Construction | Bent Pine Farm

It’s cool under the new Pergola shade structure at the Lost Arts House.

The New Blue Hen Pergola

With temperatures breaking new records, it’s great to have the back deck shaded from the hot afternoon sun.

Resident plants are lantana, penta, basil, sage, and oregano, which makes a lovely hanger. In the garden below the deck are more Lantana and all the animals’ favorite: Mexican Sunflower. (Tithonia Diversifolia)

In the record heat we’re experiencing this summer, we have to water the hangers everyday at least once! It’s so nice to have shade on the hot and sunny back deck, and the plants double as a butterfly garden!

The Main Garden

With temperatures hovering between 95 and 98 degrees and heat indexes over 120 (!), it’s been a very uncomfortable summer for animals, plants, and people! The only crop that chugs right along in the hot and humid is the cover crop, cowpeas.

We won’t start the Fall garden until the heat has broken, probably October! By then we’ll have starts for the cool weather crops, cabbage, broccoli, kale, bok choy, and direct seed the collards and carrots. Can’t wait…

In the meantime we’re rescuing the Main Garden from this year’s dominant weed…three feet tall and with a tap root to rival the tallest Long Needle Pine.

Happy Homesteading,

An inside construction project, an Herb Shelf out of #2 pine. These dimensions are for our shelf, which is 25″ width x 15″ depth x 37″ height
Make your shelves far enough apart to hold your dried herb or seed jars. Ours are 12”, 12”, and 10”.

1×6 #2 pine 8ft
1×8 #2 pine 8 ft
1×10 #2 pine (measure for top)

2 – 2×4 (not pressure treated!) 8 ft
3” deck screws
Small finish nails
Wood Glue

Cut one 2×4 in half widthwise. Rip each half in half again lengthwise. You will have 4 – 2×2 (1 3/4 x 1 1/2) for legs. Cut each leg to 3 feet, or desired height.

herb shelf construction — Add width pieces top and bottom.

Rip second 2×4 in half lengthwise. Cut 4 lengths for desired width. Cut 8 lengths for desired depth. For each joint, use either one deck screw and wood glue or 2 deck screws.

Screw 2 of widthwise-2x2s inside legs at top and 2 at bottom. At bottom, leave 2” for feet. This is front and back. Mark shelf heights on sides. (Remember that the shelf height is measured from the top of the cross piece to the top of the higher cross piece above.)

Screw 8 of depthwise – 2x2s to front and back at top and bottom and desired shelf heights.

Cut 3 sets of lengths of 1×6 and/or 1×8 to width for shelves (Depending on the desired dimensions, use one or the other or a combination to get the depth you want.)