Untangling & Repurposing

Using secondhand & upcycled materials to create a garden & outdoor living space

Above: Repurposed wooden fence boards, leftover paint, locally milled live-edge wood from a fallen branch, salvaged floor tiles, and remnant parts from a returned / open-box shower system pieced together to make an outdoor shower zone.

Two years ago, we moved into the little guest house we call home and fenced in an outdoor area at the foot of the porch for the dogs. In order to better spot snakes and critters in the dark while carrying or guiding our ailing senior hound-mix, Stanlee, we hastily spread a thin layer of gravel over the ground, sprinkling in a few regionally friendly plants. Within weeks, the rectangle of terrain quickly became overrun by persistent grasses, as we hadn’t taken time to establish a weed barrier. And, after a humid and storm-packed summer, it was also littered with decaying fragments of the branches and logs we’d attempted to use as natural garden bed borders. Not only was the yard a tangled mess, but it was a hazard to navigate. I worried every time the kids and their grandparents walked around out there, and encouraged them to use the front door rather than the porch entrance.

Above: The before. Some of the plants pictured were killed during a week-long frost, while others were successfully transplanted elsewhere in the garden.

After StanLee passed away, I planned to clean up the yard and start anew, but had no drive to tackle the task. I couldn’t even stand to step into the mini dog run without him by my side. Losing my companion of 16 years had hollowed my drive for many things. What pulled me out of that empty feeling several months later was the thought of creating a garden that could produce food to share with our community.

Above: Cucumber vines supported by a secondhand quilt rack.

The idea of assisting nearby non-profits and mutual aid organizations gave me much needed direction and energy.

Above: A vintage folding drying rack in the garden.

I obtained a quote from a local nursery for overhauling the foundations of the garden, along with a quote for installing some outdoor shower components we’d found. Both estimates were spectacularly beyond my budget.

Above: A container garden composed of hand-me-down planters. The milk can in use as a riser was recovered from the scrapyard where my dad and grandfather once worked.

So Adam and I gradually got to work on the space ourselves, determined to accomplish the job at 1/15th of the price we’d been quoted. In an effort to spend as little as possible, source from small and local businesses, and prioritize used goods, it was slow work. But after almost three months of chipping away at it, we finally got there.

One day, as I was strolling around and weaving tendrils of coral honeysuckle up the fence, I paused by one of the citrus trees we’d planted to watch a tiny bird picking at the sandy soil under the cover of the lower branches. I assumed that the bird was looking for food, but when it turned, I noticed there was a recognizable bundle in its beak. A fluffy tuft of my beloved Stanlee’s hair, presumably collected for a nest. Despite our makeover of the garden, the strands were, thankfully, still everywhere.