Herb Garden From Reclaimed Wood

Jim Cox
by Jim Cox
3 Materials
$1
45 Minutes
Easy
A quick woodworking project to help out a gardener with something small for their back porch, using reclaimed 4" fence wood and 2nd-hand planting pots.
This was idea from a conversation. I found some used plastic pots (I traded some tomato cages for them : ) and grabbed some used fence cedar from my stash. For size and ease of moving I decided on a 3x3 'stepped' garden. I placed three planters on a board and measured. The bottom boards of the garden will be 14" wide
The donated planters were actually wider than 4", so I decided to make the backs shorter, to allow for the taper of the plastic pots, and to see more of the potential greenery. I trimmed the backs on my table saw, roughly 3.5" wide
First step is to begin to staple a back and bottom together. Stapling is fun and easy, but wear goggles, keep your hands clear, and plan on pulling a few out that didn't go where you thought they would. I went crazy on this one and used less than 1/10 of a $6 box. Here you can see the back being stapled onto the rear side of a bottom (the back is towards the staple gun). Amazon has staple guns (1/4" crown, for under $30)
Here are my three 'steps' (terraces? icon )
I used a metal ruler as a guide, and decided on the drop for each 'step'. I marked with a red Sharpie to see where to line up my next step to staple.
Here's the beginning of the step look. You can see (L->R) first a bottom, then a back, another bottom, and another back. The staples go thru the first back into the second bottom. You could go as far with this as you wanted, but I'd use better lumber. This old cedar is soft and somewhat fragile - but it's free!
After stapling the steps, I measured for sides. The sides go all the way to the ground for support and stability.
To make the whole assembly easier to hold and work on. I added the sides starting in the back and working my way down each side to the front.
Down Front
I put one single board across the front. I measured the opening and first cut the width needed (for how high it would be) on my table saw and then the length of the board with my mitre saw.
It was still a bit flimsy so I added the strips from trimming earlier to the sides for a bit more stability. Now it doesn't flex near as much when you pick it up. Keep in mind once dirt and moisture are added it will be supporting a bit weight.
I cut three matching dog eared ends from scrap fence boards for decoration along the back.
These I stapled to the back, along the bottom first to add strength, and then up higher so they couldn't get knocked off.


(My staples were too long and had to be trimmed later, but they were on-hand. Don't skip this, you'll end up getting cut/scratched otherwise)
Here is the completed planter with the pots in place.
This was a gift for a gardening buddy. They intend to use it indoors for a while, so they lined under the pots with aluminum foil. Once it's healthy enough to move outdoors the foil can be removed, and the boards should drain well enough.


I hope I get to sample some cooking from this project icon
Suggested materials:
  • Reclaimed fence cedar ($0)   (Friend/Neighbor)
  • Plastic gardening pots (you can get 14 for $8 on Amazon)   (Friend/Neighbor)
  • 1/4" Staples (qty 1000 - $6.22)   (Amazon)
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