Sharing the love

A cute roadside stand overflowing with homegrown and handmade goodness is fun to make and even more fun to visit.

A painted roadside stand with homegrown goodness

The boys love to get involved in everything we do on the farm, and when that includes helping me paint a roadside produce stand, they are in their happy place. I am too. Encouraging their entrepreneurial spirit and teaching them to share what we grow is part of how Carlos and I want them to see the world. The best lessons are learned while doing something exciting.

Our clever neighbour Callen Foskett built this gorgeous stand for us, and the boys and I had a great time choosing the Resene colours to make it beautiful and protect the timber. We also enjoyed baking cupcakes to sell, collecting eggs and picking and washing fruit and vegetables from the garden before deciding how to display them. The boys get to keep some of the money earned for their piggybanks, and they also have a little to spend.

Callen designed and built the stand using off-cut Douglas fir that we had milled on the farm last year. Carlos had it drying in a shed, and Callen says it was a good choice for this project as it was well seasoned. “You could use treated pine or any timber that is a standard rough-sawn size.” As with all timber, it is best protected with an undercoat (we used Resene Quick Dry) and a good-quality paint like Resene Lumbersider to seal the wood and keep out moisture.

We used Resene FX Blackboard Paint for our sign so the boys can easily wipe off one day’s list and replace it with the produce that is available the next. The paint is washable, but it is best to use a chalkboard duster or soft cloth to maintain a good surface.

You will need

Top/bottom: 4 x 1000mm x 200mm x 25mm
Sides: 4 x 600mm x 200mm x 25mm
Front panels: 5 x 650mm x 200mm x 25mm
Internal braces: 4 x 350mm x 50mm x 25mm
Side rails: 2 x 1500mm x 150mm x 25mm
Top rails: 2 x 1200mm x 150mm x 25mm
Counter:
- 1 x 1000mm x 150mm x 25mm
- 2 x 1050mm x 150mm x 25mm
Screws or nails to fix

Nadia painting a roadside stand with her kids
"The boys love to get involved in everything we do on the farm, and when that includes helping me paint a roadside produce stand, they are in their happy place."

Method

To make a simplified version of our roadside stand, screw two top/bottom pieces to two side pieces to make a 200mm-wide rectangular frame. Repeat.

Sandwich the two frames together, so you have one frame, 400mm wide. Screw together, using the 350mm braces on the internal angles of the frame. This will form the main stand.

Now fix the front panels to one open side of the stand.

Vertically fix the side rails, one in the centre of each side of the stand. These will be the supports for the signage rails. Fix these to the top on either side.

For the counter, fix the 1000mm length of timber between the two side rails on the top of the stand. Finally, place the 1050mm lengths on either side.

Colours

We used Resene Sweet Corn and Resene Alabaster for the pretty striped facings, with Resene Conifer flying cheerfully on the buntings. The sign is painted in Resene FX Blackboard Paint.