Weed Whacking Monster.

Call me weird, but I enjoy mowing the grass. I also love the smell of fresh cut grass. It reminds me of my grandfather. I used to mow his grass when he was no longer able to mow it. He would sit on the front porch swing and watch me make my rounds. If I took too long, he would get up to check on me.  Some times when I am mowing, I can almost see him sitting on his swing smiling at me as I go by. 

The weed eater is a different story. To say that I dislike weed eating is an understatement. It doesn’t help that we have a big yard that needs a lot of trim work. Last week while I was whacking the weeds around two of my freshly planted flowers, I got a bit too close and took out a piece of my new shrimp plant. Not a smooth move. I needed to find a solution to protect my two new additions from the weed whacking monster. Out to the shed I went to see what kind of wood we had.

 I found some 2x4s, old lattice, and a few pieces of wooden fence slats.  I only had about 5 pieces of lattice left from the pergola project that were sitting in the burn pile. They were all the same size. Yea! I measured the width of them and made my boxes that wide so I wouldn’t have to make more cuts. Keep in mind that I have only been friends with the saw for about two weeks and I get the wording wrong for tools so be kind if I get a few things mixed up. I just made a square box to make it easier. Here are my steps.

• I cut the 2x4s the length that I needed for my boxes on the chop saw. I needed 12 pieces for each box. (4 for the bottom, 4 for the top, and 4 to connect the top and bottom). I cut 6 pieces on the chop saw and then ripped them length wise in half to make the 12 pieces.

• I used screws and my drill to make the top and bottom base. I attached them together with the remaining 4 pieces.

• I measured and cut the pieces of lattice for each side. I nailed them on with little white nails so I wouldn’t crack the wood.

• I used my scrap fence slat for the top ledge. I cut the lengths that I needed and nailed them like a picture frame on the top of my box. I didn’t make any angles. I also didn’t make a bottom for my box. I didn’t need a planter. I just needed a plant protector. 

• The last step was to put sealer on it to protect it from the rain.

Not perfect by any stretch but I like it. It matches the pergola with the different kinds of wood. Most importantly, it protects the plants from the weed whacking monster.

 

Simplify Life One Step At A Time