Sorta Sodded Shed

The rusty metal shed on corner of our lot was slated for replacement. Its rusty walls and roof were quite unattactive and not fitting into our vision of a local paradise.

However, the shed is perfectly functional. It's the right size for our needs, and completely dry inside even in heavy rain! Although the metal would be recycled, re-using something that's already in place and functional is far more efficient. We all have cosmetic faults, whether we are humans or sheds, and perhaps with a little work, we can all look, not boringly new, but interesting, even delightful. So it was decided: Rusty the Shed stays!

I started by covering the roof with cut grass and duff (shown in photo). I don't think it's strong enough for heavy sod, but a couple inches of grass and random branch bits should be fine. The Lovely Wife noticed an immediate improvement in appearance. It's not pretty in a shiney-plastic way, but it's scenic, evoking thatched roofs (actual thatching would be far too much work for my meager abilities).

I also noticed that the rain no longer rolls off its impermiable surface, but is held for a short time, either to revaporate or drip slowly into the soil.  I anticipate a slight increase in bioactivity as small plants root among the grass clippings. No doubt the dingdang invasive morning glory will make its move too!

In the near future, we'll work on the walls by adding an apothecary rose to the south side to cover and beautify and yielding tasty rose petals all summer. We may also flank the doors with native huckleberries. We love us some huckleberries!

When that's all set, I suppose we'll repaint doors something interesting. Any suggestions?