Freecycle.org comes through again. So far, it’s helped find a taker for my Nandina plants I needed to have removed to make room for my Twenty-five Dollar Victory Garden, and someone else to come take away a truckload of gravel mulch. Today (finally) I found my source for free wood to contain my raised bed.
I live in North Carolina and I see old abandoned barns just about every day. They’re the kind of barns that have that really have that old weathered wood and you just want to go exploring it or at least take pictures because they always have so much character. Well today I received a Freecycle.org email notice of someone that had torn down one of these old barns and was offering the 110-year-old wood to any takers.
I emailed him immediately and within minutes he called me. An hour later I was rummaging through a pile of wood that looked like the remnants of a tornado’s direct path. I knew before I even left the house that the best pieces had already been picked through but I thought I might at least find a few good pieces. At this point I was willing to take the chance. My garden bed is ready and in immediate need of containment. And since I can’t afford to buy lumber on my twenty-five dollar budget, this was the best (and only) option I had.
As you can see from the picture above, I managed to recover a few garden-worthy pieces. It was quite an experience and I chuckled at the steps I’ve gone through already in pursuit of my Twenty-five Dollar Organic Victory Garden Challenge. Today was a great example of that as I carefully attempted to avoid the many exposed rusty nails and broken glass, along with the snakes, black widows and who knows what else. But in the end, I had my free wood and I’m one step closer to containing my soil in my new garden bed. So thanks again Freecycle.org. And just for the record, I’ve still only spent seven dollars so far.
JL
p.s. Earlier this evening, we had on heck of a downpour. And no, I have not removed the wood from my truck yet. I hope my garden hasn’t washed away yet. I’ll report on that later. By the way, wait till you see the video I shot today of my salvage efforts at this old barn.
About Joe Lamp'l
Joe Lamp'l is the Host and Executive Producer of the award winning PBS television series Growing A Greener World. Off camera, Joe dedicates his time to promoting sustainability through his popular books, blog, podcast series, and nationally syndicated newspaper columns. Follow Joe on Twitter
TC, I guess you could make a case for that, but if we did that, then I’d want a credit for the carbon footprint I didn’t take when I salvaged soil from local, recycled, composted leaves that didn’t go into the landfill, and one for not buying bagged soil that would have been shipped on a flatbed truck from who knows where, and I guess I should take one for removing some of that wood that was going to be burned, which would have spewed lots of nasty carbon-filled smoke into the air.
Yes, I’ve spent a dollar or two on gas, and certainly a good bit of time. But for a lot of folks looking to save some money by growing their own food right now, time is all they have to spend, and I’m sure they’d do that gladly to put some groceries on the table.
And by the way, in my small town, the wood was retrieved from just a few miles away, the soil only blocks away, and the same for the bamboo I’ve harvested for my fence and pole beans. So, you’re right, everything has a price, but to keep it simple for all, for this challenge, it’s only the out of pocket costs we’re measuring.
Appreciate your thoughts and comments as always TC.
I can’t wait to see what you build with your free wood scraps. I love projects like this. I saw a great border at the San Fran show made with old deck boards. They were set vertical and trimmed at varying heights. So cool!
Hope you’re well!
Jayme
“And just for the record, I’ve still only spent seven dollars so far.”
All the runnin around you’re doin for the garden makes me wonder if you should subtract the cost of gas and wear and tear on your vehicle (i.e., carbon footprint) from the $18 you have left? Nothin is really free, is it?
Congratulations on your find. And thanks for telling me about Freecycle.org, I’m checking it out in my area.
Hey Jeph. LOL. You can bet if I had to make a trip to the E.R, there’s no way to include that in my budget. I’d have to find a creative excuse as to why else I would have been rummaging through such a mess.
By the way, the seeds you sent me are looking fantastic. They are going into the ground this week. Thanks again for all you’ve done.
Ha – good point! Does the $25 budget limit trips to the emergency room? 😉