Topic: any advice would be greatly appreciated

[cornykev]

Pedants Tone, did u mean peasants  :P
Tone and BN have just about got it spot on, but if your assignment aims towards shared allotments, then plan in facility's for disability, raised beds, wider paths etc.
The live in accommodation as said would be in Scandinavian country's, we have a few on here from Denmark so they might pop in, all the best.   ;D

[antipodes]

I kind of like the "Russian Datcha" direction - a little chalet where you could sleep over on starry nights. Why not?
Obviously an allotment is the perfect self-sustaining environment. What I take onto the plot stays on the plot. So we are looking at composting toilets, solar panels or wind energy, what about driving the project around use of recycled materials?
Also think of original ways to store water?
Actually we have a communal shed but it's half falling down and really only used for meetings. If people are having BBQs and such they either pull out their own tables or use the one picnic table we have.
On our site we have the obligatory Pétanque ground (in France there must be one as this is one of the fave summer sports), a loo that flushes (we are on mains water), a handicapped zone with a raised growing area suitable for wheelchair users (never actually seen it used but someone is growing stuff in it!).
Maybe all that gives you ideas.

[calendula]

p.s., ignore the pedants on here, as someone with a dyslexic wife (with a degree in fine art) I know the problems dyslexic folk can have with the educational curriculum.
good luck with the assignment, and let us know how you progress.
rgds, Tony

no-one has said anything about people who have so called dyslexia - from my point of view I question the validity of a project for someone who isn't interested in allotments - so I'll keep out of it - and for the record people are people first and not to be described by their less ableness first

[lincsyokel2]

Interesting to think about a requirement to sleep over.

I wouldnt have been too keen to sleep in my allotment shed last winter at -16C.

I cant see why anyone would want to, when you have a nice warm bed at home.

[Unwashed]

The idea of a shared site is really interesting if you look at the pre-enclosure origins of the allotment movement.  Before the enclosure movement the agricultural landscape of England was very open with people working their own strips in a big common field.  The enclosures dispossessed the owners of the smallest holdings who were then allowed to work part of an allotment for the labouring poor which was usually managed by the church wardens - the word allotment comes from the enclosure movement.

Like BarriedaleNick says, I can't see a communal field being at all popular, but it's not such a good idea from an agricultural point of view either because monocultures tend to amplify pests, whereas intermixed planting which you get on an allotment sites tends to some extent to hide vulnerable crops behind less vulnerable ones.

Many allotment sites have no mains electricity so designing an off-grid communal hut would be a good start.  There's solar in the summer of course, but you might want to think about a bio-digester too.  Plenty of folk potter around their allotments in the dead of winter as well so the hut needs to be thermally very efficient, and how about some hazel coppice to fire a stove.

Space is increasingly scarce on allotment sites so think about a green froof that can be cropped.  And if drainage considerations allow it might help if it was half burried to reduce any shadow and improve the thermal efficiency - it would make access to the green roof easier too.

Best of all is if you could come up with a design that could be virtually free to build - allotmenteers love free stuff.  Think about building from compacted earth of clay is available, and used car tyres have been used for earth-filled construction too.  Don't gorget thatch either - we can grow that kind of thing on an allotment and it's quite thermally efficient too.

[Robert_Brenchley]

It's pretty much essential that allotments are local because of the need for regular (several times a week) tending in the growing season, so it's an unusual thing to talk about staying over on an allotment.   That said, the 1969 Thorpe Report recommended something very much along these lines, allowing shalets in a similar way to many continental European countries.

It used to be common on my site; most plots had a summerhouse. The wealthier tenants (the plots were let on long leases so people invested in them) often had brick, the hoi polloi had wood. People used to spend their weekends there. A couple of people lived on site during the Blitz, and it probably still happens occasionally now. My predecessor on my plot slept in the shed every time he had a row with his wife, and the first thing I did was burn his horrible smelly mattress. By that time the plot had been empty for a while, and it had got well and truly mouldy.

