 |
| The old shed has to go |
When we took this plot on, it had a ramshackle shed, built from whatever was to hand, and a greenhouse. The 'shed' had glass all round and, originally, a clear corrugated plastic roof that has been subsequently covered with a metal corrugated roof. I assume it was built as a greenhouse originally as the floor only has slabs in the central area with 'beds' all round. My assumption is that when the greenhouse was added, it was converted into a shed.
 |
| The existing Greenhouse is staying |
Over the years we have been custodians of said structure, it has slowly been sinking into the ground. I have removed a couple of inches from the bottom of the door and it still binds on the ground! Time for a new shed... or two. The rules on our site dictate the overall dimensions of buildings but not the number of buildings per plot, only that the structures must justifiable, have a legitimate use on the plot, not just as a cheap place to store junk! With this in mind we have plans to build new structures and replace the old sheds.
 |
| The clear up continues. New timber on site to start building The Galley |
We now have thee half-plots and plan to have the following buildings, replacing what is there at the moment. One shed has been demolished as it was too far gone to be refurbished, although the good parts will be used to repair another old shed on my neighbour's plot. On the site of this shed we plan to build a shelter where we can keep our gardening clothes and prepare food. This has been named
The Galley by our friend and helper, Roger.
The aforementioned shed/ex greenhouse will be the next to go. This will be replaced by a tool shed with a hard standing in front of it. Behind this shed, stood an IBC tank that was used to capture rainwater from the shed. This has been removed and will part of the watering system that we are planning - More on this in a later post. In its place will be a small produce store, racked out with shelves and drying space. We will also store our bought-in compost in here. This shed has been erected and is being used as a temporary store for things like the lawn mower and supplies that will go into the tool shed when it is built.
We do not work with defined beds and paths on our plot. We operate an open-ground system much the same as we remember as children when Sue's father and my uncles, worked their own vegetable gardens, whether that be on their own land or on allotments.
For the past few years we have struggled with netting brassicas. Medium density polyethylene (MDPE) blue water pipe and nets works better when the structure is fixed to the frame of a bed. It is a lot of aggravation in open ground and never looks neat, in my opinion. This year, I had one of those brain-waves you only get once in a blue moon.
A few years ago we bought a fruit cage to put on a half plot we had at that time, away from the main growing area. Before we put it up we decided that having a remote section of ground was not going to work for us, so we gave it up. Fully built the cage was too big to be justifiable on the remaining plot. I thought about building it as a smaller cage, but that was not really the answer, so it sat there for a year or three. It dawned on me that if I cut the uprights in half, I would have a very practical height for a brassica cage, a shade over 3'6" high. I cut half a dozen poles in half and built two frames (each 6'3" x 12'6"). These were covered with black butterfly netting. The result has been a very practical setup that has resulted in some of the best brassicas we have ever grown.
Ralph
