The Allotment Book. Andi Clevely

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СКАЧАТЬ developed the area and maintained its 55 kilometres (34 miles) of irrigation and drainage channels, or rieux. By the end of the 19th century there were more than a thousand growers, who sold their produce at the water market in Amiens every Saturday.

      Today only a few commercial growers are left on 25 hectares (62 acres) of Les Hortillonages, as the floating gardens are known. The rest of the 300 hectares (741 acres) is divided into about 1,300 allotment plots and leisure gardens, often with a weekend cabin, and accessible mainly by shallow-bottomed boat through the intricate network of channels. It is possible to visit the gardens, as well as the surviving Saturday water market, throughout the year, and every June there is a medieval market and festival.

      structures & equipment

      The shed The allotment shed stands at the heart of the plot-holder’s domain, a private sanctuary that has often inspired creativity and latent building skills (see pages 42–3). Whether flatpack or makeshift in style, it is a key structure that dominates the plot and provides refuge from bad weather, a store for tools and materials, and very often a simple retreat in which to relax, brew tea and potter.

      On some allotment sites, inspired DIY and frugal recycling of old doors, pallets, plastic sheeting, household paint and roofing felt is permissible. The result is an enchanted huddle of shacks and shanties that tap into childhood memories of dens and seem to be in a constant state of renovation or repair. Elsewhere, strict regulations insist that all plot-holders use the standard issue of a basic weatherboarded and unpainted tool store.

      Whatever its design, your shed is an essential part of the allotment’s working environment, and so needs some thought if it is to be weatherproof, secure and well equipped for your various activities on site.

      

      IDEAL SPECIFICATION If you are considering buying or building your own shed, you should take into account the following important features.

      Size Many allotment associations set a maximum base size of 2.1 x 1.5m (7 x 5ft). A smaller area might seem sufficient, but you should decide first if you need room for working or for sitting and resting as well as for storing your tools and tackle. Make sure that there is enough headroom to stand comfortably, allowing for any structural cross-braces in the roof.

      Floor The floor should be sound, firm and durable. Pressure-treated boards are standard, laid on treated bearers that sit on a bed of gravel for good drainage. A permanent concrete foundation may not be allowed, but concrete blocks will keep the floor bearers off the ground.

      Roof The roof must be strong, ideally made of tongue-and-groove boards rather than plywood, and waterproofed with felt that covers overhanging eaves. A flat roof must have sufficient fall to shed rainwater. A covering of turf or plants would provide a ‘green’ solution. Add guttering to collect rainwater (into water butts) and protect the shed walls.

      Door The door should be wide enough for comfortable access by you and your largest equipment, such as a wheelbarrow, and soundly constructed with strong ledges and braces. Furniture such as hinges and latches should be rust-resistant – galvanized or stainless steel, for example – and you must have a strong lock (see also page 43).

      SITE REGULATIONS

      Check your tenancy agreement before buying or building a shed. Some allotment associations have guidelines on details such as floor, window or door size and structure, appearance, colour, foundations, stability, and distance from the plot boundary. You might need written consent for any deviation from these, even express permission to erect a shed in the first place.

      MATERIALS If allowed by your allotment association, a serviceable shed can be built from a host of discarded materials. Traditional materials include doors, window frames, wooden pallets and corrugated iron. On some sites, redundant structures such as railway wagons, upturned boats, sectional concrete garages, even seaside chalets and refreshment kiosks have been used.

      Most new sheds are made of pressure-treated or resinous softwood, clad with shiplap, feather-edged or tongue-and-groove weatherboarding, and with a ridged or nearly flat roof protected with felt. Hot-dipped galvanized steel sheds are durable and secure, but unattractive.

      FOUNDATIONS Any shed will need a sound, dry foundation. All but the cheapest will be supplied with a floor and instructions for constructing a firm, damp-proof foundation. Site rules often specify how this should be constructed, or give alternative ways to stabilize the structure – for example, sitting the shed on a damp-proof membrane and anchoring it by sinking metal or wooden piles to which it may be fastened.

      One reliable method is to remove enough soil over the base area to accommodate a shingle, sand and slab floor. Consolidate the exposed soil firmly, spread a 5cm (2in) deep layer of shingle and firm this in turn. Top with a 2.5cm (1in) layer of sharp sand, then lay paving slabs to finish. Extending this arrangement beyond the floor area would provide a surface for seating and for standing containers or equipment.

      An alternative (and also simpler) arrangement is to dig out trenches one-spit deep where the floor bearers rest, fill these with gravel and position the bearers on these: make sure the bearers and the floor are made of treated timber, and that the floor itself sits clear of the ground.

      FITTING OUT YOUR SHED

      You can adapt or equip the outside of your shed for a number of working purposes or use it to extend your growing space in various ways. Furnishing the shed depends on its proposed use and the amount of room inside. You could simply stack and store materials in a small building, but tools and equipment soon accumulate and it will be much easier to find what you want with a little organization.

      ▸ Walls can be used to extend the potential storage space if you construct shelves for small tools, gloves, seeds and tins. Attach these to the main framework (not the boarding) with brackets. Screw an old bookcase or wooden frame to the wall for storing pots and seed trays out of the way. You might also find a small cupboard, tool box or old chest of drawers useful, but make sure it is securely fastened to the shed frame or floor to prevent easy removal by thieves.

      ▸ Suspend gardening tools from hooks or clips on the wall or roof braces to free floor space for larger items like rolls of netting, a wheelbarrow, boxes of stored root crops. Hang up empty paint tins or small buckets to hold string, cloths, gloves, plant labels and hand tools, and have a large hook or bracket for coiled hoses. A rack or simple timber hangers attached to roof members will keep canes and poles tidy and off the floor.

      ▸ A bulldog clip on the back of the door gives instant access to gloves. A nail keeps keys in a safe place.

      ▸ Old mats, a chair, tea-making facilities, even a small camp stove can help transform a functional shed into a welcoming haven where you can rest, admire or plan your work or shelter from the rain. (Make sure you check with your site manager what the regulations are concerning the use of flammable equipment.)

      ▴ Window boxes (whether your shed has windows or not) can accommodate flowering plants and crops like herbs, trailing tomatoes or leaf salads at a convenient height. Attach trellis to the walls for growing sweet peas, climbing annual crops or fruit such as trained figs, grapes, cordon apples and pears, or thornless brambles.

      ▸ Use overhanging eaves to support strings for climbing crops like runner beans and outdoor cucumbers, growing in the ground or in troughs of compost.

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