Allotments 4 All

Hi! I am currently doing some research for my 4th year Product Design Engineering project and would like to hear from you! I am looking into secure storage for small gardens and allotments. So would like to know if you keep your tools on site and if so where do you keep them, and how safe you feel they are. Any photos would also be useful, can be sent to heather.whitty@strath.ac.uk

Thanks! :)

Hi Heather and welcome to A4A.  If you can design it, I'll buy it!  I keep my tools on site so I had those big plastic chest-type storage boxes before I got my shed.  Plus points, they're weatherproof and yobs don't seem so interested in them as in sheds.  Minus points, they're a bit flimsy and they're plastic shipped from China.  On my site we're only allowed to have a small shed of standard wooden construction and they're not secure.  I've lost count of the break-ins we've had this year and they just jemmy the doors open.  I suppose the metal sheds are more secure but we can't have them and they're not visually very attractive.  Sounds like quite a challenge you've got there, good luck!

Heather hello and a warm welcome to A4A! 

Sadly shed break-ins and theft on allotments is a regular occurrence just about everywhere nowadays. There's a concrete storage building, with a metal door, on my site that was broken into earlier in the year and several expensive rotovators, which were chained and padlocked, taken.
The police advice was to keep anything we didn't want stolen at home in the house, not the garage!

I have a small sentry box shed on my plot where I keep just a few cheap, or second-hand, tools which I reckon thieves wouldn't be interested in.

Hello and welcome.

I agree with ceres - come up with a foolproof design and you've got a big market.

It's something I'm interested in at the moment, because we've just introduced some (very small) starter plots and tool storage is already something of a problem.

On our site we have two blocks of wooden lockers (fairly old - one has shrapnel damage from the Blitz!) and we also allow sheds on normal plots. Break-ins have been a problem in the past, but now the fence has been made secure we haven't had too many problems recently. (Unless you count the case of suspected arson a few weeks back!!)

But sheds are inviting and a number of members have opted for what I can only describe as coffin-like structures, which can double as a seat. And this would be ideal on our starter plots as well, as they could go at the end of plot and be moved easily when the plot-holder graduated to a "proper" plot.

Design spec: to hold spade, fork, rake & selection of hand tools, plus assorted packets of feeds, etc. Should look inconspicuous, but sturdy (& waterproof) and double as - probably look like - a garden seat.

When I got a shed, I was advised not to keep power tools in it, and don't lock it.

This way, if anybody does break in to the site to steal stuff, they would just open my shed (so no damaged shed) and see nothing was worth nicking, so move on  to the next.

We have a mobile shed in the shape of our Suzuki supercarry.

QuoteWe have a mobile shed in the shape of our Suzuki supercarry.

Probably as good as it gets.

Not wanting to dis the project but as a designer the poster must accept that in an open field surrounded by cover, nothing can be made secure (in a secure sense). It's akin to my dumber customers insisting on me fitting a £150 lock on a side gate that is held up by £10 worth of hinges. Make a really super secure storage box for an allotment and before you know it, some toerag will pinch the box.

Remember. There is nothing that can be made that cannot be broken. If you do not believe me ask my mate Gordon. The more secure the storage, the more tempting it is for someone to break in. If you cannot afford Sues  uki the next best idea is to simply hide tools under what appears to be rubbish.

That's why part of my design spec was: "look inconspicuous"!

We are all advised when we take on a plot not to put a lock on the shed. It works as well cos everyone I have known who disregarded the advice has had the lock broken off. Our daughter has a  shed but she just throws her tools and the kids toys in and slams the door shut. Heaven help anyone who wants to pinch from there. They will have to tidy up first before they find anything useful ;D

Trevor - what you have described is exactly what I'm after - a seat / storage box. I'm beginning to think I'll have to make it myself or get it made up. None I've seen so far are long enough for spades etc,

And good luck on your project heatheryw88 !

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