What, you may be wondering, is a plant fort? THIS is a plant fort!
I live in a small three-story apartment building on the east side of Toronto, built in (I’d guess?) the 60’s. There are shops below us, and the first floor of units is accessed by a large enclosed shared patio. When I arrived it was pretty well empty, containing just a handful of landlord-provided deck chairs and a couple tenant BBQ’s.
About five years ago I had the idea to build a sort of a pergola structure so I could sit outside without getting sunburned. The original version — constructed of bamboo poles secured in buckets of concrete, bound together with garden twine — was significantly more temporary than the current incarnation (see above). I hung a set of old white sheer curtains for a bit of privacy, and planted a few garden-centre plants in pots I’d scored for free. Thus, a plant fort was born!
Now, I don’t have a car, and there’s no way to take ten-foot bamboo poles on the TTC. How did I get the materials home? I bungeed them to my bicycle and pushed it home. It’s a bit of a running joke that I’ll find ways to bring all kinds of things home using my bicycle. I carried an ottoman home strapped to my back once. Almost every plant I’ve ever bought (including a full sized monstera deliciosa) has come home with me on my bicycle.
Each fall I decommissioned the fort and rebuilt it, because it was definitely not designed to withstand a Toronto winter. As you can imagine, this became a bit tiresome. I began looking for a more permanent way to achieve the same goal.
Enter the trellis. This one time, I came home from the big-box hardware store via minivan cab, because for the LIFE of me I could not figure out how to get home several 2×4’s and two sheets of lattice on a bike — a rare defeat. I think the whole purchase ran me about $70 plus cab fare.
Subsequently I added a ten-foot 2×4 across the front (literally walked it home from the big-box hardware store) and re-used an old piece of bamboo to make a centre brace. Over that I draped a discarded vinyl banner I got for free and secured with zip ties to keep the rain and sun off. It’s all still a work in progress, with each summer bringing new improvements. Last year I built DIY earthboxes with water reservoirs out of old rubbermaid-style bins to plant veggies in (more on that in another post). This year I spray-painted some of my uglier accessories a dark teal colour I just love. For the record almost everything in the plant fort (pergola walls notwithstanding) was obtained as hand-me-downs, found-on-the-curb scores, or via Freecycle.
Every morning all summer I head out with my coffee and breakfast, along with the #tinykittenarmy, to hang out with the plants and enjoy the beginning of the day. Sleepy cereal shot from today offered as evidence…
This is all by way of demonstrating that even without any spare cash or significant skillset, a little bit of ingenuity and a willingness to try can result in awesome stuff. What I didn’t know how to do, I googled. It’s super-fun and satisfying, and I learn a lot with every project. That’s pretty much the mantra of Lemonade Season, and a big part of the reason I’m sharing all this with you.