Total Transformation

When we put up the greenhouse,  I was determined not to get sucked in to all of the many things I could buy to make it all neat and tidy.  They make all kinds of special shelves just for my greenhouse, but I had spent enough and decided I could make my own shelves and organize it as I wanted.

What I didn't realize was the degree to which it would  become a cluttered mess.

K-ster fashioned one table for me out of leftover parts from the greenhouse (there were not meant to be any leftover, so it's kind of weird that we had some...) and then we put some old screens on it.  It's always been a royal pain because the screen are ripping and nothing was ever level, etc.

I had fashioned a table out of cinder blocks and a piece of an awning but cut myself on the corner more than a few times, and it was a hazard because if you put heavy things on one end, the other would flip up like a see saw.

And then we have some random benches and a picnic table that someone was throwing away.

Clutter seems to follow me no matter what I do, so the greenhouse had quickly become a catch all for anything garden related and once plants were put in it, it was deadly walking around and not banging into something.

Determined not to buy anything, but to reuse things, I didn't get very far in the organization because nothing ever suited my needs.

Plus it's a pain to clean up, isn't it???

As luck always has it, a friend of k-ster's was closing up shop and had some shelves to give away.

My first thought was to use them in my sewing room.  But when he got them home, we decided the greenhouse was #1.  And we weren't ready to install them the day he brought them home, so we put them in the greenhouse until later, which made for really tricky maneuvering in there!

I decided last night was the night, so once the sun went down, I got to work.

This was the biggest problem.  It's an old wheelbarrow full of dirt that grows things really well and currently has potatoes growing.  It's really heavy and I was alone, with no chance of k-ster coming back before dark. I didn't want to do just part of the remodel, so I somehow dragged it into the current wheelbarrow without losing a finger.

First, I had to take just about everything out so I could walk around and move things.  I think we currently own about 50,000 pots of various sizes.

Once I got everything out that was going to move, I took out the piece of awning and made a new shelf there.

Then I made a second shelf below the one that k-ster made so that I could store all of those pots.  Like in my house, if it's sitting right on the floor, it's a disaster.  If there's a shelf, it seems to be neater.

I took the two benches that used to be in the middle and put them on the sides and used one as a base for another.

I covered them all with black weed blocker because it really helps things heat up in there.  See how far those tomatoes are already?  The same age tomatoes that I put outside haven't done much in the few weeks they've been out there.

So, with all of the new tables, the center is nice and open.  I can't tell you how many times I was tempted to vacuum....

Any bets on how long it will remain relatively neat?

And with the 4 leftover shelves, I might be able to make headway on my sewing room...

Linking here:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2014/06/clever-chicks-blog-hop-90-with-wicker.html
http://www.glitterglueandpaint.com/project-pin-35/
http://www.flamingotoes.com/
http://www.cherishedhandmadetreasures.com/2014/06/creative-corner-hop-115.html#more
http://www.skiptomylou.org
http://www.myturnforus.com/