BLOG: The Geek Garden!

For future and past posts about the Geek Garden, simply click Geek Garden under Categories on the right.

Apparently I should be called “Masta GG” for my wicked Geek Gardening skills! We are lucky enough to have a south-facing apartment with ample balcony space for prolific veggie growth. This old Pentium 1 was destined for the electronics recycling depot, but, armed with a green-thumb (thanks, mom!) and a jig-saw, I decided to turn the computer into a planting container! I removed all the computer components, and all the metal shielding, then I cut the side panel into two pieces to cover the back and side of the case. I drilled holes for drainage, secured it together with L-brackets / nuts and bolts, tracked down a floppy drive cover that looks like a floppy drive (why any company would ever create something like this is beyond me, but hey it worked well for my needs), and finally put a piece of styrofoam in the front face of the case to avoid pressure from the dirt which could pop out the CD-ROM drive covers. The last step before filling it with dirt was lining the bottom with styrofoam peanuts to aid in drainage. The computer drains into an old trashcan lid.

I planted sweet basil, lavender, and chives in the computer. To compliment the geek garden I tracked down a broken monitor on Craigslist and strapped a flower pot holder to it.

Of course, I planted other stuff too… tomatoes, jalapeños and other hot peppers, bell peppers, mint, squash, zucchini squash, and sage. Here’s a view from the street.

Thanks to all the folks on Craigslist who gave me stuff!