A little ingenuity helps turn recycled materials into a charming garden workspace
Written bystory by Kathleen BrenzelOctober 23, 2009
Share this story
Photography by John Granen
1 of 11Photography by John Granen
Exterior
From the outside, Gail and Mark Dupar’s shed looks like a cozy vacation cabin, or something out of “Hansel and Gretel.” But the cordwood structure is really the nerve center of the couple’s kitchen garden, on Decatur Island in Washington’s San Juans. Here they start seedlings, arrange flowers, raise tomatoes, store tools, and dry freshly harvested shallots on the warm brick floor.
Photography by John Granen
2 of 11Photography by John Granen
Interior
The Dupars built the shed in about two months, using recycled beams from a pier repair project and cedar that they found on a nearby beach and then sliced into rounds. The finishing touch? Yard-sale windows.
Photography by John Granen
3 of 11Photography by John Granen
A place for potting
A 12-foot-long slab of cedar makes a durable workbench.
Photography by John Granen
4 of 11Photography by John Granen
Wall art
Clear glass bottles let light from the greenhouse filter into the main shed. Darker bottles, marbles, and twiggy prunings fill in around them.
Photography by John Granen
5 of 11Photography by John Granen
Fab find
An antique leaded glass window hangs from an overhead beam. It sparkles when backlit by the sun.
Photography by John Granen
6 of 11Photography by John Granen
Thinking light
The shadecloth-covered glass roof helps brighten the 8- by 12-foot greenhouse, where tender plants spend the winter.
Photography by John Granen
7 of 11Photography by John Granen
Easy water
This coil hose reaches all of the greenhouse plants. Find similar hoses at Gardener’s Supply Company (gardeners.com).
Photography by John Granen
8 of 11Photography by John Granen
Staying grounded
The floor consists of brick set in sand atop filter fabric, for easy drainage.
Photography by John Granen
9 of 11Photography by John Granen
No more clutter
A former kitchen cabinet holds vases, seeds, and books. Hand tools are plunged blade down in a sand-filled crock.
Photography by John Granen
10 of 11Photography by John Granen
Bouquet zone
A recycled wood table is where Gail arranges fresh-cut flowers. Excess clippings go into a can beneath it for composting later.
11 of 11
Idea to steal
Turn flea market finds into planters for tiny succulents (drill holes in the bottoms). Gail Dupar uses them as “gifts to go.”