Stolen Planters!

Well, Steel actually, not stolen nor is is likely they ever will be!  I made five of these with some help over the weekend and they will look beautiful when they are at their "forever home".  These are not painted but encouraged to rust with a misting of muriatic acid, giving them a rust patina the color of raw leather.  18" deep and 24" wide, they are from 5' to almost 8' long and bolted together on the job site.  Yes, more expensive than wood but they will outlast a series of five wooden planters.  They don't rot and they don't attract slugs and snails.

Steel Flower Beds

The old flower beds had seen their day.  Nice at the time,

made from 2 x 6 cedar with 4 x 4 corner posts,

they were rotten and falling apart.  So, what to do?

I took the 2 x 6 top ledger board off and removed the lag

bolts so the outside would be smooth and even if

still a bit rotten.   Then I surrounded these beds in 14 

gauge sheet metal, angle iron corners and a sleeker

1 1/2" top rail.  It sounds simpler than it was.  There

were four flower beds total, two were 3' x 12' and

2 were 5' x 6'.  We began the day (my helper and I)

at 7:30 AM t my shop, loading tool and supplies and 

the pre-cut metal sheeting.  We finished the job at

7PM and it was 7:30 by the time the truck was

unloaded. Me?  A 12 hour day?  I am retired!,

66 years old and still suffering the effects of Chemo-

therapy.  It was all crazy and I am still tired but

the job was beautiful, fun to do and interesting to

see the difference the steel sides made.  And...

heck, yeah, I can still do it!  Maybe not two days

in a row though!