A couple of years ago my husband re-purposed the old deck wood into plant tables. They are very sturdy and can hold a lot of weight. A basic frame was made from some 4×4’s and some 2×6’s. Then across the top are 2×4’s.
At first they were put where space was available …. at the end of the trellis garden, beside the deck and behind the windmill garden. We knew these wouldn’t be the permanent homes for them but they certainly worked well in those locations.
Last year towards the end of April before the planting season began we moved the plant tables to their permanent home in front of the deck. There is space in between to tend all the containers and at the end of the season wooden paths were added between the tables.
These plant tables make it so easy to tend the veggies in containers … no bending, very little weeding and easy watering.
There is a perfect view of the plant tables from the deck and I can check the progress of the veggies. I could even pick a tomato or two when the plants were full grown.
The above photo was taken June 30, 2014 and the veggies are growing really well.
Towards the end of the growing season I had moved the smallest wooden composter beside the plant tables. This is for dirt storage, not compost. As the smaller containers were finished I needed a spot to store the dirt and this seemed the perfect solution. Now I can fill or empty pots with ease. You can also see one of the wooden paths between the plant tables which made it easier for getting to the containers after watering or rainfall.
So what was growing in those containers of all shapes and sizes on my plant tables? Lots and lots of veggies … including tomatoes, onions, peas, carrots, lettuce and beans. I tried okra and kale for the first time last year. I also use it as a spot to hold the pots that start the seeds for zinnias, cosmos and 4 o’clocks.
The containers include old metal wash tubs, old buckets, a small recycling bin, and big black pots that once held shrubs from the nursery. Not your usual flower pots. I’m always thinking outside the pot. Last year I bought some storage totes for a bargain price for growing potatoes instead of the old bushel baskets.
In other years we have hauled the totes into the garage for the winter and then hauled them out again in the spring. In another effort to save my back the aches and pains of moving them, we covered them with tarps. My hope is this will keep out a fair bit of moisture and stop the freeze and thaw process that leads to cracking the tubs. It will be an experiment that I won’t know if it worked or not till those covers are removed. Somewhere under those mounds of snow in the top right photo are the plant tables, the dirt storage composter and the bbq.
Soon I’ll be filling the containers with seeds and plants and watching them grow.
More from The Gardener Side
plants … seed info … veggies & herbs … bulbs, corms, tubers
the gardens … garden whimsy … garden printables
