Date: 28 February 2020. Microgreens Shelves Installed (part 4)

© janice142

I have had so much fun creating my Victory Garden aboard Seaweed. Knowing I will no longer have to forego fresh salads while tucked away in a remote anchorage gives me a feeling of relief. A permanent place to store them out of the way yet easily accessible was needed. I opted for a $40 solution. Here is how I built my nifty new shelves.

Deciding where I wanted to store the soap dishes took more time than the actual staining, varnishing and construction. This is normal for most boat projects. The planning stage is generally longer than actual implementation.
 

I opted for two shelves, above the aft window by my dinette.

Because this is a permanent improvement I chose first-rate top quality parts. My soap dishes are 3" by 5", thus I selected a piece of oak three inches wide. I did not want the shelves to protrude too far. I purchased two 3" x 36" by 3/8" thick planks of oak, an 8' length of wood that looks like 3-strand rope, plus 4 L-brackets to hold up the shelves.
 

Fortunately I had both stain
and varnish to finish the wood.

I stained the "rope" mahogany and varnished both
the oak and the rope for a shiny waterproof finish.
 

One of my L-brackets was DAMAGED ↓
so I decided to exchange them for larger ones.

 

The exchange necessitated another trip to Home Depot. I did not check the package before leaving the store. Plus, I should have initially bought longer L-brackets. These originals did not extend far enough to fully support the new shelves.
 

The new L-brackets were secured to
the teak frame of my back window.

I needed a short screw driver in order
to screw into the shelving from below.
 

Thankfully a while back I had spent $10 at
Walmart on a ratchet kit with a stubby driver.

 

Having the correct tool is a matter of time. Eventually most boaters end up with an extensive tool armory. I have far more than I owned originally and am glad for it. As I am able I buy more, mostly used if at all possible.

Because the wooden shelves would go atop the
stainless steel L-brackets, I wanted a cushion.

Vibration is a real issue on a boat.
I don't particularly care for rattles.
 

Eons ago I took apart one of those seat cushions that used to be legal as a floatation device in Algae. Rules changed and mine was no longer usable. Like our standard life preservers, once the cover is torn it no longer counts as a safety device.
 

This is a piece of the flexible
rubber I used in the shelf project:

With scissors I cut pieces of the rubber to sit atop the stainless steel shelf support. Using my lantern and a *pokey stick I made holes in the rubber where the screws would secure the L-bracket to the wooden shelf. In retrospect, I probably should have also added some rubber to where the bracket attaches to the window frame...

*Pokey Stick is what my family called a sharp object that can be make a hole through or into wood. We would sharpen the remnants of used welding rods. Nowadays folks buy awls, however we made our own.
 

The bottom of top shelf is slightly above the top
of the window. Outbound the overhead curves.

Because of the curvature, that top shelf has the
 smallest microgreen plants. That's my starter area.
 

Before installation, I tested/checked that the shelves would fit properly. I verified that a person sitting at the dinette would not bang their head. I also had to relocate my Hella fan down a few inches. Every project has complications. Fortunately this time none were too onerous.
 

The second shelf L-brackets were installed 4" down from the top.

Because the window slides I had to nudge out
that bottom shelf just a smidge so it could open easily.
 

The stubby ratchet from Walmart was utilized
to secure the shelving in place permanently.

The rubber layer between the stainless steel
L-bracket and the wooden shelf will prevent rattles.

The rope trim is slightly above the top of each shelf. That is to prevent the soap dishes from sliding off easily. Of course in a rough sea, or if waked badly my plants will fall down. This is only good at a dock.
 

I secured the wood rope trim to the edges of the shelves
 with an adhesive. I've forgotten which one I used.

My Hella fan ↑ was relocated to just below the bottom
 shelf support. The rope trim is only on the two sides that show.
 

Thus far I have not worked out what sort of fiddle system to use as a more permanent solution to the microgreen containers sliding. I suspect I will be utilizing the old valance/curtain rod and a net of some sort.

Testing the first row of microgreens on my new shelves:

 

I admit to being inordinately
pleased with my gardening efforts.

Fully utilized, these shelves allow me to have a
small scale microgreens garden aboard Seaweed.

 

Truly this whole experience has been eye-opening. I have worked out the kinks and believe that anyone can have success if you do as I say. For those interested in pursuing this endeavor further, I've created a couple of pages that you may find useful.
 

An overview/printable is located here:  Microgreens
Summary for Success (cheat sheet)

or, without photographs, here: Microgreens
Summary for Success (no pictures)
 

If you have any questions, just ask.
My email address is janice@janice142.com

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your indulgence as I shared my joy and celebrated the success of my own Victory Garden this month.

 
Comments welcome and encouraged on the Microgreens Shelves Installed (part 4) page.

Categories: Galley, Gear, In the Bilges, Money, Organizing,

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