My sons have both grown to the age where they no longer used the wooden play set we had in our backyard. Since we live in a home on a postage stamp size lot every square foot is precious real estate. Therefore, I was ready to dispose of the play set so that we would finally have room for my much desired vegetable garden.
We first attempted to sell the play set on Craigslist. However, we only received one offer and we felt that it was much too low considering the fact that it was redwood and still in very solid condition.
Then my husband considered taking the play set apart and trying to sell as reclaimed wood but he had a difficult time finding a place to purchase it since it was not in the quantity they were looking for.
When sharing our predicament with a good friend of mine and whining about how I just wanted to be rid of the play set once and for all whether we got any money for it or not, she suggested that we take apart the play set and reuse the wood to build my garden. Well now THAT was a wonderful idea and I jumped right on it.
I searched on-line for designs for raised garden beds. It was very important for our garden to be doggy proof. I wanted to plant edible plants, therefore, I did not want our dog to be relieving himself in our garden, eating the plants and/or just playing around and doing what we call "crazy dog" and destroying what I would be working so hard to grow. I found a few pictures with features that I felt would work for our purposes and if altered could fit in the area we have to work with. Then I sketched out my ideas, thoughts and plans.
I took my ideas to my husband and asked for his approval and help. I knew that the project was more than I could handle alone. He has been out of work lately and therefore happens to have some time on his hands. It only took a little bit of selling to convince him by stressing just how much money we would be saving in this endeavor. And I think that at this particular time having a project was good for him to keep his mind and body busy with something until he finds a new job.
We spent an entire Saturday disassembling this very large piece of my son's childhood. It was bitter sweet because I was very much looking forward to taking on a new challenge of becoming a gardener, however, I was a little sad because it was just one more sign that my children are maturing and are no longer my little ones.
My husband has a gift for common sense and numbers and he really thought through the most efficient and safe way to take apart the play set. Just before the sun was setting we were left with a pile of wood separated into stacks by size and a large box of screws that we could also reuse. At this point my husband spent days taking inventory and measurements and calculating what it would take to build me something that would meet my needs and desires without having to buy any new wood.
In the end we decided on a 2 foot high "C" shaped raised garden with some separation between boxes to contain invasive plants. And we cut the support posts at 4 feet high to allow us to attach chicken wire around the top which will double as additional protection from our dog and allow a place for vines to attach to as they grow upward.
The remaining details just kind of came together from inspiration in the moment. My husband built the gate that swings open on hinges and has a clasp to lock out the dog. And he insisted on finishing touches like wooden caps across the top of the boxes as well as the top of the posts. My husband sprayed the outside of the wood with sealer and we stapled plastic lining inside the boxes to help the wood last longer. It is during this project that I was reminded just how much of a perfectionist my husband can be. If it had been left up to me I can assure you that it would not be as pretty or as finished as it is.
We covered the surface of the center area where I stand to work with pebbles and a couple of stepping stones made with hand prints from when my children were still small. And the icing on the cake, so to speak, is how we incorporated some whimsy left over from the play set in the form of the yellow plastic handle, ladder and yellow steering wheel. These finishing touches are a reminder of what can be accomplished from reusing materials instead of being so quick to dispose of them. But it will also forever feel like my children are still with me, even when they begin to pull away, as I know they must.
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." - Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
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