ago , and that did the trick everything has now picked up some . The raised beds are doing okay but have slowed up due to this weather cold , rain and wind and even some hailstones ......the test rig hydroponics is doing excellent , curly kale , cabbage , cauliflower are coming on strong ....the tomatoes are about 1” right now and plenty of them ( Alicia Graig ) .....the grow polly tunnel ( normal tubs ) all doing great, tomatoes , cucumbers , and butternut squash .....the chillies and peppers are slow .

Painted the inside of the homestead this week will finish it by midday tomorrow .....ceilings , walls , and all the woodwork......wild thang is very happy ! ...she made some fresh cream apple turnovers ! ........slide on over here baby ! .

[Straight Shooter]

Just harvested rhubarb ....out of one clump I got eleven pounds after cubing it all up five bags.....it’s now in the freezer except two bags .....taking that up to John the farm later.....there are three more clumps to harvest and double the size of this one ......all is well all around the garden and poly tunnels.

Closed in another bay for the sil .....fitted a double french door with side panels both sides twelve feet wide and a return stud partition with a single door , ply to external and plasterboard to the internal ......would not want you thinking SS was sitting on his arse all week ! .

[Straight Shooter]

Surrounded by Red Kites ......just chilling catching some rays , drinking ice cold beer ......and waiting for our fish n chips.......I know it’s sheer hell here ! .