A few months ago, we rented a uHaul and set out on a rescue mission. We had learned that there were hundreds of heat-treated, wood pallets intended for THE DUMP. Nope – not on our watch! I had no idea what we’d do with all those pallets, but with so many projects needing to be done on the land, I was sure they’d come in handy.

I don’t remember what I was doing (or drinking – LOL!) when I decided it was the perfect time to turn stacks of pallets into a greenhouse, but it happened. Mind you, I’d never built a greenhouse before or seen one constructed from actual pallets (not just the pallet wood) the way I wanted to do it. Being clueless had never stopped me before though, so why would this time be any different?!

Guided by intuition, it took us five days to transform salvaged pallets into the plant sanctuary of my dreams (kinda). In my head, I could see my new little greenhouse filled with thriving “tomato trees” inside, colorful flowers growing in the planter boxes on the outside, and lush greenery climbing all over the structure. The summer sizzle quickly scorched much of that vision though. We weren’t able to finish the greenhouse construction, but the tomatoes, sunflowers, and basil plants seemed quite happy inside their new home.

I didn’t get any flowers in the bordering planter boxes to survive the heat, but these past few weeks of temps in the low 100s have actualized the third part of my dream 🙂

Our sweet potato plants are now climbing all over the greenhouse! It looks even better than I imagined. Not only do sweet potatoes look beautiful growing vertically, but it makes it a lot easier to harvest the greens. Yum!

P.S. If you haven’t tried eating sweet potato greens, you DEFINITELY should give them a try. Sweet potato greens are the edible and delicious leaves of the sweet potato vine. They are widely eaten throughout Asia and Africa, but lesser so here in the States. The greens are an excellent source of antioxidants and can be eaten raw on salads and such. You can also sauté the greens just like you would spinach or chard to add to your cooked meals.