DIY Garden Series: Raised Garden Box

 Ever since my husband and I have become homeowners, we have been looking forward to growing our own herbs, fruits, & vegetables. After having built our herb garden using a reclaimed pallet (tutorial here), the next phase of our growing garden was to build a raised garden box to plant fruits & vegetables. This project will only take you one afternoon (an hour if you decide to skip on the cement) & WILL ONLY COST YOU $25 to make! Now that is a steal compared to the prices of the pre-made raised garden beds we saw at The Home Depot - like this one >>  $45 for a 2ft x 2ft - Something that is a third of the size of the one we built & uses the same exact cedar material for nearly double the price?! Ridiculous!!

Lets get started :) You will need the following materials:

Safety glasses

Power drill

Power saw or hand saw

Gloves

Clamp
Level
 Screws of your choice

8 - 5/8" x 5-1/2" x 6' cedar wood fence panels - $2.55 each >> Link Here
2" x 4" x 10' plank of wood - $4.27 >> Link Here

Optional materials:
a) Cement to set the posts for additional added strength >> Link Here
b) Deck nails to resist rust

Link Here

c) Wood Waterproofing Stain to resist rot >> Example Link Here

Before starting, please keep in mind the area in which you plan to place your raised garden box - how much sun does it get? (morning sun vs. evening sun) >> Thus, what type of fruits & veggies will thrive there vs. what you want to grow? How do you plan to irrigate your box - by hand or via your sprinkler system?

Step 1: Take 4 of the 8 cedar wood fence panels and trim the tops off - these will be the front and back portions of your raised garden bed.
Then take the remaining 4 fence panels and cut each into 32.5 inch lengths - these will be the side portions of your raise garden bed.

Step 2: Taking your 2x4x10, cut into four, 1.5 ft pieces. These pieces will be the support posts.

Step 3 (optional): Since these posts are crucial to maintaining the garden's overall structure, they need to be able to resist rot over time. Therefore, I decided to paint them with this waterproofing wood protection stain. Now this was such a steal for us to find! The original price is $17.97, but it was on clearance for $6.83!! Follow the directions as stated on the back. I applied just one coat, and don't worry about painting them like an artist - they are going underground anyway ;)

Step 4: Place 2-6ft cedar pieces and 2-1.5ft support legs pieces on the ground, as shown. Drill 2 screws on each side of each cedar plank into the support posts. This will form the front panel. Repeat to form the back panel.
[**During our initial planning, we wanted to make our raised bed 3 wood panel pieces high, but when we placed it in the ground, we found that it was unnecessarily deep. So, we removed one panel. Thus, why you see 3 panels here despite my instructions saying 2 - you'll see at the end ;) ]

Step 5: Prop up your front panel. Then, taking one of the 32.5" side pieces - clamp & drill 2 screws through the support post, as shown.

Helpful tip: Before connecting the sides, use a triangle square to ensure the corners form 90 degree angles!

Step 6: Prop up your back panel as shown. Repeat step 5.

Step 7: Drill the remaining side pieces into the support posts.

Step 8: Start digging! Use a level to ensure everything is straight.

Step 9 (optional): Add cement.

Step 10: Set up your irrigation, plant your veggies, and you are done!

**Helpful hint** - We had a problem the first week after placement of stray cats using it as a litter box. We tried spices, coffee grounds, & essential oils to no avail. We also didn't want to resort to using chicken wire - so ugly!  So we placed mulch and rocks on top and it definitely works!!!

Close-up of irrigation

We loved it so much that we decided to build another :)

One month later...

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial & found it easy to follow! Please feel free to comment below with any questions & re-creations, and I'll see you in my next DIY adventure!

DIY Garden Series: Repurposed Pallet in 6 EASY STEPS!

Last summer I acquired 3 pallets from a pave-stone order & have been dying to use them in my garden. There's definitely a hype around recycling old wood pallets at the moment. You've all seen them - the numerous Pinterest tutorials on how to go about re-purposing a pallet into many, many things. So for the past year I have been Pinterest-pinning like crazy anything pallet-related. However, none of the tutorials were very helpful. I found that my pallet was different from most, specifically the way the back was structured - to hold heavy duty things. If you find that you also do not have an ordinary, standard-built pallet as portrayed in most other tutorials, I hope this tutorial helps you :) This is also perfect for utilizing the most amount of space in a small backyard!

I plan on using the first pallet as a herb garden, the second for cascading vines, & the third for succulents. I will post updated photos when growth actually occurs, but I didn't want to wait till then to get this tutorial up knowing my green-thumb gardeners will be seeking out this tutorial right about now! So without further ado, lets jump right in!

You will need the following materials:

Safety goggles - wear throughout the entire project!!!

Gloves - wear throughout the entire project!!!

Hand saw - use caution!!!

Hammer - use caution!!!

3-1x5 Cedar Planks (Cedar is moderately rot-resistant & very inexpensive)

Nails:

Step One: Using a hammer, remove every other panel.

 

Front - Before

Front - After

 Step Two: Remove the 2nd and 4th panels. Also remove the middle beams using a saw.

Back - Before

Back - After

Step Three: Take the panels that you discarded in the previous step and place as shown in the 2 images below. If you could not salvage any panels, using a 1x5 cedar plank & trimming it to fit the corresponding area will work just as well.

Step Four: Now for the bases. Since I ran out of scrap wood, I trimmed & used 3-1x5 cedar planks to act as the base for each row.

Secure each base to the pallet by driving a nail through each side, as shown:

Can you see the nail-head? :)

Step Five: There will inevitably be some gaps within each row of the pallet. Since you don't want any soil to fall through, stuff these gaps with plant liner. Tiny gapes are find & don't need to be stuffed since there does need to be some drainage. You can use landscaping fabric, but I find that plant liner looks the most natural & earthy.

Step Six: Choose your herbs, fill each row with potting soil, sow your seeds, and the waiting game begins!

Link me to pictures of any pallets you've repurposed & comment below telling me if you found this tutorial useful :) Happy gardening!