The Story of Wood and Box

This is my wood.

This is my box.

This is the story about how my wood became my box.

Ever since we moved here, there has been a pile of wood on the side of the house. Okay, so that is not entirely accurate. Ever since we pulled apart and salvaged the deck we built from our old house before the bank took it back due to foreclosure, there has been a pile of wood on the side of the house we currently rent. Anyway, we decided that since this was still prime wood, we weren’t going to leave it for the bank to use to further profit from our loss, but didn’t really have a goal as to what would be done with the wood. Either way, the main purpose was to stick it to the man. Of course, a pile of wood is prime nesting places for mice, and I don’t like mice. That means it was time to finally do something with my wood, and the first thing I wanted to do was make a deck rail garden box or two.

Originally, I was planning on creating two boxes to go in between the three trellises on the front porch, but the weight of the wood overhanging the porch rail would, well, probably pull it right off. It was then that I decided to make one large box that would rest on the rail and be supported with legs on either side to keep it upright. Finally, a plan was created. Keeping the full length of the deck boards would also decrease the amount of cutting I’d have to do with the saw. So all I had to do was screw three pieces of wood together and slap on some sides and PRESTO! a finished porch rail box, right? Well, as easy as it was to build, not so easy was it to carry because, damn, deck boards are way heavier than they look!

Once I finally did get the box done, I drilled holes along the back length of it for drainage and lined the entire inside with garden fabric to keep the dirt in but let the water out. I used my handy dandy stapler with half inch staples to accomplish this task. Then, after wiping the outside of dirt and debris, I grabbed the container of white exterior paint we never used for the chicken coop we built five years ago and applied a thick coat and let it dry. I used Kilz one coat paint and primer, which worked out beautifully.

Now the most challenging part was getting the box to the porch and attaching the legs without killing myself or breaking a window. I was able to dry fit the whole thing myself, but after I screwed on the legs, I knew I’d need a second hand to help lift it back into place. My husband was able to do this minor task without much effort. Once in, I further secured it by screwing through two of the trellises into the box itself. This sucker ain’t going nowhere.

Time for planting the flowers! I partially filled the cavity with potting soil and then started planting the flowers I picked up on clearance at Home Depot because most of them were not in bloom at the time, but were quite healthy otherwise. I also used up the remaining Wave Petunias I used for the pots on the back deck. To my surprise, I almost had too many flowers in the box, which is a good surprise to have. This means it will fill in nicely and hopefully overhang a bit.

That is the story about how my wood became my box, got a little dirty, and turned into a simple yet great looking flower display. It also makes me want to open the blinds in the living room more often than never.