Planter Boxes

Now seems like a good time to document the Planter Boxes project. I wanted to grow my own vegetables on my land but we we’re a little worried about the quality of the dirt next to my shop which used to be an auto mechanic business. Maybe they spilled dangerous chemicals or something. The space just outside the shop is perfect. It’s all fenced in, rather open and conveniently close to a water source. We decided to use raised planter boxes so we could control the quality of the soil inside the boxes.

I found some examples of planter boxes and I was about to design my own when I ran across these plans from the Family Handyman publication. They were pretty good but I ended up modifying the plans to suit my needs. The changes I made were driven by the availability of materials and I didn’t like the idea of trying to drill in 6″ screws in a parallel fashion with a hand drill. I used what I had in terms of brackets and wooden pins to fabricate the corners. Here is my drawing I used during the cut process.

Materials

I used the many of the same materials listed in the original plans except for the ones crossed out:

• 1″ sheet metal screws with washers
• 1/4″ stainless steel staples
• 1/4″ x 6″ coated construction screws
• 2-1/2-in. deck screws
• 2-3/4-in. deck screws (I used 3in deck screws I already had)
• 2-in. deck screws
• 26″ x 10′ corrugated metal panel (2) (I could only find 8′ panels so I had to improvise)
• 2×2 x 8′ treated lumber (2)
• 2×4 x 8′ treated lumber (4)
• 2×6 x 10′ treated lumber (5)
• 3/4″ x 4′ x 8′ treated plywood
• 6-mil plastic

I used untreated lumber in some spots. The boards touching the ground are pressure treated lumber while the corner boards (2x4s and 2x2s) were not pressure treated. Instead I used Tung oil to seal the wood from water. I really wanted to be careful about chemical leaching into the soil and up into my vegetables. I didn’t use the plastic because it can breakdown into microplastics and I think we have enough of that in our bodies already.

Construction

I approached this project one panel at a time. I was careful to measure 3 times so I could limit waste from an bad cut. Like I mentioned earlier I didn’t think I could screw a 6 inch lag bolt into the bottom 2×6 to attach it to the 2×6 and 2×4 corner units. Instead I used some 5/16 in dowel pins two at a time to connect the bottom run to the side corners and then secured that with 3 inch deck screws. I also had to cut my corrugated metal panel into 2 pieces because the panels where a little too short to make the entire length of the frame. By cutting them into two panels I inserted a 2×6 lumber instead of the planned 2×4 you see in the picture. This gave me enough room to secure the sides of the panel to the frame.

After I had 2 long panels and 2 short panels I was able to assemble one of the boxes. I used the 2×2 interior corner unit as the base for securing the panels to each other. Because of the bulkiness and relatively heavy structure I assembled the box in place. I did move it a few feet here or there and the box moved pretty well but I recommend assembly very near to where the box is going to be used.

Irrigation

The boxes themselves are nice but I also need irrigation for my plants. I decided I wanted to have a semi automated setup. So I was planning on using a watering timer box that I already had on hand. It’s a simple battery operated, programmable hose based system by Rainbird. Before I could begin building the irrigation to the boxes I need to get water to the exterior of my shop. I have a restroom just inside the shop that I used to tap into the water. I designed the system on paper first. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was building and the diagrams helped me decide which components I needed to buy vs. already had on hand.

I specifically engineered a drain for the system since the exterior and even the interior are exposed to cold weather. If I leave water in the lines, they will burst during a winter freeze. Here are some pictures of the actual build.

Now that the water is available outside, I added the necessary pipe to reach the boxes. I wanted these pipes to be buried so that I can run my mower in and around the space without risking damage to the piping.

Notice that each box has it’s own water source with a ball valve. That is to allow for customization with the water flow. I could even put a timer box on the end and have 2 different watering schedules for the boxes. Currently I have only 1 timer box installed.

Because the hose spigot itself has an angle I had to adapt the pipe to fit with a 30 degree elbow. I used a heat gun to soften the PVC pipe to make the bend. In hind sight I would have done it differently and reversed the bend so I could fit a 90 degree elbow making the system more compact. I also included a water manifold into the design so that I could run other water based tools, like a hose. This give me options without having to cut pipe.

Planting

Now the fun part, it’s time to plant in these boxes. But first I need soil. These boxes are about 52,000 cubic inches or about 30 cu ft. That’s a lot of material. Here is how I filled them. First I laid several layers of thick cardboard. On top of the cardboard I added logs from a tree I had fell late last year. In the spaces around the logs I filled with smaller logs and then layers sticks on top of that. Then I laid in two truck bed loads of leaf and grass litter from the neighborhood mulch pile. Finally on top of that I used a mixture of garden soils and organic compost.

I was able to buy some of my plants in starter form while others I will need to grow from seed sadly. I bought the following:

• 6 tomato plants – I think they are all celebrity tomatoes but there could be 2 different varieties
• 2 cucumber plants
• 1 yellow squash plant
• 5 pepper plants – 2 are bell peppers, 2 are sweet peppers and 1 is a banana pepper
• 2 rows of carrots (these are in seed strips so they are not visible)
• I added Zinnias flowers and Marigold seeds as they help defend against bugs

The rest of my plants are sprouting. If these seeds sprout I will have the following to add to my garden.

• 2 Cantaloupe
• 4 corn
• 2 beans
• 4 peas
• 2 Chard
• 4 Okra

I think I’m going to need another box to hold some of the seedlings, if they even develop. Maybe I’ll use pots or maybe I’ll make another box. Right now I’m just going to let this mini farm do it’s thing.