We presumably have an oil tank buried alongside our driveway. I say presumably because this is there.
It is located in the place where I'd most like to have an herb garden, as it's right across from the kitchen. Sadly, oil tanks tend to leak and deposit toxic substances, so planting edibles there doesn't seem like the best idea. My herbs currently live in the backyard in the raised beds. Every time I need rosemary for our potatoes or sage for our squash I have to trudge out in the dark backyard and get it. It's as far from the kitchen as you can get.
Guys, I'm a little embarrassed to say that it took me two years to figure out that I could throw a planter here, plant it with herbs, and have my kitchen garden close at hand. No oil residue required!
I think it softens the entrance a little, which I like a lot. A Korean lilac will flank it in the foreground and then I'm thinking of a sweet low evergreen groundcover. And then maybe a Marjorie clematis to climb the fence, since the hops have a hard time with it. And then the jasmine will climb that trellis and soften the left side. And then . . . and then . . . and then . . .
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| Guess which Simon & Garfunkel song is stuck in my head? |
Side note: do you have any idea how hard it is to find a wine barrel planter in November? I finally found this one at
Bamboo Craftsman, where they only had two left. The guy even rolled it out to the truck for me. I probably should have bought the other one too; I'll want it eventually.
Gah, I'm so envious of this program! That is very, very smart of Washington. Thanks for the link (and the new subscription in my Google Reader)!
ReplyDeleteI'm in Seattle too, and here you are required to decommission (dig up or clean and fill in place) any residential oil tank within a month of switching to a different type of fuel. Not doing that might cause you problems someday when you want to sell the house. Luckily in WA we have a wonderful state-sponsored insurance program that covers the expense of cleaning up the leakage. We just had ours removed: http://diynot.tumblr.com/post/11016821755/heating-oil-tank-removal-and-cleanup
ReplyDeleteMy neighbors three doors down had theirs decommissioned and they were required to remove all the contaminated soil around it. It ended up costing them $10,000! This is what's making me nervous. I'd ideally like to remove it in the dark of night and feign ignorance later. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know about laws in Portland, but my sister-in-law dug hers up in Seattle. It took a bit of an effort, but once it was freed from the yard they came and hauled it away and then she had the city update the property record to show it had been removed (good for your someday resale value). She pulled hers 'cause she wanted to put in a hottub. :)
ReplyDeleteErin, thank you so much! I'm honored.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would love to get it out of the ground at some point. It just seems like the responsible thing to do.
We got rid of an old oil tank by offering it for free to the mechanics where we get the car serviced. They were delighted to have old oil tank and we were delighted to get rid of one without having to 'decommission' it. Check around and see if a local auto shop might like one. We've gotten discount oil changes ever since... win/win!
ReplyDeleteWas yours buried on your property? Did you dig it out yourself? I am intrigued.
ReplyDeleteLove your "right now" solution to the problem. Hopefully you can get rid of it at some point in time. Wanted to pass a blog award onto you. Go check it out.
ReplyDeletehttp://erinscreative.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-feel-honored.html