A few years ago we tried to make our tiny garage look less like an afterthought and more like part of our yard. I made curtains, hung terracotta pots and planted flowers in a window box with a coconut fiber liner. Then the squirrels promptly took over. They churned up the soil and all the flower roots so they could plant their precious peanut husks. Petals, leaves and parts of plants were everywhere, except in their intended containers.
And so I aborted my plan and ignored the exterior of the garage for years, until today. Suddenly the hanging planters filled with only dirt and a window basket with a disintegrated coconut liner falling out in chunks looked a little sad. Luckily a few fresh plants and a brand new liner helped bring a little love back to our garage.
I grabbed a 28″x43″ burlap coffee sack from the garage and cut off the bottom 16 ” which created a shallow bag. Then I turned it inside out but kept the corners tucked inside, and placed it in the 24″ trough to replace the original liner. With the corners turned in, the bag fits nicely in the trough and makes a cozy space for the plants to grow. I lined it lightly with some of the coconut fiber remains to secure the soil better, and then planted away.
Our hanging terracotta planters even have life in them again. It’s lovely for today. We’ll see how they fare with the squirrels. But either way, I’m digging the look of the printed burlap instead of the traditional coconut liner. And cutting up an old coffee sack totally beats going shopping for a replacement liner.
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