Reduce, Repair, Re-use, Recycle

The allotment is a place where environmental issues are always a consideration. Apart from weather, water and air quality concerns, and an awareness of the impact of the production, distribution and marketing of food there are practical things allotment holders can do. Of course it rests on an individual sense of reponsibility but on the whole there seems to be an ethos of make-do-and-mend flourishing on allotment sites. Part of this attitude stems from the vulnerability of sites to theft and vandalism, such that everything could be lost overnight. Part of its comes from the expectation that the plot will "pay its way" and this is linked to the financial status of indidual plot holders for whom the allotment contributes improvements in diet, health and general well-being. All this manifests as a "greening" of plot holders lifestyles. Shanty towns of quirky sheds and odd structures may be the most visible examples when viewed over the fence, as passers-by may be in cars or on trains. In the city-oasis of the allotment site composting supports bio-diversity as the fertilty of the soil structure is built up over the years which in turn supports micro-organisms and insects and wildlife thrives in the habitats thus created. Allotment holders develop a sense for "Wombling" a huge variety of what others would see as junk.
I have built a storage shed, a potting shed, and a fruit cage and edged my paths from three junked sheds. The first is actually a quarter of a much bigger shed (the rest was re-used elswhere), Half of the floor of the original shed became the back of mine. The door was given from a different source. The potting shed is most of a shed without its floor and with most of its boards and roof removed and replaced with plastic. My fruit cage is the frame of a low play-shed with its angled roof lifted at the low points to give more height.
I made a bicycle trailer from an old trike, this was ready just in time to move the junk from a small shop that had tried a plant-selling venture for a while.
I have to be grateful for the support of others who are aware of my Wombling habits as I am constantly of the look out for anything that might be useful to me or that I may be able to redistribute to others. So if you don`t have an allotment please ask those who do before you commit anything to a landfill site.

You`re on the waiting list for an allotment and want to be prepared. You wonder what are the most important things you`ll need? Despite having cleared the allotment of many years deposits of scrap metal, wood, plastic and worst of all - glass, and with a detirmination not to turn the plot into Steptoes yard I never cease to be amazed at the huge amount of stuff the allotment consumes. The plot eats wood, plastic and miscellaneous building materials such as big stones, bricks and concrete slabs, wire and scaffold poles for all sorts of cold frames, cages, composters, fences and supports, edging, flooring, and paths. Sheds, one is essential but more is better - of course this could be a cliche, "men and their sheds" and all that - but its not. Greenhouses need shelving and staging. The list goes on and on. Fortunately scavenging, skip diving and recycling takes care of most of that. Amongst other things, I have blagged forty feet of fine builders mesh, the entire cellar contents of a shop that had done with selling plants, water barrels and half a ladder - I don`t know if its the top half or the bottom half. Some materials remain on the plot and even without a car, all tools have to be carried back and forth by bike as required, nothing of the slightest value can be left overnight. I need to have a daily plan of action to ensure I have the correct tool and recharged battery as necessary, and I also drop off a quota of compostable kitchen waste. The building work requires wood working tools, and fixings - nails, screws, zip ties, hooks and hinges etc. Include a knife and scissors. I also use a weed wand, a battery strimmer, and a battery drill. Then you need to be able to collect, store and move enough water to keep everything growing in a drought, so you`ll need guttering and water barrels, hoses, sprinklers, and all the fiddly fittings and connectors for those and watering cans. I use a number of builders buckets for storage and carrying weeds. Don`t forget a wheelbarrow, and a couple of those big garden bags. Then you`ll need bamboo canes, stacks of them in all sizes, and pea sticks, netting in a range of sizes and fleece to keep pigeons and the weather off your crops. Netting in turn will need frames and supports - whatever you can find, and cloche hoops. Those little pegs for pegging nets and fleece down are useful. I also use clothes pegs. Oh! and you`ll need string and plant ties. Mouse proof tins for seeds, plant pots, labels, seed trays, potting compost, and slug traps. Pop bottles for cloches and ice cream tubs will come in handy, as will old bicycle inner tubes for tieing trees and sunflowers. Thinking of getting a Lottie? -you might as well start collecting now. I also have a mirror so I can see how mucky my face is in case I want to shop on the way home, and soap, and a first aid kit. Accidents do happen. A hat to prevent sunstroke and sun block. A fleece for when it turns cold and a waterproof for rain showers. I also keep a pair of boots and work clothes because I get filthy. My wife wants me to have a clock too `cus allotments are a time free zone, she got me a wind-up radio, and I always have my phone. Never lose your gate and shed keys. Chemicals? well thats a personal choice, but a few bottles of some magic potion will be needed. I use a range of hand tools with hooks and blades, and have a "set" of fork, spade and shovel. I love my right angle fork and a long handled hoe that are old and rusted. Its best if nothing on the lottie is new because you never know when its all going to be stolen or vandalised and you will have to start gathering all over again but don`t be put off. Best of luck, you`ll need it. A packet of seeds might be a good purchase if you`re ever going to grow anything.

A Duel of Delight and Desperation