Melanie Farrell’s Pallet Gardens

PHOTOS Shavan Rahim

Melanie Farrell’s eco-conscious gardening solution has sparked a thriving small business.

It all started with one old pallet, salvaged from a municipal dump, says Melanie. She asked her husband David to turn it into a vertical garden that she could fasten to a wall and fill with terracotta pots.

She posted a photo of it on Facebook, and received an order for two from a stylish friend. Then her friend posted pictures on Facebook, and the orders started to come in. Scores of pallet gardens later, the orders are still rolling in.

“I am a journalist by trade,” says Melanie, “but I have always been into vintage clothing, furniture and collectibles. Our house is furnished with second-hand items. Repurposed pallets fit right in.

“Through trial and error we’ve discovered what works best, and now use 80 cm x 120 cm EUR-pallets. They are better quality, for one thing, and their uniformity means you can design symmetrical vertical gardens. One client asked us to attach four pallets together, making a pallet garden 1,6m wide and 2,4m high to cover a doorway, but most people want one or two pallet gardens to beautify a courtyard or disguise an ugly wall.

“The walls of our house have become a showroom, with about 15 pallet gardens. I fill them with different varieties of trailing succulents and ivy-leaf geraniums, as well as vintage plates and tiles.

“I would love to see ‘ecopreneurs’ involved in upcycling projects and starting more sustainable businesses,” says Melanie. “There is huge opportunity in South Africa for a booming green economy. And because we are largely a throwaway nation, there is a limitless supply of waste; people just need to be shown how to take a greener route.”

For more information, visit facebook.com/palletgardensct.