-

5/18/12

Returning to it's Roots - In the Garden



I was going through my stockpile of photos looking for a shot or two of our old "stage" for the kids, when I happened upon these photos.  These just touch my heart.  This is almost a year ago and you can see that the stage was showing some wear and tear (notice the tape on one side) but it was still a great platform for performing and pretend play. 

Alex came up with a brilliant idea to put flour on the drums (drums created in a previous project) and do a concert, a la Blue Men Group!

 The photos really tell the story:

These two drum tops were a little floppy...perfect for Alex's plan.

Enter Miss G!

Testing out the process.



This would be great in a dark room with a black light on, wouldn't it?


Miss G couldn't resist a little taste test before they were finished.


SOME GREAT MEMORIES FROM THE REPURPOSED STAGE!

Before this became a stage it was the base support for a bed...instead of tossing it out, we just added a piece of plywood, some carpeting and trim to create a platform "stage" for the children to play on.


And now it returns to it's roots!  
Here it is being repurposed as our new raised-bed vegetable garden :
We flipped it upside down and added some more 2x6 boards to build up the sides.
We threw some river rock down to cover up some of the bare earth.

Once the sides were built up we filled it with dirt from the local landscape supply, added some 2x4's to create a frame for our plant net, and finally added some starter plants:









I thought about staining the wood to make it all "pretty" but the hubby pooh-poohed that idea quickly.  Apparently a raised garden bed does not need to look "pretty".  I don't know what his problem is ~ it's not like I wanted him to stain it !! 

It only gets sun from noon to about 7pm...I hope that's enough for the plants to thrive. 
We will soon find out.

*** SEPTEMBER UPDATE***

Um, I think the answer to that question about getting enough sun is YES!  It get's just the right amount of sun.  That must have been some good dirt too because I've never had a single tomato plant produce as much as the one in this garden bed did!




String beans daily and a few Jalapeno peppers

Crates and crates of tomatoes!


This garden produced a phenomenal amount of tomatoes (2 varieties), zuchini squash, string beans, radishes and carrots.  I got a couple of jalapenos, but the bell pepper only managed to pop out one mini bell.  The onions were crowded out and the lemon cucumber (replanted 3x) just could not coexist in this small of a space.  



Very successful first year with our raised garden bed!!!
It was definitely worth the effort and space.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sherry


28 comments :

  1. I love me some raised garden beds - Sean has built me 3 and i love them. Although I have missed the boat with my tomatoes - the cold has set in a bit early or I was a bit late in planting.
    Im so glad you're back (happy squeal) xxx Nat

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Nat! So glad to be back. This is my first attempt at raised garden beds so we will have to wait and see the results. I'm short on available yard space so this is nice. I added some seeds this week for lettuce, carrots and radishes...I'm hoping it's not too early.

      Delete
  2. Yeay!!! I know someone with a green thumb now!!!! Great job on the garden...I really love herb/veg. gardens because I love to cook!! Your little ones are so cute...loved how you caught her tasting it!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a fun read! Those kids are so darling and love the flour drums! You sure got a lot of use out of those frames! I'm jealous of your raised bed! One these days I'll get Sam to build me one!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a great idea!! I love it. The flour drums are so fun too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So cute! Your stage turned veggie garden or vice versa is great. I'm going to remember the flour drums for the grandkids :)

    Please come on over and join the garden party link up and share your fun post.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love the little raised beds - I'm sure they'll be very productive!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love the flour drums--very creative idea--my husband is a musician and he would love it! There's also a musical called "Flower Drum Song," but wrong kind of flour for your purposes here! I also like that you repurposed this one item in so many different and varied ways--very well done! Good luck with your new garden.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think it looks pretty, nice styling!
    I hope your garden grows lots to keep the kids interested. I know I get a bit disheartened when mine start to die off. But then I always forget to water it thats my problem!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very nifty idea and great reuse of something you already had on hand!!!

    I agree with the not staining though. Not because of the prettiness but because the stain would leech into the soil and then into the plants. Best to keep things as natural as possible. :)

    Take care!
    Dee

    ReplyDelete
  11. That looks great! wow talk about your repurpose! Very clever:)Great job!! Deidre~ http://simplysimplisticated4.blogspot.com stop over sometime:)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your kids a very cute! I love how much history that stage has and that it has a new life. I really want to try my hand at growing herbs and vegetables. Thanks for inspiring and so glad to have you back!

    Sharon @ mr .hines class

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great job! Way to re-purpose!

    My husband feels that way about garages....that they don't need to be pretty. I poo-pooed it when I tried to make the garage (in his words) Potterybarnish! lol

    Thanks for sharing!
    --Katie
    @ Creatively Living

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  15. That looks great! Now I know what to do with our wooden bed frame when we're done with it! I posted a garden trellis today, too. Check mine out at http://onecreativemommy.com/going-buggy-diy-garden-trellis/

    My kids would love a stage, and I'd love more garden beds! How do I choose?

    ReplyDelete
  16. love it! my husband turned my daughter's crib into a veggie garden. i thought he was crazy at first, but it ended up looking so great and serving it's purpose well!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Your raised bed garden looks great! I'm with you regarding making a veggie garden look pretty. I stained my raised beds and want the whole area to look nice. Stopping by from At The Picket Fence.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Reusing an item not once, but twice? A girl after my own heart. :-) I love how this turned out- even without the staining, I think it looks great. I hope you're able to harvest a lot from this space...and that you'll share your results with us at the Tuesday Garden Party again!

    ReplyDelete
  19. A clever idea - love the repurposing!
    I am going to try gardening in some old dresser drawers I have this week. Not sure what to expect but love the idea :o)
    Thanks for linking up this week!
    Stacey of Embracing Change

    ReplyDelete
  20. Brilliant! I love that this piece has led so many lives! Super fun as a stage but even better as a raised garden :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. You're a star tonight at I Gotta Create! Thanks so much for linking up this great project <3
    http://igottacreate.blogspot.com/2012/05/wildly-original-features-2-new-party.html

    ReplyDelete
  22. That looks nice. I live in a condo, so NO garden, makes me sad. I'm a new GFC friend. I would love if you stop by http://hotflashncraftn.blogspot.com/, and be mine too.
    Your son looks just like his daddy....

    ReplyDelete
  23. I wish I would have seen this when I posted my garden ideas. I love your raised bed and I'm so happy to see how well it did. I can't wait to plant our this year!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love this so much! Thanks again for contributing to my gardening round up!

    ReplyDelete