I decided to build raised planting boxes to use for gardening this year. Since wood is so expensive, I decided to do it on the cheap and use pallets. Two pallets provided more than enough wood to build one 4 ft by 8 ft box. I even reused the nails from the pallets so my cost will be minimal!!

Step 1: Pallet Disassembly

Disassemble the pallets. I used a small crow bar and heavy hammer to do this. I used the hammer to drive the pry bar between the slats and the rails and then pried them up. I then used the a nail puller to remove the nails and placed them to the side to reuse later.

Step 2: Cut and Assemble

After disassembly, measure the width of your slats and cut your rails to the proper measurement. I wanted to use wider slats on the bottom and 3 rows of narrow slats above that so I cut my rails 15 1/2 inches. Slats vary so measure yours.

Next, I laid out my new corner pieces (old rails) and started nailing my slats to them. I chose to offset the ends of my slats so that I got a nice tight fit all the way around. I alternated the offset on each row.

I also added a cross brace in the middle for added stability.

Step 3: Placement

The final step is to move the box to your chosen location. I plan to put black plastic in the bottom of mine. Because there are cracks between the slats, draining will not be an issue and the plastic will deter weed growth from the bottom.

Last step is to fill it with dirt and plant some peas!