• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Kozy Craft

Meaningful Steps Towards a Sustainable Future

  • Home
  • About
  • DIY
    • Craft
    • Gardening
    • Cooking
  • Health & Wellness
  • Family
    • Parenting
    • Moms’ Growth

How to make a vertical pallet planter

kozycraft · February 15, 2021 ·

vertical pallet planter
an old pallet

Do you have one of these pallets from some kind of renovation? I did! Mine sat in my backyard for almost 20 years (not very proud)! Finally, I had the time to create something with it during quarantine.

If you have any pallets or salvaged wood sitting around, this will be a great solution!

In this article, I will show you how to make a vertical pallet planter.


What you need

  • pallet
  • (left-over) wood pieces *What can you use sitting around your house?
  • nails/hummer/nail gun
  • measuring tape
  • landscape fabric or something can retain soil & moisture
  • scissors/cutter
  • your imagination!

*You can use cedar shingles, 2x4s, or any miscellaneous wood sitting around.

How to make the vertical planter

gather wood peices
measure the width
cedar shingles installation
cedar shingles for siding
DIY pallet planter
siding installed

First step: measure the width of your pallet for creating the bottom of the planter. In my case, there are 3 parallel wood pieces which will work out into 3 compartments. Unfortunately, the wooden pieces I had were shorter than the width of the pallet, so I had to put a piece of wood on each side to bring the sidewalls closer. (see the middle picture)

Second step: nail three bottom pieces to the pallet. (I asked my husband to do this part.) Meanwhile, I was searching for any salvaged wood for siding…I found 20+years old cedar shingles!

Third step: unless you are using long pieces, lay the cedar shingles on the pallet. What you want to do is make sure that they overlap each other for strength. Otherwise, the retaining wall won’t hold soil.

Last step: nail the shingles to the bottom & side of the wood.

Where to locate the vertical garden

There are a few ways to locate the vertical planter in your garden. Some install it on a wall, hang it from a structure, or lean it against a wall/fence. In my case, I wanted it to be free-standing, so I can move around if I needed to. So I asked my husband to attach some wood pieces as a stand.

make holes
landscape fablic in place
lay landscape fabric
filling the vertical pallet planter
filled with soil and plants

Preparation for growing in the vertical planter

First, lay and fit the landscape fabric in the compartment, and cut out some drainage holes. I placed some used coffee filters from my compost, and put some organic materials.

Secondly, fill it with some potting soil/compost. Once the fabric is nicely settled, cut the top and add more soil.

Lastly, wet the soil with water before you plant or seed. Place some plants (strawberries in the picture), and/or seed some herbs. Then top up with extra soil if needed.

Just be patient and let it grow…nature always rewards us with joy!

vertical planter
vertical pallet planter
a strawberry growing in pallet planter
beautiful strawberry

Mission Accomplished!

KozyCraft logo

When it comes to choosing plants/seeds, be mindful of their height and how they grow. For instance, I seeded basil and Japanese shiso on top. Then I chose strawberries for the bottom two because I wanted the fruit to hang from both sides.

Since the fruits are not touching the soil, they don’t need any straw! Also, strawberry plants sometimes carry diseases, so it makes sense for them to be at the bottom.

Now you know how to make a vertical pallet planter, so you can try creating one in spring!

Related posts:

How to repurpose ripped pillow case
How to make a sustainable wreath base
5 Eco-Friendly Valentine's Day Gifts for Children to Make

Filed Under: DIY, Gardening Tagged With: DIY, gardeing, Reduce Reuse Repurpose, sustainable living, vertical planter

Primary Sidebar

Kumiko-2021

Thank you for taking your time to get to know me! 

I’m a proud mom, Early Childhood Educator, Educational Assistant, and a nature lover who wants to help you take meaningful steps towards a sustainable future.

Read More … about About

Popular posts

How to: medicine bottle into a vase

gardening solution - a trellis made out of branches

Trellis with Branches for Sustainable Gardening

simple recipe for canned salmon

Simple recipe for canned salmon

Copyright © 2023 · Privacy Policy · Log in