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Vertical Pallet Planter

Posted by: Tammy

Yes, I am happily addicted to wooden pallets. I find them for free and free is good! Free gives me the freedom to experiment and make mistakes without feeling any guilt if the project goes sour. So far I’ve used reclaimed wooden pallets to make a magazine/wine rack, a little table for the cabin porch (holds my wine or coffee quite nicely) and the pallet planter I put into my greenhouse the other day.

Now onto another pallet project I saw on the net: a vertical pallet planter!

Now there many pallet designs out there. I didn’t realize this until I started viewing pallets with more of an eye towards their potential. Some pallets won’t cut it as planters. I needed a pallet with adequate space between the slats to allow plants to grow. Make sure your pallets are heat-treated (HT stamp on pallet) versus pressure-treated. Pressured treated woods can contain chemicals you don’t want in your food. Here is a completed pallet garden with plants to show you what you want to accomplish with this project.

A fully grown vertical pallet garden.

Your goal is to create a bottom along each slat and then a back to the entire planter so the soil is held in place. MY goal was to try and build my pallet planter with all reclaimed wood and supplies I had on hand. I wasn’t going to the hardware store for this! First, I placed the pallet GOOD side down (side you want to see and plant). Decide what will be the top and the bottom of the planter so you’ll secure the bottom slat of each planting area correctly. I then used recycled wooden slats off a dismantled pallet to create the bottom to each area. I secured the slats from the sides and front.

You can see the bottom of each planting area-this is where I secured the reclaimed slat to create the planting area.

 

 

Once all the bottoms were secured, I set about having my husband help me cut two pieces of plywood for the back. I had a leftover piece from a project and it JUST provided enough board to cover the back of the pallet. The 1/2″ ply also fit down perfectly between the slats on the back and made a nice smooth looking finish. A few more screws secured the back pieces in place. I have also seen the back covered with landscaping fabric and it does make this lighter to move.

The plywood fit beautifully in-between the back slats for a smooth back.

 

My vertical pallet planter is done!

Finished vertical pallet garden planter. Staples aren’t edible-plant food instead, please.

Vertical pallet planters can be cheap and easy to make and growing vertically increases your gardens square footage without increasing its footprint. This little planter could easily fit on a deck, too. There are so many varieties of pallets. Adapt the instructions to whatever you find. A quick search of the net will give you so many outstanding ideas of how to use pallets for your gardening needs. Besides the pressure-treated warning, just be sure to pick plants that will flourish in whatever size your little boxes are. Don’t expect to grow plants that require a deep root system unless your creation has deep planting boxes. Have fun! Be creative! Plant and harvest, happily!

    

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