blog / urban farming

The Gang Deconstructs Their Planter

Little did I know when I woke up today that we’d be taking apart our planter. The plan was to install the stand up paddleboard (SUP) and surfboard hoist underneath the awning on the front of our house. However, after about an hour of holding a stud finder to the awning, leaving sharpie marks in my wake, and 4 holes which definitely weren’t where studs were, I threw in the towel.

After discussing with Amy on what our options were, we realized that we had neglected the space currently occupied by our planter. The same planter that we had decided would be recycled into 2 new, smaller square foot garden (SFG) planters.

With that space freed up, we took to Pinterest to find a DIY solution for our board storage. Quickly we settled on a PVC-based structure. 2 tall pieces with Y joints that branch off to hold the boards. And for greater stability, I’m going to attach them to a mounting board on the wall.

Once I had planned out the materials and measurements, I checked online to see what the nearby hardware stores had in stock. I normally take the drive down to Marina Del Rey Home Depot but they didn’t have any 1 1/2” Y joints, so I ended up placing an online order with Lowe’s and picked up 2 items at Orchard Supply Hardware.

After we got back from softball Amy and I decimated the planter. And by decimated I mean slowly and methodically took it apart screw by screw. 150 of them! Amy shoveled the dirt out while I took the boards off. There were SO MANY bugs, especially spiders and even a family of crickets. Always sad to disturb an animal, even an insect, in its habitat.

The planter is disassembled, ready to be made into new SFGs. The SUP PVC frame parts are en route. As the great Ice Cube once said, “Today was a good day.”

 

Planter slowly being deconstructed.

A few pieces of the planter and Indy.The planter tipped on its side.The pieces of planter stacked neatly.The aftermath of deconstructing the planter.150 screws from planterPlans for PVC frame on graph paper.

 

1 Comment

  • […] But since we finally have outdoor space, one of the first things we did upon moving in was start a raised vegetable bed. I’d been yearning for years and years at that point to have a garden, knowing how much joy […]

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