Finally, the clay pipes were listed on craigslist.org again.  I had seen them before for sale and always wondered what to do with them.  This time, I had an insect habitat in mind.  I went to Vintage Roof Tiles in San Jose, on Friday, May 12. I decided to get 120 because they fit in the car, and once I saw them, I really liked the thickness of the terra cotta tubes.

I ended up taking half the box pallet:

On Saturday, May 13, farmhand Will Burke unloaded them since I had a consultation with Rich from Rich’s Hauling and Clearing.

After I told Will my plan to line the garden border, he came up with a great idea of incorporating locust wood into the design. We decided a theme of 15 clay pipes and then a log.

I wanted to work on this particular garden bed because it is on the peripheral of the garden, and I want to work on the “outside” in.  I also knew that I did not want to use locust limbs as a mini-fence. The locust limbs are being used for the interior garden beds.  I also didn’t have enough river rocks to use, so this ended up working out perfectly.  I plan to use these clay pipes in other areas as well, now I know where to get them.

The garden bed in the morning at 11am, looking pretty drab:

The garden bed at 5:30pm after the clay pipes and locust were designed as the border. Also, redwood “gorilla hair” was laid down to protect the plants and soil.

As a finishing touch, wood chips will be poured into the walkways, and flowers and  herbs will be planted in the tubes to attract beneficial insects.