Grow Your Own Magazine

Hello,

I was given a large (6ft by 8ftish) old, slightly the worse for wear shed at the weekend which is now in bits waiting for me to figure out where to put it on my plot. My plot is near the top of a south eastish facing slope so my first inclination was to stick it in the north-west corner near the road (to act as a bit of a sound baffle but hopefully without being too visible as the is hedgerow between the plot and the road) which so fat has been mostly shady due to the trees by the road and the low sun. My OH on the other hand thinks I should put it where it will get the evening sun so I can sit in front of it, tho I was planning on getting some seating near the apple trees at the front for that but then it could be nice to have somewhere with a little shelter for that I guess. A third option might be to have it more centrally located so i'm not running up and down the plot all the time, but then it might be using up prime planting space.. Anybody got any advice?

I'm trying to get the whole plot dug and leveled by spring (If have some interesting earthworks thanks to a previous owner stripping of the topsoil and piling it in ridges) but if i could decide where I want my shed I could focus on flattening and de-brambling that but so at least I'd have somewhere to hide and have a cuppa.. ;O)

thanks in advance,

Becca

I'd check with the allotment secretary as some places say you have to put it in a specific place e.g. in groups of four so they don't create too much extra shade on others plots.
Of not I'd go for thet place that gets good sun in the afternoon but with the door out of the direct wind - so you can sit in it drining tea and eating biscuits if you don't fancy working.

your NW spot sounds great if the shades already there then putting the shed there will not use up any growing space . Been next to the road makes it easier to get things out of the car and walking to the shed to change into your wellies mean you don't get your shoes dirty.
May i also say if you are putting in compost bins would be to site them at the top of the hill as when you fill it the loads will be light , but the loads when empting will be heavier and easier to roll down hill.
All sunny places on the plot should be left for plants / veg as they need it and very little time will be spent lounging around on the plot as there is always things to do.

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now in blog form ! UPDATED 01 / 04 / 08

I'd agree with Carl, don't put the shed anywhere it'll cast shade on your growing areas - you can move your chairs into the sun, but you can't move your veg! Plus, it sounds like it will be better sheltered by a hedge etc, which will help for keeping it waterproofed and stable.

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Not that I have a clue about these things, but I think I'd go for NW too and save all the sunny spaces for growing things. Long as being next to the road doesnt make it a target for 'unsavouries'?

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the road it would be next to would hopefully not attract too many 'unsavories' as most people wizz down it at speed and the footpath is on the otherside of it up a slope.. putting the shed next to it would actually put it furthest from the track i can drive up but once I get a barrow etc I'm not too worried about that.. been wasting time at work just now drawing little plans and trying to work out where the shade would land at different parts of the day when it's not the middle of winter.. at the moment the sun drops below the level of the tree in the south west corner at about 2pm which casts shade diagonally across the whole plot..

Im planning on building a shed/summerhouse this year and have found a spot that gets sun from sunrise to sunset. If you plan to have barbies and suchlike thats the place to put it!

Not sure, but I think I agree with your OH on this one

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I put my shed in the shadiest bit of my plot, where I can't grow any veg. I didn't want to use up valuable growing room

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Our landlord has banned such frivolous non-vegetable gardening activities.

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I'm very soon to be erecting sheddy thing, I plan on putting it at the back end of the plot running level with the hedge - my thinking (hoping) is that it will be the shadiest place anyway and as others have said - you can move your chair but not your veg

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Suzie

I inherited my shed with the site and it isn't where I would have put it It is full of woodworm holes and is rotten, but it will do for a year or 2 yet!

I would have it out of the way to one side, definately not in the middle, mine is in the center at the back of my plot. It limits what I can do on each side though, seems to take up the whole width of the allotment rather than just the shed to the side! Next to the hedge in the shade sounds good.... just make sure it's water tight when you put it up, we nearly have and luckily it isn't in any shade so can dry out a bit in between showers until we re felt the lot!

Good luck with getting your plot level by spring, hoping to do the same ourselves

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Thank you :O) I'ts going to be quite a task! have a metre high ridge of soil to flatten (a previous tennant apparently thought it would be a good idea to strip all the top soil and lump it in these piles!) before I can put the shed anywhere near the back at all.. Not that I'll be doing much this weekend.. rain rain and more rain is predicted to I think I'll stay in the warm and dry drawing plans and giving my weary arms a rest.. :O)