Vintage Wooden Boxes - Part One

I have been collecting vintage wooden boxes since childhood.  I simply can’t resist them regardless of their condition.  I suppose it has something to do with the stories they can tell.  What have they been used for before?  Who did they belong to and where have they been?  One of my favourites belonged to my grandmother.  She used it to transport the eggs she sold for extra income and it still had some straw in it when we found it in their attic years ago.

Three of the sturdier boxes were kept in our garage where they were used to store “stuff” and I were given an ultimatum by The Father Person when he did the big garage clean-up a few weekends ago.  ’Use them, or lose them'.  There was no way they were going to be thrown out, so they got dusted and given some special TLC.

I painted the insides with that all time South African favourite, Velvaglo Enamel from Plascon.  It is hard wearing with a lovely velvety sheen finish. 

Two of them got a place on the kitchen counter and I am amazed by the change they make. One of them now holds (some of) my cookery books and the other is just sitting there, looking pretty.   I am so happy with them,  I can’t believe it took me so long to use them. 

This one (left) was picked up on a beach.  The wood has gone all woolly on the edges, it almost feels soft to the touch. 

The New Veggie Patch: Construction

Three weeks ago, we had no plans to start a Veggie Patch.  The "Father Person" wanted to plant tomatoes for the youngest in the brood (2yr 9mth) who love them, but previous attempts to grow them in a pot on the back balcony where futile.  It was a case of ''out of sight, out of mind' and the daily effort to go out there and care for them proved just to much for an already busy family.

I then started reading A Year in the Village of Eternity  and reading how those Italians live off their land, only consuming chemical free produce and have an average dying age of 93, I was really inspired.
Speaking to a few people I very quickly learnt that apart from 2 family members I also have 3 friends that successfully grow their veggies in their back yards.

Maybe, just maybe it is possible for us.  One Magic Square, convinced us we could and should and by Friday night the spot was selected. Saturday morning the materials where bought and by lunchtime it was all systems go.

I would have been happy to just have a right angled support to stop the water and soil running down hill, but after much deliberation, The Father Person convinced me an upside down U-shape was the most practical and aestheticly pleasing option. 

It was tough to get it level on a sloped site

Not only that, he constructed a state-of-the-art box, strong enough to withstand an earth quake, right angled, levelled, varnished and to top it all, rounded cladding! 

Adding the Cladding

Wow, this is much more than what I bargained for!  How is that for pressure, this box will have to perform!

Almost filled up

We are fortunate to have ample supply of good compost so with the last light on Sunday afternoon we started filling her up, also adding generous amounts of Bone Meal and Superphosphate.

Now back to the book to see what can be planted in late winter.