pallet garden

While puttering about today we made our first, pallet-garden. Wait, let me rephrase that. Manthing made the pallet bed and I placed the pallet in the general area of where I wanted it to go. Not that it was difficult by any means, a 7 year old could make it with supervision but round here, someone has to man the camera so that blog posts can be made about our projects. :)

Being frugal or cheap as we are the biggest challenge was figuring out what to make a weed barrier from and what could hold the growing medium in. After approximately 43 seconds of thought, the chicken feed bags came to mind as the perfect choice. ( Dear DuMor, for all the uses I promote for your feed bags, I think you should provide me free chicken feed for ever more.) Since most of the growing medium was not going to be soil and knowing full well that a garden made from a pallet would not last forever, there really was no cheaper solution.
Manthing cut the bags into two sections and then stapled them to the side we decided would be the bottom and then over the sides of the pallet thereby making the bed. We then stuffed it full of old mulch hay we had and then used some of the soil we made in the experimental hugulkultur bed (post forthcoming but I was sick of seeing hugulkultur posts and assumed everyone else was too) to fill it up.
I think it turned out quite nicely considering the cost and time it took to make. The cost was indeed only our time since we made the soil, the feed bags were here, and the pallet is a work freebie. Total time making it was about three hours but we were just piddling about rather than working. It could probably be done in just a few minutes if store bought soil was purchased and all that needed to be done was to staple the bags on and fill. On one side I am planning on adding a trellis to be able to grow vertical. Though it is not planted as yet, I am thinking this is going to be a salsa garden.

marble crate-garden bed

We have had a marble crate hanging around here for a couple years and after having a FAIL with it last season, I decided I was going to turn it into a raised bed. I decided our outdoor shower area was in need of a makeover to make it more appealing and make better use of the semi shaded area with a ready made trellis.

I dragged the tub out of its corner, pulled the crate to where I wanted it, and set about figuring how I was going to fill in all the gaps between slats of wood,and keep the soil (growing medium) in as I was turning it to the side. While cleaning the area up I dropped a soda can and it fit nicely between the slats of wood. One issue solved! While putzing about I remembered we had the cabinet doors from the trailer we dismantled, low and behold, they fit! I now had a plan. I would line the slats with soda cans from the last visitors we had, then throw in all the old clothes they left scattered about and the front would be sealed by the doors. I would then fill the remainder up with leaves, then top the last couple inches with soil.

It worked a charm except for breaking one door (they are glass) and it took a tremendous amount of leaves that I had to stuff in through the slats on top. It certainly aint the prettiest looking planter but if all grows according to plan, it should provide a nice little bounty of food. I planted beans along the back and side by the shack so they can climb the lattice. Then have a section of lettuce, a row of basil, a row of rapini, a couple cucumbers and two tomato plants. As the leaves and soil settle I will add additional soil/mulch

The pallet garden is next on the project list as planting and weather permit.

new kids...

only kids this year
buck in front, doe in back