Organizing a Storage Area at the Farm
We’ve been pretty lucky here in the Northeast - the weather has been nice enough to continue our long list of outdoor chores, and that’s good news for everyone at the farm.
But, there’s also a lot to do, and the outdoor grounds crew is busy with many projects including cleaning and organizing an area in the back of one of my fields where I store various building and repair materials - wooden stakes and boards, metal framing for our protective burlap structures, plastic planters for potting up seedlings, etc. It's a time-consuming task, but it keeps everything in good order and eliminates unnecessary searching later.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Do you have a storage shed or space where you keep spare lumber and other materials? Is it all in order? This area is located behind my storage facility not far from my compost yard. Once a year, I like to go through it and take stock of what is there, what is usable, and what needs to be disposed.
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- We use a lot of stakes here at the farm – to support young trees, to mark the carriage roads, and to indicate where the catch basins are in winter. These stakes are different lengths and need some organizing.
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- Some stakes are still screwed to metal frames from an older project. Pete separates them and places the pieces in the proper stacks. Screws or nails are also returned, so they can be used again.
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- Pete sorts through all of the stakes and keeps those that are still in good shape.
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- Here he is cutting some to size, so they are all uniform and ready to use.
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- If you follow my blog regularly, you know I save plastic containers from the nurseries whenever I get plants. They are great for potting up young trees. All the pots are gathered and stacked neatly on one side.
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- Here, Domi and Pete go through long milled wooden planks – sorting out what is usable and what will be added to the grinding pile.
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- Some of these boards can be used in my hoop houses atop tree stumps as shelving for potted plants.
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- This pile is very special and care is given to keeping them safe and intact. These are beautiful pieces of 100-year-old white spruce fencing that’s used around all my pastures.
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- Pete goes through all the logs from downed trees and selects those that would make good fence posts – straight, and not too large in diameter. I am always very pleased when downed trees can be repurposed.
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- In another area, Pete piles up usable 3x3s, 4x4s, and 5x5s.
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- Other logs are earmarked for milling into long floor boards. Logs that are not reusable are saved for the tub grinder and made into fine wood chips for the garden beds.
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- In this area, plywood – all stacked neatly by size and ready to use.
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- This area is also where I store the strong industrial steel framing for my burlap covers that protect my boxwood in winter.
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- The metal frames and these purlin pipes are the same pieces used to assemble hoop houses. I came up with the idea to use them around the boxwood last year – not only do they provide the necessary support for the burlap but they also accommodate the growing boxwood.
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- Wire fencing is stacked on this side. Over the year, supples like this can often go unnoticed or misplaced in one’s garage or shed and then never used again. It is always a good idea to occasionally take stock of what is available at home before going out to purchase unnecessary items.
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- This is underground polyethylene piping saved from when my farm was built. It’s good to keep in case repairs are needed. In a previous blog, I shared how this piping is replaced when there’s a leak. It is good to save these types of supplies – one never knows when they will come in handy.
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- This is a pile of metal scaffolding – it is rarely used, but good to have just in case.
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- A pile of firewood logs are already split and stored in this space.
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- This pile of wood will go to the grinding pile in the compost yard.
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- Fernando blows any organic debris from the area, and trims any overgrown grass unreachable by a mower. I also instructed the crew to make sure there’s a wide enough aisle, so everything could be accessed easily.
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- Another important task is complete. “A place for everything and everything in its place.” What fall organizing chores are on your list? Share them with me in the comments section below.
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