DIY Picnic Table

Alison W. Auth

Ah…summer! Cookouts with friends, lemonade stands, sprinklers and picnics on the lawn. Who says you can’t have them all at the same time? You can when your lawn is your table—or your table is your lawn.

This oh-so-simple “picnic” table has so many upsides. If you long for a lush carpet of cool grass, this table is for you. Or for those dreary days of colorless winter, plant a cool-season grass such as fine fescue or perennial rye, and luxuriate in the splendor of green grass all season long. This project is so easy to do and really will yield months of smiles.

What You Need
Table and/or chairs of your choice
Window screen (available in rolls from any hardware store)
Potting soil
Grass seed
Scissors
Water

Directions

1. Choose your table. This is the best part of the project. I chose a table that had been stored in my potting shed for some time—a metal French lattice café-style table with four chairs. I have always loved this set in theory, but found it rather cold and uncomfortable. The organic softness of the soil and grass is just what it needed to make it more inviting! Table options are infinite as long as you choose one that has slats, perforations or some other type of opening in the top.

2. Plant your table.As easy as mud pies! All you need is some good potting soil, grass seed, window screen material and water. Start by cutting out the window screen to fit the table and lay it over the top so there is no overhang. Pour potting soil over the screen and spread evenly across the table several inches thick.

Using your hands, scatter grass seed generously and evenly across the soil, paying special attention to the edges, until you have nice, even coverage. Scatter more soil on top of the seed so it is just barely covered. Ensure good contact of seed to soil by smoothing and patting.

Finally, water. If you’re using a hose, as I did, barely turn it on so the spray is light and diffused, but make sure to give the soil a good soaking.

3. Protect your table. When I checked my freshly planted table on the second and third days, I noticed big depressions in my dirt. It didn’t take long to find the culprit: Birds were using the dirt for dry baths and flinging seed and soil everywhere with their wings. To solve this little setback, I cut another piece of window screen and laid it over the top of the planted table. I scattered a little more earth on top to keep it in place, watered it in and waited for my seedlings to sprout.

4. Water your table. As with any seed-growing project, it is vital to keep the seeds moist at all times during the germination period. If your table is in a shady spot, watering once a day should be sufficient. But if it’s located in direct sun, water at least twice a day. My grass sprouted about a week or so after I planted it. Once my dainty green blades were evenly sprouted and showing through the top layer of soil, I removed the top barrier of window screen.

5. Maintain your table. Not much to do here but keep your table watered during dry spells. Because there are only a few inches of soil, it will dry out more quickly than a lawn. But I found watering the grass every few days was quite sufficient.

Choosing the right grass:

If you are planting your table during the heat of summer, consider a warm-season grass, regardless of where you live. If you are planting your table in the spring or fall, or you want your table to be green during the winter, cool-season grass will yield better results.

Warm-season Grasses
Bermuda grass
Centipede grass
Zoysia grass

Cool-season Grasses
Fine fescue
Kentucky bluegrass
Perennial ryegrass
Turf-type tall fescues