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2x4 Planter Boxes
So, what's a person to do when all of the barren soil in their backyard is harder than concrete that is next to it? Build planter boxes of course!
- Author: Jake Spurlock
- Time required: 45 minutes to 2 hours
- Difficulty: Easy
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A local Sonoma County tradition is the Occidental Farmers market. It is every Friday evening, and this Friday was my first time attending. Surprising to me was the large amount of farmers selling not only fresh product from their farms, but also a lot of starts. I walked away with some winter squash, pumpkins, zucchini, long neck squash, two kinds of peppers, and some tomatoes.
Tools
Relevant parts
- 2x4 Studs (7), 8 ft. long You will need three studs and some scrap for each planter that you build. I got seven, for the two boxes that I built and had about 2.5 feet left over at the end.
- 3" Wood Screws, Decking screws would be ideal, but they area little more expensive. You could also use 16d nails. Personal preference.
- Dirt/Manure/Potting Soil (4.5 Cubic Feet) This is up to you as the gardener. I used 3 cubic feet of soil, then one cubic foot of steer manure/compost, and then 1.5 cubic feet of potting soil on top. Check with the local nursery depending on what you are planting.
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Edit Step 1
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2x4 Planter Boxes
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Start with the lumber. At the Home Depot, I bought seven, eight foot studs. I had the lumber department cut them all in half for me. There was two reasons for this, first, I just had my car, and they wouldn't fit otherwise. Secondly, my goal with this project was to maximize the size of the beds to the length of the wood.
Sometimes with woodworking projects we can get a little to precise with things, this project isn't that. I don't use a square, and I measure and cut loosely. We aren't building a dollhouse here, we are building something that is going to sit in the dirt and weather. With that in mind, I counsel you, the dear reader, don't to worry to much about the details. :)
With your new studs that are cut in half to 48 inches, take two of them, and cut them in half again to 24 inches. These will be the top and the bottom of the box.
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Attach the first four pieces together into the basic box shape. Follow the photo for a guide. The shorter pieces should but into the longer pieces.
When the basic box is built, add the legs to the corners.
When I built mine, I opted to have them a little longer then the sides. The reason for this was so that I could dig into the existing dirt and make it a little more secure. If you needed this built onto a slope, you could really accentuate this.
For those that don't know, 2x4s are actually about 1.5 inches x 3.5 inches. I made my legs eight inches long so they would be about an inch talled then the box.
Edit Step 6 ¶
After the ground is clear, add the soil to the boxes.
The nursery expert at the Home Depot had me use this concoction:
3.5 cubic feet of soil
1 cubic foot of steer manure
1.5 cubic foot of potting soil
I raked it together loosely, keeping the potting soil mostly on top.
Make: Projects Top Tip: If you can't find a trowel, a taping knife will work. Once again kids, this aint rocket surgery.
Don't it look good when it's all planted!
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