Building Garden Boxes in the Afternoon
Thanks for the drill skills Dad!
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Heading back to Florida from Puerto Rico, Mom and I get to discussing her new back yard. She spent the summer adding in fill, sod, and plants to give her a new green space. She also demarked the back yard with a nice wooden fence.
Left over from the fence were a hundred plus pieces of wood where the builder cut each fence plank down to size. Looking at the pile of wood, Mom wondered if there was a way to make them into a raised garden. A garden a foot or two above the grade of the back yard, so Mom could work on the plants without hurting her back. Thinking about this challenge, and turning the garden design over in my head, by the time we arrived back in Vero Beach, I had a plan. I also had much work to finish in less than 48 hours – my short stay in Vero. First off, I measured every aspect of the raised garden. The wood on hand, the wood we would need, the screws, their length, and even the amount of dirt Mom would need to move to fill the gardens. Then it was off to Home Depot to buy the needed 2×4’s for her garden and wooden trellis for her fence. She wants to plant bougainvillea along it and the plants need trellis to hold onto. Putting up the trellis first, I had time to better plan the raised garden. Next it was time to build. First, Mom and I made the sides using a simple guide. We screwed each wood plank to a flat 2X4. Next we screwed the 2×4’s together. After we carried the boxes over to where the garden will be, it was time to dig. And so I dug. And dug. And dug some more. Once the garden’s edge was deep enough, it was time to backfill around the sides. That’s when I realized I needed to brace the walls more or they would bow out quickly. Mom was sent to Home Depot for more 2×4’s and hurricane ties to make the box sides super-strong. And once we were done they were. A beautiful raised garden in less than a full day, built from scratch by yours truly. Can you tell I am proud of my carpenter roots? I know Mom is! |
You know I love a handy man! My light fixture is still waiting for you….
Ah, this is like watching HGTV. Nice work. Yeah, you did good.
I think I am going to move! Sure I took your advice and got the 9-5 job, but then i realized it is doing nothing that I wat to do for the rest of my life. 🙂
Hey you look tanned and pretty built in these photos, no wonder so many women write you on here ;).
oh I bought my own website and started writing a blog, thans for the inspiration!
hi wayan this is laura from nc.remember we met many yrs ago in Pisgah forest.you were only sixteen then. Looks like is treating you fairly kind.my friend and I are planning a trip to Finland later this yr.so i would like to hear more about your experience there.i sent you an email to your geek corps address i think.i will send another with my number end address so maybe two old friends can catch up.hope to hear from you soon.take care.