Andrew Yeckel > Stories > Greenhouse garden boxes

Versatile and attractive greenhouse garden boxes

I bought two cedar garden box kits, which were delivered to our driveway.

Here is a picture of the old raised beds to be replaced, taken three years ago right after we had the patio built.

This next picture shows the old raised beds after I've removed the boxes, which are standing in the driveway. I will reuse these boxes elsewhere. After removing the boxes, I shoveled the mounds of dirt into the driveway to prepare the ground for the new boxes.

Here are the new garden boxes. I applied a sealer to the exterior and stapled heavy plastic to the interior of the cedar panels before putting them together. I put a layer of gravel underneath for support and drainage before setting them in place.

An optional lid can be purchased to provide protection of young crops from marauding animals.

The lids are hinged and can be fixed in a raised position to act as a trellis when plants grow larger. This will provide a nice visual screen between our patio and the driveway in the summertime. The boxes also act as a physical barrier at the edge of our driveway. This is a dead end alley and there is a real risk of an impaired or inattentive motorist plowing onto our patio, so we appreciate the safety enhancement.

For early and late season growing, transparent panels can be attached to create mini-greenhouses. The polycarbonate panels have a structure somewhat like cardboard, making them light in weight and strong with good insulating value.

These will be ready for planting in early spring next year. When the vegetation matures I will post more pictures.