Home & Garden Gardening

How To Make a Wooden Box into a Garden

I'm a huge fan of wooden boxes. From Clementine orange boxes to vintage soda crates to wine boxes, and old tool boxes, there are many kinds of wooden boxes that can be found that are inexpensive or even free. I haunt yard sales, flea markets and second hand stores to find interesting boxes. I particularly like boxes with writing on them.

While painted boxes can be gorgeous, before you plant or buy an old painted box, it is a good idea check it for lead paint.

To determine if the paint contains lead you can buy a simple test kit at a hardware store.

Wooden boxes can last for years, but even cedar, which is considered one of the best woods for planters, can rot pretty quickly, when filled with damp soil and exposed to the elements. Also, nails and hardware used to make the box can also rust quickly given the level of exposure most container gardens will experience. To extend the life of boxes, I usually line them with some kind of plastic. I usually try to find a heavy duty plastic bag that will fit inside the box, which I trim to fit after I have filled it with potting soil. However, if I am planting edibles in the box, sometimes I skip the plastic because some plastics can leach chemicals into the soil.

I have been asked if a wooden box needs drainage holes and I would say it depends on how porous it is without them. To find this out, take a hose and fill your empty box with water. If the water freely runs out the bottom, you are good to go.

If the box fills up, I would drill some drainage holes into the bottom and a few in the sides, close to the bottom of the box, especially if the box is going to sit on a non-porous surface like a patio or deck.

Choose plants suitable to the depth and size of your wooden box. For shallow boxes, choose shallow rooted plants.

After you have lined your box with plastic, fill it with potting soil and plant it like you would any container garden.

Photo of small wooden box planted with grape hyacinths.

Instructions for making a wooden planting box.

SHARE
RELATED POSTS on "Home & Garden"
How to Tell if It Is a Banana Spider
How to Tell if It Is a Banana Spider
Constructing Your Own Outdoor Fireplace Made Easy
Constructing Your Own Outdoor Fireplace Made Easy
Kitchen Gardening During Drought
Kitchen Gardening During Drought
Tips For Planting a Herb Garden
Tips For Planting a Herb Garden
Why Choose Sandstone Tiles
Why Choose Sandstone Tiles
How to Find Out a Prank Caller's Number
How to Find Out a Prank Caller's Number
How and When to Harvest Snap Beans
How and When to Harvest Snap Beans
Building a Raised Bed
Building a Raised Bed
Why Build A Koi Pond With Concrete?
Why Build A Koi Pond With Concrete?
Epson Salts As a Fertilizer
Epson Salts As a Fertilizer
A Guide to Garden Features
A Guide to Garden Features
Follow the Artistic Element of Lines in Your Miniature Garden
Follow the Artistic Element of Lines in Your Miniature Garden
My Conifers Are Dying
My Conifers Are Dying
Looking At Different Light Sources For Growing Orchids Indoors
Looking At Different Light Sources For Growing Orchids Indoors
Aquaponics Tanks: For Healthy Fish and Vegetables
Aquaponics Tanks: For Healthy Fish and Vegetables
How to Train a Climber Or Wall Shrub on Wires
How to Train a Climber Or Wall Shrub on Wires
How to Use Miracle Gro After the Rain
How to Use Miracle Gro After the Rain
Got a New Bonsai?
Got a New Bonsai?
Great Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal
Great Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal
What Can You Put in a Worm Farm?
What Can You Put in a Worm Farm?

Leave Your Reply

*