Introduction: Elevated Garden Planter

About: My name is Mitch. I make videos about the things I make and what I learn along the way. I have a Youtube Channel called Made by Mitch. I also love the coffee and the outdoors.

This was a very simple DIY project that you can make in just a few hours. Last year we had a very nice garden with lots of things in it including lettuce. The only problem was that the rabbits also really enjoyed the lettuce. So this year I decide to make an elevated garden planter for my lettuce and herbs.

Step 1: Tool and Materiels

TOOLS

  • Circular Saw
  • Table Saw
  • Drill and Impact Driver
  • Wire Snips
  • Staple Gun

MATERIALS

  • (3) 1x6x8 Cedar Boards
  • (1) 1x4x8 Cedar Board
  • (2) 4x4x8 Board (cedar if possible)
  • 2” Wood Screws
  • ¼” x ¼” Galvanized Steel Fencing Wire
  • Landscaping Fabric
  • Raised Bed Garden Soil
  • Plants or Seeds

Step 2: Cut the Boards

The first thing I you will have to do is cut the boards you are using into the size you are wanting your planter to be. I first cut the cedar boards I used for the sides using a circular saw. I made my box two foot wide by four foot long. I cut 4 boards at 24” and 4 boards at 48” long. I actually used 1x6 paneling boards for the sides of my planter. The boards are tongue and groove and I used two boards on each side and each end of the planter box. I cut the tongue off of the top boards and the groove off of the bottom boards so the boards would be smooth on the top and bottom.

Then I cut the 4x4 boards to 30” long using a circular saw. My saw blade wouldn’t go all the way through board so I marked both sides with a speed square, cut one side, then flipped the 4x4 over and cut the other side.

Step 3: Attach the Boards to the Legs

Attaching the boards to the legs was pretty simple. I basically assembled the box upside down. First I used clamps and a speed square to attach a side and an end board to the leg making an L shape. Make sure when you do this you are checking that everything is lined up properly. This is why I used the speed square. I made two L shapes and then put them together by adding the opposite legs and attaching the boards to the legs. To attach them I pre-drilled so the wood wouldn’t split and then attached the boards using 2” wood screws. Once I attached the first row of boards around, I then put the second boards on top all the way around and attached it pre-drilling and screwing them to the legs.

Step 4: Add Wire to the Bottom to Hold the Dirt

Next I added the wire to the bottom of the planter but before I could do this I added 5 1x4 boards to stretch across the width of the planter box. This would help support the weight of the dirt. I pre-drilled and screwed the 1x4’s to the bottom of the planter spreading them out evenly. Then I flipped the box over and added the wire. I used ¼” x ¼” galvanized steel fencing for this. It was pretty easy to install. I just cut it to length using wire snips and then cut out where the 4x4 legs would need to be. I had to bend it and move it around a good bit to get it to fit where I wanted it to and then I used a staple gun to secure it in place.

Step 5: Fill With Dirt and Plant

At this point the planter was pretty much finished. I added a layer of landscaping fabric so the dirt would stay in the planter box. I used scissors to trim the access around the edge. After it was in place, I put 2 bags of gardening soil in the bed and then I added the plants. I just had a few herbs to put in mine and for the remainder of it I planted lettuce from seed. After doing this the planter box was complete!

Step 6: Video

Be sure to check out the video for the entire process. It was very simple to make. If you are interested in this project, you may enjoy some of the other DIY projects I have available on my website. You can also follow me on instagram and twitter to see what I’m up to on a regular basis. Thank for checking this out. I hope it is useful for you.

Website - http://madebymitch.net

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