Learn how to build your own veggie washing station using wood and hardware cloth!
There's no doubt this quarantine has opened our eyes as to what's a necessity and what's not. After schools, restaurants and all sporting events were cancelled--many were left with nothing to do but get creative with the one place they were allowed to go--their backyard. Backyard gardens have been one of the most popular projects that people are undertaking since it's easy to start, requires fairly little commitment and seeds are relatively inexpensive.
We've talked about how to make your own raised garden bed and how to grow herbs from seedlings on the blog before--so that leads us to our latest project--a veggie washing station! Washing off the dirt from your crops is an important part of the growing process for obvious reasons--no one likes to eat dirt and you don't want all of your hard work to go down the drain simply because you didn't wash your veggies thoroughly. Washing your crops in the kitchen sink can get messy quick--especially if your garden is large.
So we decided to make an outdoor vegetable washing station out of hardware cloth and wood. The galvanized wire with square openings makes it perfect for allow water to wash over the veggie and drain out the bottom of the tray. And the hardware cloth on above the tray is ideal for hanging garden tools and misc. items.
Supplies:
6-- 2x4 pieces of wood
1--2x6 pieces of wood
2--2x4 pieces of wood
9--1-1/2x1 pieces of wood
Step 1:
The best place to start would be to make the tray first with your 2x4 and 2x6 to make a rectangle. Then with a staple gun, attach the rolled wire hardware cloth to the top of the tray. Then if you want a more finished look--you can put a top trim of wood around the top.
Step 2:
Next, assemble your 2x4 frame to support your tray. Then add the bottom slats to create the bottom tray with your 2x3 and 1-1/2x1 pieces.
Step 3:
Last, secure your top 2x6 piece to the top and staple gun the hardware cloth to the back to create your backdrop for garden tools.
And voila! You have a great new addition to your potting shed/station. The galvanized wire helps in preventing rust and corrosion but it would be best to put the shed in a sunny spot so that when you are done washing off your veggies--it can dry quickly.
Looking for more garden projects? Make sure to visit our Grow It section on the blog! Happy growing!