Unfortunately as many of us that own an allotment knows, they can be prone to vandalism. Whether it is just children who are bored so try to pick your crops and are essentially just playing, or malicious damage caused in an attempt to steal your allotment tools from your shed, the consequences can be upsetting for the allotment holder.

There are many things that can be done to discourage such activities, such as painting anti-vandal paint on fences around your site or protecting your valuables by locking your shed securely, unfortunately if the intruder wants to get in they inevitably will.

The only way to try to stop such occurrences is by educating the general public on what an allotment stands for, and the upset caused by damage and theft. Many allotment associations have allotment watch schemes and signs and deterrents at most of their sites to warn potential intruders, and the police at some sites take an active role in discouraging theft by arranging meetings with allotment holders on how to discourage theft.

It can be a good idea to have some sort of basic alarm system fitted to your shed, these are similar to home security systems but not as advanced and battery operated. They act as a shock tactic because the thief will panic when the alarm sounds.

It is unfortunate that sometimes events like these can happen, if they happen to you do not be upset or put off your rewarding hobby. It is a sad indictment of our times and something we all have to live with.

Allotments often contain a hotchpotch of various storage solutions that have accumulated over many years. The humble garden shed is the most common storage device and these come in all shapes, sizes and colours. These sheds often give an allotment an unkempt feel and some sites may look uncared for, however these also give the allotment a sense of charm and individuality.

Because the storage on your allotment will need to last for many years a standard wooden shed may not provide the longevity of service you are looking for, and they need repairs and regular maintenance. Another solution is to buy a steel or prefabricated concrete sheds. These will last for years and require very little maintenance. Also they are somewhat more secure than the wooden variety.

One problem with owning an allotment is the fact you may be away from the site for a number of days or even weeks. This could mean that your expensive tools are vulnerable to theft. Most allotment sheds have their windows covered with some type of removable panel. This can be removed when you are at the site to allow natural light into your shed, but when you are not there, no one will be able to see into your shed.

One of your regular allotment tasks should be looking after your allotment tools. Having good quality allotment tools is essential, and looking after them properly and storing them in a suitable location will mean that they last for years.

I’ve talked before about the importance of planning out your garden before making changes, but it can be quite challenging for some of us to sketch or draw out our garden and get an idea of how we want it to look.

Landscape and professional gardeners have software for doing it and there are some software packages you can buy, but today I’ve been playing with a free online user tool provided by the BBC so Read the rest of this entry »

What does a hoe do exactly?

Hoeing removes shallow rooted plants so is great for if you keep up to date with your weeding.  However, for deeper rooted plants, it cuts them off at the roots, leaving the roots there to grow back so hoeing is not good for these. Read the rest of this entry »

So, for those who are new to gardening, absolute beginners or never even heard of the phrase, here’s the basics you’re probably going to need:

Gloves – top of my list is gloves! Unless you’re a complete idiot, you’ll realise gardening involves soil and dirt and getting mucky, so get gloves. Even better, get two pairs, one pair that’s fairly thin so you can feel what you’re doing and another hard-wearing pair. If you’re a lady, it’s Read the rest of this entry »