Re-Planning The Allotment Infrastructure

It was bitterly cold this morning but I had arranged to show plot 3A to the next tenants on the waiting list, and by the end of showing the couple the plot, our hands were frozen, and all three of us just wanted to get back in the warm. I let them out of the allotment and closed my potting shed up and made my home just as ice cold rain started. 

Due to the radical radiotherapy treatment for my solitary bony plasmacytoma cancer in 2023 and the loss of mobility due to Extensive hypermetabolic arthropathy. I'm having to redesign the infrastructure of my two half plots

Arthropathy is a joint disease can be associated with a hematologic (blood) disorder, and my cancer is a form of blood cancer. My PET.CT Scans show I have problems in all my joints and as a result walking, is difficult, and getting down on my hands and knees to weed and sow seeds is now impossible for me. 

So In 2024 I started by making the two Square Foot Garden beds by the potting shed into raised beds

I have half converted and full framed ground level plot into two number two scaffold board high (450mm) Raised beds with a new path in between. I now plan to make this modification all over the allotment.       

Above is the proposed layout on the basis that I can get hold of a load of Free 1200mm x 800mm pallet collars or 800mm x 600mm pallet collars and twin them up to make 1200 x 800mm Raised beds.

There is a difficulty with just trying to convert the framed ground level beds layout into raised bed layout as I made the paths 600mm wide and the standard wheelbarrow being 620mm and will not fit between two raised beds. 

My solution is to turn alternate the beds directions thus making alternate beds narrower thus making the paths wider so I can get the wheelbarrow around the allotment to all the beds.   

Over 2024 I have been looking into options like poly tunnels or a larger level entry greenhouse as I'm having difficulties getting in and out of the two 1800 x 1200mm (6ft x 4ft) Palram greenhouses, which at the moment I'm using to dry coffee grounds in the plot 1A greenhouse, and to store magic cardboard to line the bottom of the new raised beds, in the plot 1 greenhouse. 

Above is the plan for plot 1A 

Above is the plan for plot 1 

I'm not sure if it will happen but there may be an opportunity for me to get hold of some pallet collars for free dropped off to the allotment. I'm seeing how many other allotment holders may be interested if this opportunity does become a reality, and I have altered my plan for the allotment as shown above. 

Pallet Collars are only 195mm high, so 2 Pallet collars gives 390mm and 3 gives 585mm which is a little higher than the two scaffold boards that gives a height of 450mm.  

I will need around 105 number 1200mm x 800mm or 210 number 800mm x 600mm Pallet Collars.  

Hopefully I will find out next week if the free pallet collars will happen, and that will accelerate the conversion of the infrastructure considerably.