Horticultural

Shed of the week - the compact and bijou shed

Question, preferably posed while speak in a poor imitation of Lloyd Grossman: what on earth could you store in a shed like this?

The wooden fence in front gives you a sense of scale - this really is a Lilliputian shed. It can't be a dog kennel - way too tall. Maybe they store tools in it. It's in a garden, not an allotment, though, so it's not as if there's nowhere else to store the stuff.

But why bother erecting a wooden structure so small you can only store a spade and a fork in it? And there's something ever so slightly disturbing about the oh-so carefully nailed roofing felt peaking mysteriously above the parapet of the fence that I can't quite put my finger on. It's the kind of shed that they'd use to dress the set of Twin Peaks.

This is my shed of the week. If you think you can do better, drop me an email. I'll feature the best ones on the blog, and my absolute favourite will get a copy of my book on allotments.

Shed of the week

Chris Fordham supplies the latest shed of the week, which he describes as "a rather grand old lady made of a sandwich of old planks, roof felt and corrugated iron".

Like some of the best sheds, this one has evolved rather than being built in one go, or as Chris puts it, "This shed was obviously lovingly made from odds and ends and over the years she has had several more layers attached to her as she has slowly mellowed into her environment." I was delighted to hear that a Freecycler had supplied a cottage-style latch door for this old lady, and Chris, who only took the shed over last year along with his plot, has plans for "a patio area, pergola, climbing roses and grape vine" too!

I like this shed. It's an allotment building with a history, maybe a chequered past - a shed with a bit of an attitude, some chutzpah - the corrugated roof jutting out over the doorway says as much. Its narrowness and depth brought to mind the shotgun houses of New Orleans, while the cottage-style door screams shabby chic - eat your heart out Cath Kidson. It definitely deserves an 8 out of 10.

If you want to submit your shed to shed of the week, drop me an email. I'll feature the best ones on the blog, and my absolute favourite will get a copy of my book on allotments.

Shed of the week - a new feature for Horticultural

Every week I am going to post a picture of a shed I've come across and say a few words about it. I'll also give it marks out of 10 in a whimsical way akin to the scoring on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, just for fun.

Sounds great, no?!

Actually I think it'll be a great way of showcasing the sheer range and imagination of the average allotmenteer.

So we come to the first shed I'm featuring. Deep breath, and we're off ...

This beast has got a brutalist, monumental feel to it ... a bit like the monolith in the film 2001. All those slabs of what looks like chipboard, and the double locks!  It's big, too - 6ft across at a guess - so big enough for all your allotment storage needs.This ony is definitely a DIY-er - no Wickes or B&Q would dare to stock a flat-pack of this baby. No, this was crafted by a man (and I think it was a man) with hands like meat-hooks and a ready supply of reconstituted wood panels. Unfortunately its builder is, I suspect, long gone as the plot it sits on is rather bare. However the ground looks as if it's been recently rotovated so I live in hope that this currently dormant shed will rise again. On style, it scores a -1, but for sheer gutsy presence in the landscape, it has to get 6 out of 10.

If you have a shed you'd like featured in Shed of the Week - please email me a pic and some commentary on it. The best ones will get a copy of my book.

Hardening off seedlings - a question

Here's an email I had neglected to answer for far too long, from Wossername:

I have planted some aubergine, chilli, pepper and marigold seeds in a heated propogator near the windowsill in my kitchen.  Most of the seeds have germinated quickly and have grown quite nicely.  I opened the vents on the propogator to allow some humidity out and all was well.  I have found however that my aubergine seedlings have fallen over slightly and are leaning to one side.  My question is, is this supposed to happen, or have I done something wrong?

This is an interesting one. What tends to happen with plants grown in propagators is the seeds germinate in balmy conditions - usually around 21C with very high humidity provided by the sealed environment of the plastic lid. This creates "softie" seedlings, so that when the high temperature and humidity are removed, either when the heat is turned off, the vents on the lid opened wide, or the lid removed altogether, they often wilt: the cell structure can't cope with the changed conditions.

The solution to the problem is a gradual rather than sudden change in conditions so the seedlings can toughen up - or harden off, as it's known. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on; then open a vent part way a couple of days later; then take the lid off for an hour or two, putting it back on immediately if the seedlings start to wilt.

But ...

There's always a but, isn't there? My tomato seedlings have been getting some tough love this year. Normally I'd gradually harden them off in the way I've described above, and then gradually introducing them to the outside temperatures.

This year it just hasn't happened this way - they started off in an electric propagator which I turned off as soon as the seeds had germinated as they only really need the extra heat for germination. Then as the seedlings grew up against the top of the clear plastic lid I removed that and left them on the windowsill for a few more days to adapt to life in a slightly less humid environment.

I selected the strongest seedlings (how to tell? thickest stem, healthy leaves, not necessarily the tallest specimens) and planted them in individual pots. They've gone straight into the cold frame out in the garden, cold turkey. I think I've been lucky with the weather, which has been unseasonably warm, but so far the seedlings are fine. The cold frame will be shielding the plants from the extremes of temperature - they'll stay in there and with regular watering they should be ready to plant outside in June. But had the weather been less favourable, I could easily have lost them all: it was a gamble that paid off when I have lots of other things on my mind and little time for cossetting tomatoes.

So to go back to Wossername's query - if you can, gradually harden off your seedlings. When time is short, take some shortcuts - although be prepared to act quickly if the plants show signs of distress.

Anyone got tips for Wossername?