[catherton2]

After showing my tutor the comments and idea's suggested and the hole that had been poked in the breif he wasn't the umm happiest person. Im suppose to think more along the line of the allotment of the future, instead of trying to accomidate for today's users. In my oppinion thats his way of defending his breif but ill go along with it, the general idea's im going to think about are the prospect of inserting some form of social hub upon the sit somwhere for people to meet chat get information have a cup of tea or couple of drinks on the night, it will also include a small amount of sleeping accomidation. I shall also be including some form of alternative green houses that could be specially designed for the growth of different plants and veg not usualy seen on allotments these area's would be shared between tennants wishing to experiment on new idea's. Aswell i shall also be looking at the layout and design of existing allotments keeping them as indervidual spaces so allotmenters can personalise to their own taste.

If any of you have any idea's or feedback then please let me know, this could be any improvments just generally what you think. Also are there any types of plants or veg you wish you could grow but can't because of the british climit? my tutor suggested chilly but i havent had chance to look into this yet. just to say this isnt descriminating but the project site is located in preston so it isnt the sunniest location.

[elvis2003]

I bet some sites already have solar power,id love to see it on ours one day in the distant future!
You can tell your tutor from me he really needs to do a bit of research before giving you your brief,we all grow chillies already very successfully in our greenhouses or even at home on windowsills!

[catherton2]

haha ill let him know! looks like im gonna have to be a little more inventive and get my head into some research after iv done these drawings. Cheers for the quick reply.

[tonybloke]

there's even a part of this forum dedicated to growing Chilli
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/board,38.0.html

[lincsyokel2]

The point is you have to realise the function of an allotment is different for each person. My criteria s that i have to be able to harvest vegetables somewhere near to  to the value of of what i spend on the allotment in a year, hence the object is to do it with minimal cost.

Other people use it as a hobby, and dont mind if its not strictly economic.

The point for me would be i wouldnt pay for fancy greenhouses or summerhouse etc, because it would take years to recoup the costs. If the owners paid for such things, they would have to bang the rent up to recober there costs, also making it economically unviable.

Allotments are not a thing that require vast amounts of money spending on them, thats not the point of them.

[catherton2]

i understand that completly cost is everything no one is going to pay for this kind of improvment out of their own pocket, but at the same time i need to come up with a desing that isnt all about cost efficency my project and from what i can tell everyone else in my class is basing the project on the fact that the local council would pay (not that, that is ever going to happen well not my local council anyway) the reson for assuming this is that my project is all about changing the allotments into that sort of thing i couldnt just go to my review without a change and say that i didnt want to do anything because of the cost implications.

[Bugloss2009]

yes you need to think about future allotments, rather than present ones, because much of what you want to do is difficult or probably not allowed.

Remember you have council provided (public) and private allotments and the rules are different. Strictly speaking planning permission is required for a shed or a greenhouse on a council plot but some councils let you put sheds up without planning permission so long as they don;t have a permanent base; some require you get planning permission for any shed, and maybe some don't allow any sheds at all - like in an Area of Outstanding Snootiness

councils themselves can of course build anything they want..so there's your communal hut maybe

on private sites of course first it's down to the rules of the owner, then planning permission

here's a sample set of rules for allotmenteers

http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/environment/allotments/content.php?page=regulations note -staying in your shed is specifically not allowed

and personally i think a council provided area with some sleeping arrangement is absolutely ghastly, not to say unhygienic (and open to abuse)  :)

if you want ideas for new things on the plot, there's always the greenhouse made out of recycled plastic bottles, that ticks all the boxes.....
http://www.shedworking.co.uk/2008/10/recycled-plastic-bottle-sheds.html,

which would not allowed for instance under the rules for these allotments
http://tinyurl.com/East-Herts-Council

as for new veg, i think Leeds University used to have a project for trying to grow winter crops from the Indian subcontinent as summer crops here, so that would be probably okra, aubergine, chickpeas maybe, and the dreaded bitter gourd.

