Potting Shed for the Potager...

Despite Peter being very busy with keeping an eye on the construction of the manor house, the new piglets, ducklings and the spring gardening at WBP, I have drafted up plans for a Potting Shed for the Potager for him to build with my grandfather, Noel. Noel did such an amazing job on the pig sty, I know he and Peter will be able to knock up a lovely country potting shed in no time...

I found this photo of a potting shed online, and it is very close to my dream potting shed. I love the steep pitched roof, with the angular, almost gothic door and the mini cupola atop. Our potting shed has been designed to be less than 10 square metres, and portable if required, in order than it meets the county council's building regulations (any larger and a building consent is required). Thus I have come up with the following plans...

Above: Birds eye view of external plan. There is a small gravel rectangle in middle of potager with the 9.88 square metre potting shed at its centre. There are urns/pots on either side of door and on the corners, with a climbing Zephirine Drouhin rose on back wall. There are four cold frames abutting the potting shed on either side.

Below: Internal plan showing benches on 3 sides. Above each bench is a window made up of about 16 small panes of glass. The lids of the cold frames will be made from the same recycled windows used for the shed.

Some inspiring potting sheds...

Above: Windows similar to the ones chosen for our shed.

When I was back in NZ a couple of weeks ago, I flew to Christchurch with Peter and our Godson, who Peter showed around the South Island whilst I was catching up with my mother. We spent a day driving around closed down antique shops (5 of the 6 shops who still advertise as being open after the earthquake were, in fact, closed down). The one which was however open had an amazing range of reconditioned vintage gardening tools. My mum bought me a collection of tools as a belated birthday / early Christmas present. I plan to display them inside the potting shed...

A potting shed looks great with lots of pots and old tools...

It needs a tub as well in which to wash out the pots and water the newly sown seeds and seedlings

It will be painted a pale cream colour on the outside, to match the Dovecote, and the Lutyens Benches, which were originally going to be painted that duck egg blue colour that is popular in provincial French gardens.

Along each side of the potting shed will be cold frames made from old salvaged windows..

Once it is completed it will be a lovely space to potter about in.

Pig Hilton Mark 2...

After 2 years of breeding Wessex Saddlebacks, we were in need of a larger pig sty. Pig 'Hilton' mark one was a rectangular ark made of plywood, open at one end - functional but not pretty. I did some research into traditional pig stys, ones that would look at home on an English-styled farm. There were several which caught my attention...

Above: A Traditional Welsh Pig Sty

I like the look of the old traditional pig stys, but they are impractical, non-transportable, and designed for non free-range pigs.

Having seen some of the shelters on the market...

And some old stone huts...

...I struck upon the idea of making a stone-look sty out of wood. So, my grandfather and I set about building Pig Hilton mark 2 - out of completely recycled materials. 

We had some timber from previous projects lying around, and we pulled the plywood lining off the inside of the current barn (knowing that it is going to be demolished to make way for the driveway next year). One of our neighbours gave us a whole lot of spare roofing iron, and so we were set to start building.

Above: Old Timber which we used to create the floor (below)

The floor size was 7'x10'. 

Above: Putting the framing for the walls up

Below: Starting to make the trusses for the roof

The finished roof framing

Below: Cutting the roofing iron

Putting on the roof...

All the way through my grandfather taught me heaps of helpful hints and tips that I will be able to apply to any other buildings in the future.

Almost completed project - structurally finished with gate latched back against wall. Now we just need to find some stone coloured paint and set about adding the finishing touches.

Below: The old pig sty, with the brook swollen with water due to all the rain we have had.

I'll post an update once we've painted it. Now I've learnt how to build a gabled animal shelter, my next project is going to be a potting shed for the middle of the potager garden.