"The Table" (start to finish), Wine Box Gardening

So I probably haven't said the word "table" more in my entire life as I have in the last few weeks. That's because over the last few weeks I've been building my very own wood table for my backyard with one caveat: it was made all from scrap wood (except the four bottom legs-I need some sturdy, sturdy wood for that= $6.00).

See, this all started when I decided that I wanted a large vegetable garden box in my backyard to grow vegetables in for the coming Fall Harvest. But I have a *very* small backyard, and I would guess most people wouldn't even call it a backyard at all. So I have to be smart about every decision I make regarding what I do with my space as well as which plants I buy. It's so very hard to restrict myself when it comes to plants. I might be terribly dangerous if I ever have the farm land I want :)

So I was going to build a vegetable garden box on the ground. I have an area that gets SUN all day long which is PERFECT. And I would say the space was big enough for a box about 4 ft by 14 ft. Pretty decent. But the more and more I thought of it the more and more something just didn't set 100% right about the idea. I couldn't pinpoint it exactly, until one day I was looking through one of the best gardening books I have called "Garden Anywhere" by Alys Fowler.

I was flipping through when I saw a picture of her prepping some old wine boxes to grow vegetables in. That was it! It was love at first sight, and my mind was made up. I was going to grow my vegetables in wine boxes! But I didn't want them on the ground. I wanted them elevated on a table. But where would I get a long, narrow table from made out of rustic wood that I could let weather in the sun & rain?

I know, I would BUILD it!

But did I really want to buy the wood? No, not really. So instead one day me and my good friend Christina went and hunted down wood from a office strip. They had tons of woods and pallets in their dumbsters. And come to find out, her boyfriend who worked in the office strip had some pallets he didn't want either. One of these pallets ended up serving as the base and foundation of my table. I didn't quite realize this at first, and had already built a frame for the table when I realized that the pallet the was long. narrow, and skinny would be a better frame. (I will use the other frame I already built for my next project--> a potting bench).

My second obstacle was that I didn't really have all the tools I needed. I had already ruined the jigsaw I had a couple of years ago sawing down a bougainvillea plant. So rather than buying a bunch of equipment, I borrowed a saw from my father-in-law. I didn't quite want to commit to buying a big saw, because what if I never do anything like this again?

But I can tell you now that the table is finished. I'm kind of addicted. I loved building this table. It was so much better than going out and buying one. It was so empowering that it was practically free, and that I did it all by myself. I even learned how to do bolts (which was something I was intimidated by, and now it is so so so easy!) I can't wait to start more projects.

The best thing about it: this whole experience is empowering. BUILDING things is empowering. I live in the first house inside the gate of my community. So when I'm working in my garage EVERYONE sees me as they drive in. Most people in my neighborhood don't seem too terribly friendly or rude. People just usually stay to themselves. But this lady drove in and stopped her car one day as I was out there sawing away (covered in sweat, sawdust, and water) with my headband on to keep my hair back and my safety glasses on. She stopped her car and had her jaw dropped open, she said "You are one amazing woman!" She said it with such enthusiasim. I was a little shocked, but I must admit it made me feel good. She asked what I was building and I told her. She said you're doing this all by yourself? I said Yes. She was still in disbelief. Later in the day I saw another woman drive by watching me as she drove by with a big smile on her face. :)

Here it is step by step:

The wood on both the table & the wine boxes were proper & sealed with coatings of Danish Oil which is absorbed by the wood rather than just sitting on the surface like Polyurethane does. Holes were drilled into the bottom of the wine boxes to allow for proper drainage, and feetsies were attached to the bottom of the 4 corners of the boxes to slightly elevate them off the table which also allows for proper drainage.

~Shannon