Wall-mounted drying rack shelves provide an out-of-the-way area to dry fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers and other garden harvests. Install these shelves on a wall that receives plenty of air circulation to speed the drying process. If you wish to sun-dry some or all of your harvest, install the shelves on a sunny wall. This will also help speed the dehydration process. Remember that some herbs will deteriorate in quality if dried in the sun; leave an area of the rack in the shade, or cover that area to protect them from sun and excessive heat.
Instructions
1. You need at least two 90-degree-angle shelf supports. The upper side, supporting the shelf, should be 10 to 12 inches long so that the wall shelf rack has plenty of room for drying. One shelf support goes on each end of the shelf, and an additional shelf support may be needed for every 3 feet of shelf space, so that supports are never more than 3 feet apart.
2. Cut two 1-by-2 boards to the length that your rack will run along the wall. One will run along the back of the shelf, the other along the front.
3. Measure and cut food-grade screening so that it entirely covers the shelf area, front to back and side to side. For example, a drying rack shelf that runs 4 feet along the wall and has a depth of 1 foot away from the wall would require a 4-foot-by-1-foot piece of screening.
4. Mount the 90-degree-angle shelf supports on the wall you've chosen for your drying rack, preferably so that they coincide with the studs (wooden support beams) in the wall. Use a gravity level and one of your 1-by-2 boards to ensure the mounting is level; adjust if necessary. Screw the shelf supports securely into the studs through the screw-hole openings on the lower arm.
5. Screw the 1-by-2 boards in place on the shelf supports using an electric screwdriver if necessary. Have a helper brace the shelf supports on the opposite end from where you're screwing in the boards if the supports are weak or are not mounted directly onto studs.
6. Staple the screening onto the boards using a staple gun. Have a helper brace the boards against the pressure from the staple gun -- well enough away from where you are operating the staple gun to prevent injury. Once a corner is stapled into place, stretch the screen along the longest part to fit it into place and staple in that farthest corner. After all corners are secure, staple every few inches along both boards.
7. Leave plenty of space between drying rack shelves if you are installing more than one on the same wall. Drying fruits, vegetables, flowers or other garden harvests require plentiful air circulation to dry properly.
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