Our allotment shed is in a disgraceful state, having been used as a receptacle of junk for most of its life. It’s a giant, wooden, allotment-based rubbish bin, to be honest. Venturing into said shed is fraught with danger – the chances of skidding on rotten pumpkin entrails or being buried under an avalanche of collapsing bean poles is high, so when Filplastic offered us a vented plastic shelving unit in an attempt to restore some kind of resemblance of order, we were more than happy to accept.
The shelf kit in question comes supplied with five fat shelves and the various supports and components needed for construction. The smaller parts come attached together in one of those plastic frame things, like a giant Airfix kit. We liked this – it prevented parts getting lost amongst the nettle/grass ‘border’ that skirts round our shed.
Construction of the unit was a straightforward affair. It took around 15 minutes to put our shelves together, and the whole process ran smoothly and swear-free*, which is possibly a first. There’s a bit of a knack getting the supporting legs to couple with the shelf sections, but we found that a gentle tap or two with a rubber head mallet helped coax them through the holes. Once up and in position, the legs on the base of the shelf unit can be screwed up or down (like the legs on a washing machine) so it will sit level on wonky surfaces.
We’ve piled all kinds of shed detritus on to our new shelves – a pair of old mice-nibbled boots, four never-to be-opened bottles of Nick’s Pea-pod wine, a brown ‘thing’ in a bag – and we’ve also discovered that it’s the perfect stage from which to rack our ciders and wines. You can fit up to ten demijohns per shelf** and the grated vents will hold a syphon tube as steady as a rock.
It’s double thumbs up from us – we’ve got a booze rack, a shelving unit, and we can now actually see the shed floor (meaning we can fit more junk inside). Hurrah for shelves!
Vented Plastic Shelving Unit
Size: 930 x 455 x 1885mm
Price: Normally £56.90 but they are currently on sale at a bargainous £33.63
Available from:
https://www.filplastic.co.uk/products/ventilated-plastic-shelving-930x455x1885mm
———-
*Jobs that cause allotment swearing (on a sliding scale of obscenity – 1 being the highest)
- Pulling up bindweed
- Attaching bird netting
- Stacking/unstacking plant pots
- Fumbling with small seeds
- Any other gardening job that doesn’t involve lounging around sipping cider.
** A full demijohn weighs 6.5kg, and these vented shelves can hold up to 70kg
