Buzz
Pallets offer an accessible and economical source of wood for crafting projects like planters. When selecting a pallet, be cautious of those labeled with 'MB,' indicating chemical treatment. 'HT,' denoting heat treatment, is suitable for planter use. Consider simple methods like attaching garden fabric to enclose the pallet, cutting and reassembling pallet sections, or disassembling the pallet entirely to reconstruct it into a planter.
Steps
Constructing a Basic Planter with Garden Fabric
Clean and Sand the Pallet: If the pallet is dirty, scrub it thoroughly with a mixture of dish soap and water. Rinse and allow it to dry before sanding any rough edges. Sanding is optional but recommended to prevent splinters.
- Free pallets are available at various retail locations, including pet stores, farm supply stores, liquor stores, and construction sites (with permission).
- Avoid pallets marked with 'Property of...' and consider purchasing pallets from home improvement stores.
Cut garden fabric to fit the back and sides of the pallet. Flip the pallet and lay the garden fabric over the back. Cut it to cover the back entirely, extending it up the sides to retain soil.
- The side with more slats is considered the 'back' of the pallet, leaving the front/top open.
- Garden fabric, also known as weed barrier fabric, suppresses weeds and is available at home improvement stores and garden centers.
Secure the fabric to the pallet's back, starting from the outer edges. Place a staple in the middle of one side and stretch it to the opposite side. Repeat for the other sides, filling in the edges with staples, ensuring slight tension.
- Avoid excessive tightening to prevent fabric slack.
Fasten the fabric to the sides using a staple gun. Flip the pallet, pull the fabric up the sides, and staple it near the top. Fold excess fabric into triangles at corners and staple flat against the pallet.
- Trim excess fabric if necessary.
Fill the planter with soil and plant your greens. Add soil, working around planks, then plant by creating holes and inserting plants. Water thoroughly after covering the plant bases.
- Position the planter before adding soil or watering.
- Check soil pH before planting.
Constructing a Planter from Pallet Sections
Divide a pallet into three equal parts. Choose a pallet with 6, 9, or 12 planks across the front for easier cutting. Use a hand saw or jigsaw to cut between the third and fourth plank, and between the sixth and seventh plank. Repeat the process on the back.
- After cutting, separate the pallet into three sections, resulting in two side pieces and one middle piece.
Detach the small slats from the back of the side pieces. Flip the side pieces over to find small slats protruding from the long piece of wood. Gently pry them off with a hammer, ensuring they remain intact. Hammer down any protruding nails.
- Continue flattening any raised nails with the hammer.
Eliminate the planks and wooden blocks from the center piece. On the back of the center piece, locate square wooden blocks with small planks on top. Use a hammer to remove these pieces while preserving the wooden blocks.
- You might need a chisel to assist in removing the wooden blocks.
- Ensure any raised nails are hammered flat.
Trim the overhanging edges of the planks on the center piece. Identify the three long boards on the center piece, with smaller boards running perpendicular to them. Use a handsaw or jigsaw to cut off any overhanging portions of the smaller boards to align them with the edges of the long boards.
Remove the 'feet' from the boards set aside using a splitting wedge. Place the splitting wedge between the board and the wooden blocks. Strike the wedge with a sledgehammer to separate the boards from the blocks.
- If preferred, screw the boards onto the bottom of the planter with the blocks attached.
- A splitting wedge is wedge-shaped, used to separate objects by striking its broad end with a sledgehammer.
Secure the middle piece to the side pieces using screws or nails. Flip the middle piece and position the side pieces opposite each other, ensuring the wooden blocks are on the inside and at the top. Balancing may be tricky as you prop up the middle piece and fasten it simultaneously. Align the middle piece with the wooden blocks and affix it in place using screws or nails.
- Drive 2-3 screws or nails through the bottom piece into each wooden block.
- Turn the planter upright!
Add the remaining planks to enclose the other sides. With a U-shaped planter and open ends, place the leftover planks on the ends, aligning them with the side boards. Secure them on top of the side and bottom boards using screws. You may need to combine pieces to create two of the side planks.
Attach the feet at an angle. Invert the planter once more. Position the wooden blocks at the planter's corners. Angle two 3-inch (8 cm) screws on each foot, driving them through the side of the feet and into the planter's bottom. Secure the screws into each wooden block to anchor the feet.
- Flip the planter back upright.
- To complete the planter, line the interior with chicken wire or garden fabric to retain the soil. Consider stapling the fabric in place to prevent shifting.
Crafting a Planter Using Pallet Boards
Determine the desired size of your planter. For a square box, consider using 20-inch (51 cm) pieces, along with thinner pieces for framing. For a rectangular shape, use a combination of longer and shorter pieces. Plan ahead to guide your pallet disassembly and cutting.
- For a rectangle, utilize 20-inch (51 cm) pieces for two sides and 16-inch (41 cm) pieces for the other sides.
Dismantle the pallet to obtain planks and wooden blocks. Utilize the claw end of a hammer to pry apart all the boards until the pallet is fully disassembled. For stubborn boards, employ a splitting wedge and a mallet. Insert the splitting wedge between the boards and strike the end with the mallet.
- If you don't require the full length of the boards, saw off the pallet ends to facilitate board removal. This way, you'll only need to wedge off the boards in the middle.
Construct the base using 2 longer planks and multiple shorter planks. Arrange 2 long planks parallel to each other, aiming for lengths comparable to your longest side, such as 20 inches (51 cm), plus the wood width. Place smaller planks across the longer ones, matching the length of your shortest side, such as 16 inches (41 cm). Position the smaller planks tightly together to form a sturdy base for the planter. Leave gaps on the edges of the long planks, approximately equal to the wood width, to facilitate building up the sides.
- Nail the shorter boards onto the longer ones.
Commence erecting the walls. When installing the side walls, offset them at the corners. Position 1 plank on its side, extending it to one corner edge while leaving sufficient space on the other end for the adjoining side. Nail the pieces to the base, ensuring enough space for the boards to sink slightly, allowing angled nailing from the side.
- Offsetting the boards provides stability and allows for angled nailing.
Insert corner posts to reinforce the structure. Place a small piece of wood in each box corner and nail them to the bottom at an angle. It may be necessary to halve a board to obtain smaller pieces.
- These posts serve as nailing points for further construction.
Continue elevating the walls. As you progress, offset the boards while alternating which reaches the corner on each layer. For example, if a shorter side reaches the corner on one layer, let the longer side reach that corner on the next. Nail the walls to the corner posts and to each other at the sides to establish a sturdy framework.
- You can increase the wall height as desired, but avoid exceeding 3-4 planks high to maintain manageability.
Refine and customize your planter. Smooth out any rough edges using coarse sandpaper. Optionally, employ a power sander for efficiency. Consider applying a coat of paint for decorative purposes.
Essentials
Crafting a Simple Planter with Garden Fabric
- Pallet
- Staple gun
- Garden fabric
- Scissors
- Garden soil
- Gloves
Fabricating a Planter from Pallet Sections
- Handsaw or jigsaw
- Hammer
- Gloves
- Mallet
- Splitting wedge
- Drill
- 1-5/8 inch (4 cm) screws
- 3 inch (8 cm) screws
- Chicken wire
- Garden fabric
Fabricating a Planter with Pallet Boards
- Gloves
- Hammer
- Nail gun, optional
- Wood nails
