Grow Your Own Magazine

..... hello one and all! Just thought I'd give a quick shout out to those people who provided advice and encouragment regarding digging and crop rotation etc. Special thanks to Seahorse for providing me with some very helpful literature.

Well, although the weather has been awful down here I am happy to report that I have managed to commence work at my allotment. I have to say I was slightly perturbed when I first turned up as my allotment neighbour appears to really know what he is doing and has transformed his patch into something quite professional looking!!! He's a good bloke though and has offered some advice and assistance.

So, to date I have begun clearing some of the ground and marking out where everything is going to go. I got so excited by being "part of the land" though that I dove straight into digging a patch and am now suffering greatly! Having looked at some of the pictures on this site of other peoples allotments I have to say I think I've been quite lucky. My plot was not overgrown at all, just compacted soil really, so that all I have to do is just design it and carry on digging.

In line with the above would anyone know where is a good place in the Cardidd area to obtain timber for raised beds and also wooden pallates for building a DIY composter?

Cheers guys and thanks for all your help.

CN

Freecycle! Place a wanted ad. The Freecycle Network
Also, look in any skips that you happen to pass (my route home meanders around skips)

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

I'd ask other allotmenteers on your site where they would get pallets from. A collection of similarly minded people will have loads of ideas. I'm not from your area so I don't know any specific places but where I live a good source is the local paper. They get huge deliveries of paper on pallets which then just get dumped onc the paper has gone. Also try garden centres and DIY stores who get compost and other bulk items delivered by pallet. I'd check with them first though because some companies rent pallets as their business so would expect them back! As for scaffolding boards see if you can find anywhere that recycles wood. Again I'd ask at your allotment. A place near me sells reclaimed wood for pennies and will even cut it to size for you for free.

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http://plot62.blogspot.com/

I'd agree with Freecycle - I put an advert in requesting pallets, and a very nice factory called me and said I could have as many as I wanted. This had the advantage that I could get matching pallets and so enabled my shed to look vaguely decent.

The other good place is to ask at building sites. These builders are often glad to get rid, and also the pallets are normally heavy-duty. Finally is to go doen the nearest industrial estate and ask for them - you would be surprised what you can find down there!

I would be wary on going through skips - it is classified as illegal to take things from skips without permission - sounds stupid to me

I have however managed to get some great skip-treasure in the past - the poor wifey dreads it when I'm straining my head to look into skips as we drive past!

You made a shed out of pallets? I was pondering that but dismissed it as too difficult (I'm lucky enough to have a source of huge numbers of pallets at work) and have just been using them so far to make compost bins.. How did you go about it? Is it doable with average woodworking skills?

I can never get the pallets apart,at least not with a crowbar or similar.I just tie them together with old tights,then,when I need the compost cut it apart.Though I think my compost might be better and quicker if I could build the bin from the planks.

I had the same problem with my first one.. i ended up stringing it together with twine (tho I like the old tights idea I shall start saving my laddered ones.. ) I'm determined to make this next one a bit more solidly tho if i can as I'm worried that gaps around all four sides due to still having the bottoms on the pallets might slow everything down tho i was considering slipping old carpet or something down them to warm things up a bit.. incidentally, having googled 'making a shed out of pallets' most makers seem to use the pallet whole without dismanteling them other than to fill in the gaps, I suppose theis would allow for insulation or similar to make the shed a cosy winter hideaway..