Observation leads me to believe that everyone saves something, those items which are the building blocks for their imagination or dreams. My husband saves things like old kitchen sinks. As I am sure there are things which I do that he doesn’t understand, I try to be patient even with where he saves them… like in the walkway between the outdoor brick oven
(see sink on left margin near bottom of photo)
and my garden beds. Okay, it was in the lonely sandbox a few feet from there for a while, until he put grass there and installed a much desired clothes line for me. I have baled mosquito water from it, pulled weeds from the drain hole, and amazingly avoided kicking it during any of my frequent forays into my garden. It was a bit too heavy for me to move, cast iron that it is; plus, I didn’t know where he wanted it!
However, after two years, a couple of weeks ago I was pleasantly astonished to hear that my dad wanted an old sink for a garden project; I said I would check with Greg.
Greg was all for Dad using the sink, pleased to prove once again that things should be saved for potential yet unknown. So, my dad’s vision of garden utility was furthered by designing a stand and grate to transform said sink into a vegetable washing station in the backyard. Since my dad collects a variety of metal for welding projects and wood for, well, wood working, I think it was complete within two days!
Below is the bare sink:
Currently it just drains into a small bucket, but there is some talk of attaching a hose so that it directs water to some nearby shrubs.
A cutting board allows for the removal of plant parts that are just as well dropped off in the adjacent compost area. The grate lets the dirty water drain off.
The setting is, of course, idyllic since it is my father’s garden.
If you haven’t recently saved a kitchen sink, possibly you could find one at a junk yard; or just buy an inexpensive one. Such a simple project that adds fun functionality to the whole gardening process. And my dad says I can have my sink back whenever I want it.
