Pallet Planter

Then a pallet planter was built!

I have honestly tried to find decent looking pallets, you know like the ones on pinterest & other DIY pallet sites, & have failed. I have realized they do not exist, unless I am missing something. I have also realized that using pallets are not always safe. Pallets are used for shipping all sorts of items; such as chemicals, pesticides, & other misc. items, not only does it carry harmful items the pallet itself can be chemically treated. Of course not all pallets are harmful, it can carry food items or misc. house-wares, but it is always better to know what you are working with before you decide to create something out of a pallet. The pallets I used were from a local garden center & they cost $2 ea. I hand selected most of them, but at one point you get so tired at being so picky you just start selecting the ones that are stable. Below is what I did & how I did it with what I had,there is no set plans as ea. pallet is different. Hopefully this can spark some recycled pallet ideas.  

 

Not all pallets are alike or the same size, & in order to make this planter I took the pallet & cut it half with my circular saw. (NOTE: Measure  half from the from the sides that have the footing. Makes it easier to screw in your sides & connect )

A~ cut in half   B~footing

 You may have to cut the bottom portion off & this is not an easy task. You should use a crow bar, but it didn't work for me.

 I used a hammer & pulled up the boards along with the nails. At times the nails were so rusted the head broke just leaving the skinny part, I just hammered it down.

Just make sure you are extra careful & wear gloves when hammering or pulling, NEVER wear gloves while sawing. I took the bottom slats off as they will be inside the planter & you don't need those. Your pallet may or may not be even so you may have to tweak it alittle. to make it work.

Once the pallet is cut in half, take your scrap lumber that you pulled off, or scrap lumber that you have & set it aside. Figure out how wide you want the planter box to be. Once you figure out your width, measure out your scrap wood to width size & cut. This should be nailed or screwed to the side footing.

screw in sides close  together so you can have the soil contained.

Above picture is one pallet I used. The space between the slats works perfectly for plants or roots to grow out of.

 The above picture is another pallet & the slats were too wide. So I added scrap lumber (1x2 cull lumber) Screwed it in & left a gap so plants & roots can grow out of.

 A ~ gap B~uneven height C~ gap

This pallet is not even & I had to come to terms with that. I attempted to straighten it out but it is what it is. I added the plants & layed a scrap 1x6 cedar picket on top. Went back & sanded it & then stained it.

 

The top cedar is not screwed down. I am still playing with this. Since the front plants are inserted on the side, I still need a way to add soil or fertilizer. I might add footing to the cedar plank & just lay the top down & lift it when needed. I didn't add weed block, but I did reuse a plastic pot, cut it in half & layed it on the top so the plant didnt sink in like the first planter box. The aloe vera plant sank a bit. 

TOTAL
$2.50

 

Doesn't include hardware or taxes, plants are propergated cacti.

More Pallet Projects coming soon!

for now I leave you with a partial pic of my current project. Sorry for the fuzzy pic, I was doing this at 3am. Yes, Im the NIGHT OWL  DIY'er

()v()

 

 

 

TIP:  When you are picking up a pallet it is highly recommended to use gloves. Lots of tiny creatures call this home. You can spray it down with water & let it dry before working on it. If you are trying to make matching planters, make sure that you get 2 pallets that are the same size or close to. The boards do not or may not be the same width, however the size when cutting it in half, makes a world of difference.

~ Mel

Use only as directed...not responsible for extra plant purchases due to multiple planters built.