DIY New Planter

On our patio are two old and decrepit planters. They are falling apart and too rotten to mend so we decided to replace them. Over the glorious weekend I set about building a new one from scratch. With a length of 2x2, two decking boards cut in half for the sides and a sheet of plywood I was ready for action.

Getting things set out

Four lengths of 2x2 were sawn to join the decking boards at the corners, with the screws offset from each other on each side. After a while I had the main frame completed. This proved a little more tricky than it looked as it was quite hard making sure everything lined up straight. The paved patio is not perfectly level so I couldn't really use that to get square.

The outside frame is complete

Once the frame was done it was time to cut the sheet of plywood and screw it into place. Due to the dimensions of the board, there was a slight gap down the center but this was good as it will be used for drainage. Honestly, it was planned that way.

The plywood base is on

I cut the remaining length of 2x2 into 4, mitred at 45°. These were attached to the corners of the base. An additional length of spare plank was cut and added across the base to support the plywood. I also mixed up some PVA primer with water to make a sealant and coated the plywood and any cut surfaces of wood. Hopefully this will help extend the life of the planter.

Added feet to keep planter off the ground

The decking boards had been pre-treated with preservative so to stop whatever chemicals are in there from leeching out and potentially getting into the plants I lined the whole inside with plastic. I then made a few cuts in it to allow excess water to drain out. Hopefully the plastic will help retain water too.

Lined with plastic

So with the planter completed, I started to fill it with earth reclaimed from one of the others that was being replaced. After a few bucketfuls had gone in it dawned on me that I should put in in situ before filling it any more! I'd never be able to move the thing when full!

Nearly there - filled with earth

Once in place and filled I added some bonemeal and mixed it in well, then gave it a good soaking. Then it was off to the greenhouse to transfer some of the lettuces that had been growing. I also put in the bell peppers than needed a bigger home. Phew! So there it is, woodworking lesson #2. It looks great and I'm very pleased with it.

Done! Instant lettuces too!

Busy Weekend

Wow - What a busy weekend. We got a new barbecue which took a little while to assemble. And with today's sunshine we could not resist giving it a try out. Our favourite bbq recipe at the moment is chicken souvlaki - a great taste of Greece in the sunshine!

The girls certainly enjoyed it. The leaves in the salad were from the greenhouse too. Can't wait until more of the meal is from Matt's Patch (Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, potatoes ... mmmm).

I managed to make a shelter at the end of Patch's run. What was a straightforward plan in my mind took a little longer to manifest. Once she got used to it, Patch loved it and was in and out all day long! Megan thinks it's great that Patch has a house to hide in!
Mrs Matt spent a good few back-breaking hours cleaning the paving slabs on the patio - there are a lot of slabs! She was removing any weeds and forking out all the crud that had formed in the gaps and putting in new sand. The areas that have been done look great!

On the vegetable front, the cucumbers and tomatoes were put in growbags. When we first moved in we found some plastic green hat-like things. I've since found that they look a lot like growbag pots so I put them in with some of the tomatoes. The idea is that it gives the plant a lot more compost to grow in and makes it it a whole lot easier to water. I'm sure there are some pieces missing but never mind.
While I was in the greenhouse I had a peek at the French Bean experiment where I'd covered them in damp kitchen roll after the dismal failure of my previous effort.
This is what I found - sprouted beans! I have not peeked at the ones I planted in the compost/sand mix (although I did remix the compost to about 4:1 compost/sand as I thought there was too much sand in the original mix).

Patch's Patch

As the weather is getting warmer, we decided that Patch the guinea pig needed to be out in the garden more. So over the weekend I bought some wood and a roll of wire mesh and made a rudimentary run for her. She loves it! Now she can nibble grass and the odd dandelion all day long.
I still have a bit more to do on it, like make a shelter section down one end so she has somewhere to go if it's too sunny. I also need to treat it with some pet-friendly preservative. Overall we're as pleased with it as Patch is!
Next woodwork lesson is making a planter ...

Potatoes are sprouting!
Had a quick look at the early potatoes that were planted in the containers and they've sprouted already! The Red Duke of York are growing faster than the Charlotte ones. Strangely I expected all the leaves to be green, but they're red (or purple) for the Yorks. Time to cover them over again soon!