[Alex133]

How about being different to your 'council, ie taxpayer will pay' colleagues. Allotment(eers)s could theoretically create income for innovations themselves - selling produce, expertise eg growing 'lessons', loads of things.

[Bill Door]

Ok time to think outside the box.

We grow in soil.  How about looking at hydroponics and building a structure to accommodate growing area with appropriate sun levels and supply the appropriate nutrients from a central supply.

Workout the growing area required to feed a family of say 5 and then split up the current area so that we have increased growing areas for more "allotmenteers".

The structure will have to cater for different sized vegetables and probably could house "allotmenteers" below ground so that the plants will not lose out on sunshine and rain/fresh air.  You will need to consider a "funnel" structure so that the air never stays still over the plants (care of blight etc.)

A structure to retain water will be required.

There back in the box again, off for a pint.  Just need to spellcheck before I go.


Bill

[Jeannine]

Catherton, I am not sure I understand what you are after.

 I am in Canada, was on a UK allotment till a couple of years ago then returned here. Our allotments are a little different to most UK ones.

We have a comminity hut which stores all the tools for everyone to use.

Our plots are our own of course but we do also have a community area.

This is fenced off from ther rest of the plots and is used by various groups and individuals not growing strictly for themselves.. they grow for the food bank or soup kitchens etc.We have a large grenhouse on there that is my job, it grows plants for all to use.

We also have fruit areas,. trees and shrubs with all manner of fruit. these are all over the green areas of the gardens  and are for anyone to use, wether a plot holder or visitor. The plots are in a Heritage Park and wildlife sanctuary so we get lots of folds walking through. They leave the individual plots alone but folks do pick the fruit and berries in the common areas.

We also have an area with a summerhouse, it is often used by groups , often a large marquis is put up, but no one sleeps over.

Just a slightly different view.

Good luck with your project..  as you can see my spelling and grammer are terrible, I can spell I just can't type so your writing  looks great to me!!

 XX Jeannine

[pigeonseed]

I've seen shared community gardens before - there was one in Brockwell Park in Brixton. You could go along and join them, and either grow things or help them with what was already there. Being raised a typical Western individualist, I couldn't get my head round it. I went twice, found them a little cliquey and never went back! However I know this is my failing not theirs.  :) I am a communal, socialist type with my brain, but my heart loves my little plot of earth which is my dominion!  ;D

Found your post about the history of it really interesting, Unwashed.
 

[daveyboi]

I think this planning brief is to look at communal gardening rather than individual plots for personal use.
Much along the lines of what is going on as described here
http://www.growveg.com/growblogpost.aspx?id=73

Growing crops which are not normally grown in our climate is nothing new remember folks Victorian gardens where they would grow any number of exotic things. The interesting part of this project is how you would do what the Victorians did but in a more fuel efficient / sustainable way.

[lincsyokel2]

Ok time to think outside the box.

We grow in soil.  How about looking at hydroponics and building a structure to accommodate growing area with appropriate sun levels and supply the appropriate nutrients from a central supply.

Workout the growing area required to feed a family of say 5 and then split up the current area so that we have increased growing areas for more "allotmenteers".

The structure will have to cater for different sized vegetables and probably could house "allotmenteers" below ground so that the plants will not lose out on sunshine and rain/fresh air.  You will need to consider a "funnel" structure so that the air never stays still over the plants (care of blight etc.)

A structure to retain water will be required.

There back in the box again, off for a pint.  Just need to spellcheck before I go.


Bill

you can also do hydroponics in a porous medium such has perlite, fytocell or coco fibre.

[Digeroo]

Actually a design for a community shed would be a great idea.  Once of the most essential things for allotments is that it should be very cheap.  Hanging space for tools and stacking space for canes and hazels (at least 8 or 9 ft tall). 

Perhaps a design for a portable ie small composting toilet.

Also growing walls, so there is extra usage of the space. 

Perhaps design for a roof top allotment system or a dual use building which can have an allotment on the side or on a set of sloped steps.