Cardboard Base of Wooden Planter Box



Cardboard Base of Wooden Planter Box 2



Desert Bonsai Food Forest Dwarf Fig Tree in Wooden Box



Desert Bonsai Food Forest Fig Tree



Desert Bonsai Food Forest Garden Fava Beans Sprouting in Wooden Planter Box



Desert Winter Frost on Mint Plants



Peach Tree In Wood Planter Box with Peas Growing in the Mulch

Scavenged 2x4 Wood Frame Planter Boxes with Scrap Metal Reinforcements


When and where ever possible I prefer to use natural, biodegradable, non-toxic materials in the garden, even if they may break down faster and need to be replaced. Ideally, once the designer ecosystem is mature, the replacement parts will be almost done growing by the time the components in use start to break down. It’s possible to achieve a closed-loop cycle relatively quickly, and once established, the rate of nature’s replenishment can quickly exceed your needs. At that point, you’re beyond sustainable as long as you don’t over-use and exploit the gift of abundance.

My eyes get hungry whenever I see a new starting point for this cycle. That means I’m always scanning trash heaps, illegal dump sites, curb alerts, ground scores, free stuff listings, etc. If I can gather building materials for free or cheap, rescue them from the waste stream and prevent them from entering the landfill, I’m very fulfilled. The best thing is when the material is living, regenerative, reproducing itself. However most of the time the material I find in abundance is scrap lumber. Here on this site, there wasn’t much that was usable, but I’ve found a use for just about every last splinter of wood from the ruins of the old collapsed house.

For the bonsai food forest garden dome, I built several 2x4 wood framed planter boxes for trees, vegetables, herbs, etc. I nailed a couple of layers of thick cardboard sheets to the base of a series of frames, then used scrap salvaged metal strips to secure the corners all the way up each one. They’ve worked great so far. I enjoy the look and vibe of them. They have a rustic, Americana, western aesthetic that goes with the wild west ghost town atmosphere.

In the desert climate, even with constant moisture on the inner side, they’ll last a long time. Hopefully by the time they break down, I’ll have grown their replacement materials, or at the very least, will have expanded my range of wood lumber scavenging and have an abundant supply of old house skeleton bones to pick from.