To celebrate the National Allotment Society's National Allotments Week, we had a look through our inventory to see what stock we keep that could be utilised to help an allotment plot reach its full potential...
Growing your own food and maintaining a green space can be both physically and mentally rewarding. Of course, not everyone is fortunate enough to have their own garden or the space to grow fruit and vegetables, but the Great British allotment provides an affordable- if time-consuming- way for people of all backgrounds to spend time outside, get closer to nature and enjoy fresh, homegrown food.
Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a newcomer, having the right tools and materials can make a big difference in the success of your allotment. Luckily the Southern Sheeting team have a variety of ideas that could enhance your gardening experience this National Allotments Week.
Raised beds with composite fencing panels or decking boards
For creating raised beds, composite fencing panels or decking boards are both a great choice. Composite materials are low-maintenance and long-lasting, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional wooden panels or sleepers. If the quality of the soil on your plot is bad, raised beds can simplify efforts to improve soil quality and enhance the accessibility of your gardening by reducing the need to bend and even reducing the need to weed. Raised beds drain easier and can be made to any depth you require, deeper for root crops like potatoes or shallower for herbs and salad vegetables.
Guttering and water management
Although tap water is often available at allotments, it isn’t always located in the most convenient places and can mean a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with watering cans, wasting valuable planting or harvesting time. A more sustainable practice is to collect and use rainwater to hydrate your crops during dry spells. The addition of an efficient guttering system and a water butt to an existing shed is a simple process that will quickly reap rewards and enable you to maintain a healthy crop, even under hosepipe ban conditions.
Durable structures and protection
If you don’t already have a secure shed and you plan on keeping and maintaining your plot for many years, it is worth investing in and constructing an outbuilding to keep your tools, seeds, and plants safe, protecting them from the elements as well as any unexpected antisocial ‘visitors’. To ensure your shed will last for years to come, consider finishing it in weatherboard cladding. Whether you choose fibre cement cladding or wood-free composite cladding, either will prolong the lifespan of any outbuilding and will also stand up to everything the unpredictable British weather can throw at it.
Roofing and Shade Solutions
Is a felt roof robust enough for your potting shed? Allotments can be quite exposed and therefore subject to harsh weather. A hardier choice would be a sheet-based roofing system, such as Onduline roof sheets, which made from a combination of bitumen and recycled cellulose fibres and is easy to cut and fit without any professional training. GRP roofllights make a fantastic roof for a covered, lean-to style potting area and can be easily installed into a wooden frame. Profile steel sheeting
Encourage wildlife
The theme of National Allotment Week 2024 is biodiversity. There are many little things that can be done to encourage pollinators to visit your plot and provide safe environments for native species. Reserving an area of your plot for wildflowers is a quick and easy way to attract insect visitors and a piece of profile steel sheeting simply left on the ground can make a wonderful basking spot and hiding place for reptiles, such as grass snakes, common lizards and slow worms, a tactic often employed by biologists to survey wildlife populations.
If you have an allotment plot and are looking to enhance it with sustainable materials, Southern Sheeting's extensive range of products can help you create a more efficient and productive space. Whether you're building new structures, upgrading existing ones, or improving the infrastructure, get in touch with our friendly Sales team and we’ll see what we can do to assist.
Don’t forget; we also stock yard sale seconds. Visit our Hill Place Farm depot to see current stock and see if you can grab a bargain.
