Greenknight's Cactus Wagon

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greenknight
Posts: 4813
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Greenknight's Cactus Wagon

Post by greenknight »

Years ago, I was thinking about building a stand for my small cactus plants to sit out in the sun - one that would keep them off the ground and I could pick up and carry to move it under cover when it rained. Then I recalled this old decrepit little kid's wagon that was in a pile of stuff to be sold as scrap. This was perfect for the job. The handle had long ago broken off, and it was all rusty - even had some holes rusted in the corners between the bottom and sides of the bed (I didn't need to drill drain holes). Only 28" long (~71cm), it was not hard to carry around. The metal would heat up quickly in the sun, and the extra warmth would give the cacti a boost in our mild climate. The look of this rusted relic seemed appropriate for cacti, too.

I didn't think it would be good to have the pots sitting directly on the metal, but I had collcted a bunch of styrofoam trays from grocery items (reduce, reuse, recycle :D ), so I used those under them. They've long since gotten flattened out, but that's fine - I don't have to dump them, I just tilt the whole thing to help the water run off. I didn't expect it to last this long, but putting it out in the sun and keeping it from getting rained on has preserved it for 40-some years - and here it is:
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Minnesota
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Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2022 1:00 am
Location: St. Louis Park, MN. Zone 4b, Great Plains/Upper Midwest
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Re: Greenknight's Cactus Wagon

Post by Minnesota »

Terrific idea! And a very eye-catching, rustic presentation of a wonderful collection. Great job for 40+ years on the wagon end; might be in vintage/antique category there. Thanks for the inspiration.
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tumamoc
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Re: Greenknight's Cactus Wagon

Post by tumamoc »

Looks like a cool setup.
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greenknight
Posts: 4813
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: Greenknight's Cactus Wagon

Post by greenknight »

Minnesota wrote: Tue Oct 18, 2022 12:06 am Terrific idea! And a very eye-catching, rustic presentation of a wonderful collection. Great job for 40+ years on the wagon end; might be in vintage/antique category there. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks - it's not my entire collection, though it is most of it. I've got a new one now, my sister apparently noticed this one was full and bought me a pre-schooler size one for Christmas. Only 16" long - I had no Idea they made them that small. Handy size to carry around, and it gives me a little more space.

This one's certainly old enough - I think it dates from the 50s - but it's in poor condition, though you can just make out the words "Radio Super" on the sides still. In good condition it would be worth a couple hundred dollars. Not many of them remain in good condition after kids get through with them!
tumamoc wrote: Tue Oct 18, 2022 1:07 am Looks like a cool setup.
Glad to hear you think so, thanks!
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keith
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Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:50 am
Location: S. CA USA

Re: Greenknight's Cactus Wagon

Post by keith »

I re purposed a rack with wheels for succulents. Wheels are nice you can move many plants around as needed.
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Metal rack
Metal rack
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