Garden Box

In the fall of 2020, my electrical utility provider sent a person to my door to let me know that the garden enclosure in the backyard was too close to the electrical box, and if they were to ever need to get into the box, the enclosure would be in their way.

I told him that should they ever need to get in the box, I’d be happy to take down the parts of the enclosure fence that was in their way. He then informed me that they’d be there the following Monday, so I’d better take it down right away.

So on Sunday afternoon, I went out to disassemble the fence, and discovered that the landscape screws that were holding it together were rusted to the point of not turning, and the timbers in the ground were mostly rotting. It was easier to just kick the posts over and stack the rails in the middle of the garden space. But the important thing was that their path to the box was clear.

Look behind the dog, that’s what we were replacing…

So, funny thing. Nobody came to access the box on Monday. Nobody came on Tuesday. Nobody came that entire week. Or the week after. Or the month after. Or the entire winter, and on into the following spring. How do we know? Becky had put a stone on top of the box, so we could see if it ever moved. It didn’t move. Ergo, the box was never opened.

So, at last, the Summer was approaching, and the garden no longer had a rabbit-proof enclosure around it. We decided the fence would have to be rebuilt. But when we looked more closely, the rotted timbers would never have held a screw. After 15 years, they were too far gone to keep. The entire garden box had to go. AND its replacement would have to be in place before Mother’s Day so we could plant the garden. AAAAND it needed to be modular enough that the fence could be disassembled without breaking it — if the power company ever really did come back.

Here is the project in a nutshell…

First, out with the old…

Then, in with the new…

Rebuilding the box…

Rebuilding the fence…

But wait! What about the Arbor/Gate?

Check out Related Project: TARDIS