Raised Outdoor Planter Boxes

My wife wanted to grow vegetables without bending over an in ground bed. I found a great video on making raised planters on YouTube and thought I would share my version. I built two but you can build as many as you need. I used three 2x6 boards for a finished depth of approximately16-1/2".

I got the idea for this project from a YouTube video made by Johnny Brooke at Crafted Workshop. https://youtu.be/xuEusb_Ehks

Note: These quantities are for 1 raised planter box.

Tools:

Miter Saw, Circular Saw, (optional) or Hand Saw.

Drill & bits

Staple Gun

Materials:

(5) 2x6x8' Pressure Treated boards (non treated will work, but will need to be kept painted or sealed to prevent rot.)

3-1/2" #10 Outdoor Screws

1/4" wire mesh hardware cloth

Plastic Sheeting

1/4" x 3" stainless lag screws (galvanized will work too)

(4) steel legs (2" angle 1/8" thick 36" long)

Outdoor Construction Adhesive

Paint (optional)

Prepare the site where the planter boxes will be placed. We had this small space near the back fence where we decided to locate the planters. We dug out some old strawberry plants and raked the dirt smooth.

Cut wood stock to final length. Since I used 8' boards I made the front and rear pieces 48" long and the ends and bottom braces 24" long. In reality they are slightly shorter since the blade on my saw is 1/8" wide each cut takes some of the overall length. This doesn't matter so long as all of the pieces are the same length. If you are making just one planter you will wind up with an extra 48" piece.

Measure 3/4" from the end of each front and rear piece and mark a line. I have this handy little saddle square from Lee Valley that speeds up the process. Drill pilot holes for two screws on both ends of each piece. I drilled mine at each edge so I will have a place for the legs to attach without hitting a screw.

After drilling the pilot holes I assembled each layer by driving the outdoor screws into the end pieces. I used a 50" clamp to help straighten the joints before driving the screws.

Since soil can be very heavy when moist I placed supports across the bottom layer to help hold the weight. Each support fits inside the frame and I spaced these evenly. The two supports closest to the ends are placed 2-1/2" from the end. The center two supports are spaced at 6" apart. This should leave a 2-1/2" gap between each board at the end and 6" in between the center ones. See dimension detail.

Since these will be outdoors and subject to wide temperature variations I used outdoor construction adhesive to glue each layer together. I used clamps to hold them together until the adhesive set. If you don't have clamps you can stack heavy objects on top to hold them.

I installed the wire mesh at the bottom to hold the soil mixture while still allowing water to drain. I used 1/4" mesh hardware cloth which comes in a roll. I used a staple gun and some galvanized roofing nails to hold it in place.

Next I cut and installed some plastic sheeting along the sides. Since we will be growing vegetables in the planter I did not want any of the chemicals from the wood leaching into the soil.

This step is optional but my wife wanted the planters to match the trim color of our house so she painted them. Treated wood can be ugly.

My local metal supply had a much cheaper price than the hardware store, and they were kind enough to cut my legs to length. Once I got them home I filed the rough edges smooth. When I placed the hole locations, I put one hole in the center of each wood layer and aligned it so that the lag screw would go into the end section. By placing the holes in the center I avoided the screws that I used to assemble the sections.

After marking the hole locations I drilled a 9/32" hole to allow the 1/4" lag screws to fit without binding. After the holes were drilled I painted the legs with a coat of metal primer first, and finished up with a coat of gloss black. You can paint your legs any color you like of course, but you do need to paint them to prevent rust.

To attach the legs align the top of the leg with the top of the planter box. Drill 3/16" pilot holes into the wood and use 3" lag screws to secure the legs to each corner of the box.

Because the finished planter was quite heavy I needed help moving it to it's final location. Once placed we dug down at some of the corners to get the box fairly level. It does not need to be perfectly level but close. If your planter will be placed on a slab or pavers you can skip the leveling part.

We filled our planter with a mixture of native soil, organic compost and potting mix. We placed a thin layer of gravel on the bottom to help the water to drain and keep the soil in.

It is still cold here so we have not planted anything yet. We have seeds started and will place the plants when they are ready. We will be adding a layer of mulch underneath the area to help control weeds and beautify it.