European heatwave

[Celestiel]

Has there been any comments about its possible effect on this years harvest?

Arrrrrrssssse!

That's all we fucking need.

Speaking to a local farmer - he has harvested already as his crops reached the right dryness (there was a technical word for this but I can’t remember) and leaving it would mean the grain start to deteriorate or shrink.
His usual harvest weights are low as the grains are smaller than they should be. Rain swells the grain as the plant grows, then hot weather towards harvest (usually end of July/august) dries them out ready to be harvested.

Other farmers I know are holding out, hoping that the current rainy weather will help, but still predicting a poor harvest.

Surely if you're worried about food shortages that's reacting to the news which I thought made you a panic buyer & not a prepper?

It's not a reaction. These food shortages have been coming for several years now as many preppers and scientists know.Ten years ago the university I then worked at set up a food security institute. Things are about to get really interesting.

Ok so peepers will already have a store in.

Yes, but since before the pandemic food has been dropping in quality and taste and getting much more expensive, so maintaining those stocks needs more work and money than before. The mainstream media are more interested in Taylor Swift's underwear than making people aware they need to plan if they can (with finances making it harder than before).

By the time most journalists realise, and start writing or even talking about it all, most of society will be at the panic stage. I don't think most people understand why these hot temperatures followed by torrential rain and flash floods are potentially so worrying. They probably don't even realise how low the river and reservoir levels are right now.

Very few if any civilisations in history have survived prolonged drought....

Very few if any civilisations in history have survived prolonged drought....

True but honestly I don't think have a couple of bottles of water or tins of soup will be much help. Far better to store weapons & know how to use them!

Better to store all that you mention, it gives you a lot of options.

I’m not on the preppers board, nor have I prepped for much at all but I agree with you about the media

I cannot believe how little we’re discussing what’s coming in terms of mass displacement and other impacts

what is the best way to prep for whats to come?

Depends on your budget @YellowBookPinkBananas

If you have a yard or garden start a compost bin. (They will compost on concrete but you need to prime the bottom with compost or soil first. )

Use this to grow your own veg. You can grow in pots in a yard or windowsill. Google for what grows best in your conditions. Runner beans grow well in pots. Tomatoes grow on a sunny window sill. Lettuce grows well in pots but not too sunny and hot.

Start a veg plot.

If you have the money, insulate your house. Get solar panels.

Look at financial planning and save.

Keep a supply of the food you normally eat in . And water. (could be a mix of water and other ready to drink juices/pop)

Pootle through old threads on here and see what you can do to suit your lifestyle and finances.

I used to prep a lot (before brexit) which proved very useful during the pandemic, however we have had a lot of work carried out on our house since and so our stores were run down.
just feels like the heat/climate change is so much bigger than what we did in the past.

My partner works in a job to do with planes. I worry about his job security if CC continues and people use planes less. I think we will need to make efforts to pay off our debts and overpay our mortgage to put us in a better position financially to weather that as well as the fluctuations in heat.

I worry about the world that my kids are inheriting too. Its very worrying to think that they are the ones who are going to get the worst of this and will have to try and fix it.

We have planted more berry bushes. We don’t get unlimited supply, but plenty that we don’t buy berries all summer and freeze some to keep our berry bill down in Autumn. If you have space they are great as grow back every year so no need to replant every time like most crops.
We have Rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, red currants, black currants, black berries, and blueberries added this year.
With toddler who loves them, it’s about £10 a week worth of fruit, and we give some to neighbour who gives us other crops in return

I've read tomatoes are likely to be affected. Too late to plan for fresh tomatoes if you want to grow them (very easy though if you want a back up in future years for mid summer). The article mentioned products like tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, pasta sauces and pizzas being affected. Last year I read tinned tomatoes might have been in short supply, and they weren't, so who knows.

@Caspianberg just wondering if any of the Berry bushes would survive in pots?
We're in Oz and have been through the cycle of drought, fire, flood (and now back to drought with a big fire season predicted) that had a big impact on local produce. I was already growing some veg in a raised bed which helped but have wondered about berries.

@spottygymbag - I have one blueberry in a pot which has survived the last 2 years so far. It’s close to house so sheltered a bit from deep freeze. The rest in ground.

But pots dry out quicker or soil freezes easier so they aren’t as protected. Ie a berry bush in pot can’t grow as long roots against drought. But if it’s in your own garden and you can water as needed it should be fine.
If your planting local adapted varieties also it shouldn’t be a problem. Ie ours are find in any soil, and hardy down to much lower temperatures probably than uk sold types.

The dwarf raspberries seem good, as unlike the larger old ones we have they just grow into an appropriate 1m bush and don’t need cutting back to ground or anything annually. So easier maintenance.

can you grow fruit trees space wise? As you will get a lot of produce eventually.