[rogertb]

Hi chaps, back problems have meant I’ve had to give up the allotment, we have a small area at the end of the garden where I will allowed to grow veg, I tried a few pots of toms last year with some success but containers (I’d hesitate to call them raised beds) with veg and salads were less successful thanks to bugs and foxes, would a small walk in poly tunnel or even a greenhouse provide me with enough interest and food and exclude the pests. I’d still have to have containers as the area is concrete ! sorry this is such a vague question ....

[New shoot]

Salad leaves and leafy greens are easy in a greenhouse or poly tunnel over the cooler months, but difficult over summer as they tend to bolt.

Maybe a small polythene covered grow house, plus another small structure covered with either enviromesh or very fine netting might be the best of both worlds 

[Growster...]

How about a basic set of shelves (made from old pallets etc), and have some trays/buckets up table-high?

It works well here, and saves all that bending too! Last year we grew carrots, beetroot, leeks (in spud bags), lettuce leaves, springs, tomatoes, radish, 2 sorts of rocket, lamb's lettuce, and courgettes, all in pots, trays/old holed buckets etc.

The greenhouse had all the indoor toms, cuces and peppers, and the whole area is roughly sixteen sq.yd. There was also a tepee of beans (French and runner), but they were planted directly in the soil, actually, the old compost heap. We also use a couple of small blow-away GHs, to harden off etc, but they're only temporary, and get taken down as soon as the weather improves.

Plenty of work there, but very satisfying, and no real digging or weeding either!

[hasbeans]

If your raised beds are of uniform size and shape you could build a cold frame that you fit over a bed and move it around for crop rotation purposes.  Eliot Coleman has written some good stuff on coldframes, his four season harvest book is excellent.  We don't have an allotment, just half a dozen 6'x6' beds and a lot of pots but still manage to grow about 75% of the veg we eat.

[rogertb]

Thanks one and all for the excellent advice, it really helps with my thinking, I realise I need a mix of covered and open, I see a floor plan coming on, we did successfully grow runners up against a shed in open soil soil last year and my wife is a an addict so as long as she’s happy !

[rogertb]

this looks interesting but should the zinc lining have drainage ?

[New shoot]

this looks interesting but should the zinc lining have drainage ?

Yes you will have to make drainage holes in the base.