Planters

A view years ago my wife came to me with the idea of having a garden. A friend had introduced me to a concept called Square Food Gardening (Click here for more information about Square Foot Gardening). Immediately I knew what I had to do and that was build some planter boxes. I had some old cedar fence panels left over from a job, perfect! There was my wood. They had to be moveable so I built them on pallets. My wife and I like to have dinner get together’s so I put benches on ours so we could sit while hanging out in my back area.

Total cost: $0

I was even able to reuse the screws from the old fence panels. Everyone who saw the planters loved them and when I explained where the materials came from they liked them even more. As soon I was finished with the first Planter box I realized a business opportunity and my friends reinforced this thought. Ever since I was a kid I have been building things out of materials I found. Over the years I’ve become an expert in finding and reusing things destined for the landfills.I am happy to be able to produce a product that I feel is so valuable to our community. Other then the satisfaction of nurturing our plants through out the summer we also enjoyed our harvest and had our last tomato in December.

Recycled means the materials have to be received, processed and re-fabricated into a new usable material. This takes a lot of energy in many different forms. Locally reclaimed on the other hand means I receive the materials right before they are on the way to the landfills. I’ve orchestrated an agreement with several companies to let me pick through their wood heading for the dump to find the best old growth Cedar & Redwood.The huge difference between new fast growth lumber available today and the old growth lumber which we ran out of 20 years ago:

• Old growth lumber is very very strong and durable, lasts at least 10 times longer than new growth
• It doesn’t splinter and the grain doesn’t lift and peel if not oiled constantly
• It is beautiful when planed and sanded
• We don’t need to cut lumber anymore when there are mountains of wood being thrown away daily
• The reclaimed wood we are using came from trees which might have been 1000 years old.

Imagine the energy and information stored within it. To be able to assist in using the life of these trees to nurture new life completes a beautiful life circle. All of the material used in the making of any planter boxes I produce are made of 100% reclaimed material. Why? Other than the obvious, saving the planet and saving our natural resources, I firmly believe that we, as the world, need to stop our culture of throwing away what we no longer see as useful. Re-use and recycle is not just a saying, it should be a way of existence.

• Completely constructed of 100% reclaimed old growth cedar and redwood (rot resitant superior product that will last for years, made in the USA)
• Locate the boxes anywhere, your porch, balcony, backyard, frontyard, use standard planters or have them custom built to the space you need them for
• Easy to move around with our designed wheel system (optional)
• Centuries old proven method of construction (corners are lapped like a log cabin)
• Biologically sound (no chemically processed wood, proper size and depth for plants specifics)
• Watering is easy and 20 % more efficient (handwater or choose an optional built in irrigation system)
• Very little weeding because you can start with your choice of an ideal weed free soil mix
• Bottom of container also never touches the ground and does not allow weeds to grow into your beds
• Optional critter screen tops to protect your plants
• Organic Gardening at home offers nutritional and cost benefits
• Ergonomic Design (top soil at comfortable height, walk around your garden and reach the middle easily)
• Optional benches (see below) turn your planter into a piece of furniture
• Raised bed gardening produces 5 times the harvest of a conventional garden

So why buy a Rushton Planter Box? Well first off, I have been in the design, build and remodel business for over 30. With extensive knowledge and exceptional attention to detail my work is top notch. Let’s look at the costs of doing it your self however, just to give you an idea of what it takes.

For a typical Planter (4′ by 4′, 10” deep.) you would need 12 8 foot 2×4’s. Approximately $83.64. For the bottom add another $10,-, sitting bench, $48,-, nails and or screws are another $6,-, and then 1 pallet, $20,-. That equals around $167,-, not including taxes. This doesn’t take into account the time and effort to acquire the raw materials. That also does not include the use of reclaimed material. These are typical home improvement prices. And if you have been to one recently you know the quality of the lumber is shoddy.

Now it’s time to get out your table saw, planer, drill, etc, and get all of the materials arranged. I am lucky enough to have a great shop with a great array of tools, and have decades of experience. Now let’s assume you are a better than average do-it-yourself handyman. Construction could well be 5+ hours, depending on what kind of work space, skill level etc. Let’s see what we have: A day of driving around and getting materials, laying out, cutting, screwing, and finish work. Let’s assume your time is worth $15 an hour. At approx. 8+ hours, that’s $120,-, plus $167,- for materials, and the rough cost of doing it yourself comes to around 287,-.

I don’t discourage people from building their own things, I actually encourage it. How ever you can see that my planters will save you time and money, and in the end you will end up with a superior product that will last for years. And at the same time you can take solace that these planters are made of 100% reclaimed material.

Old growth lumber is very very strong and durable, lasts at least 10 times longer than new growth. It doesn’t splinter and the grain doesn’t lift and peel if not oiled constantly It is beautiful when planed and sanded.