Shedding the Shed


After 11 years of sterling service my allotment shed's decided it's time to quit the plot.

Looking at the picture you're probably thinking it doesn't look that different to usual and is fairly presentable. Compared to its relatively new neighbour on the left I think it's making a much better job of blending in with its surroundings and I love its rustic simplicity. However, the view from the side reveals there's a bit of a problem...


... it's probably been like that for a while, but the winter wet kept me from squelching my way down to the bottom of my plot and discovering what happened.

If truth be told, I've been anticipating its demise ever since I took on my allotment in late 2003, though in the intervening years I've come to love its presence on my plot. After all, it was a key factor in my decision to keep this half of the allotment when I gave up having a whole one.

Mr and Mrs Robin have decided to make my shed their home again this year, so whilst they're bringing up their brood, I have some time to think about my ideal replacement...

My ideal shed - a fantasy dreamt up on a wet afternoon

It's still tiny so it fits where the current shed sits today. However, size doesn't matter because it's TARDIS-like on the inside. There's more than enough room to meet my ever expanding needs. It's a shed which solves many problems - it's not just for storage, potting and pottering.

Cicero said:

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

Well, I have the garden but my ever mounting piles of gardening books means I'm in sore need of a library. My shed will come to the rescue, with plenty of wide, shiny shelves to display my books to perfection. There's also a squashy sofa nearby, so I can read them in comfort - and daydream about my perfect plot.

Inside it's always cosy and never damp. There's a warming stove for winter days, a rag rug on the floor and a singing kettle. Because mine is a fantasy shed, it and the allotment have magically attached themselves to my garden, so I can easily go there whenever I want.

There's still room for Mr and Mrs Robin, so much so I no longer need to vacate my shed for a few weeks whilst they bring up their brood. A smart green roof helps with the cosiness and also means there's dinner closer to hand (or should that be claw?) for my red-breasted friends.

There's never any dirt to sweep up, even though I regularly use the potting bench. It's always tidy too, with everything in its rightful place. There's always enough pots, compost and tools to hand and most important of all, I never lose anything.

I have the latest chameleon version, so my shed never looks out of place. This clever feature means I'll never need to apply paint or wood preserver and having the green roof means it'll never blow away.

And just like my old shed, I love my fantasy shed dearly.

You may also like:
  • The Plotting Sheds - contains views of my allotment shed in happier times, as seen on my VPs Open Garden blog
  • Shed Seven - a tour round some of the other sheds on my allotment site
This is my entry in the competition run by Beast Sheds to win a new 5x4 shed. Thanks to Shedworking for alerting me to this, which came at the perfect time. Fingers crossed...

Comments

  1. Sue Garrett30 April 2014 at 08:57

    Good :Luck I wish our allotment was attached to our garden too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VP30 April 2014 at 09:20

    Thanks Sue - I found this competition just in time. It would be lovely to have the allotment at home *sigh*

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous30 April 2014 at 13:35

    A most enjoyable post. It'll be interesting to see what shed to do get. Flighty xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP1 May 2014 at 08:00

      Thanks Flighty, I was going to write about my shed's demise anyway and it was a lot of fun to extend it into the realms of fantasy :)
      xx

      Delete
  4. Margaret30 April 2014 at 15:15

    I love my sheds. I have a garden shed and an allotment shed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP1 May 2014 at 08:01

      Hi Margaret - I have a garden shed too. Mine' garden one's due for a huge spring clean!

      Delete
  5. Janet/Plantaliscious30 April 2014 at 19:35

    RIP! Poor thing, its certainly done sterling service. Your dream shed sounds rather wonderful, but hey, you could always at least add that green roof to the replacement?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP1 May 2014 at 08:03

      I've discussed green roofs with NAH before for our garden shed and he's not too keen. I'm hoping I can slip one in on the allotment instead. Beast Sheds actually have a green roof option which is fantastic - I'd not come across that in my replacement shed research until I found this competition.

      Delete
  6. CJ30 April 2014 at 21:22

    Ah a fantasy shed, I need one of these. My actual shed is rather leaky and has a very wonky rotting shelf, and it's only small so it's quite cramped in there. I definitely need a fantasy shed I think. There are two or three sheds of utter beauty down on our allotment site. No sofa and bookshelves though, they're missing a trick there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP1 May 2014 at 08:04

      My favourite shed at our allotment is the Portaloo one - I don't think it's 'plumbed in' though!

      Delete
  7. Pauline1 May 2014 at 08:20

    So glad your robins are extending your sheds life! Sheds are so important to a gardener, love the sound of your 5 star fantasy shed, if I had one like that, I wouldn't get any gardening done! Hope you win your new one in the competition !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP1 May 2014 at 08:41

      Having the robins in my shed always makes me smile, so it's no problem to leave them undisturbed in there for a while :)

      Delete
  8. colleen1 May 2014 at 09:35

    It's amazing how long tired sheds can hold up really, isn't it? There's a wonderful shed by our plot which has been completely hidden by arboreal ivy. It's the sort of shed I imagine a hobbit might have.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP1 May 2014 at 11:34

      Hi Colleen - I love the idea of a hobbit shed :) It would have all the facilities needed for a second breakfast ;)

      Delete

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