Alright folks, gather ’round. Decided to tackle building some cedar planter boxes myself. Seen too many flimsy ones at the store, figured how hard could it be? Spoiler: Mostly straightforward, but yeah, a few bumps along the way. Here’s exactly how my Saturday went down.
Gathering the Stuff
Hit the local big-box hardware store first thing. Didn’t wanna mess around with treated wood near plants, so grabbed untreated cedar fence pickets. Heard they warp less than pine and last longer. Also picked up:
- A bundle of cedar 2x2s (for the corners)
- A small box of exterior wood screws (gotta be weatherproof!)
- A bottle of wood glue (figured extra strength wouldn’t hurt)
- Basic landscape fabric (for lining)
Tools were simple: My trusty old miter saw (you could use a circular saw or even a handsaw if you’re patient), a drill with bits, a screwdriver bit, a measuring tape, a carpenter’s square, and some clamps. Safety gear too – gloves and goggles, ’cause sawdust ain’t fun.
Chopping the Wood
Unloaded everything onto my dusty garage floor. Measured out my lengths on the fence pickets. Wanted a decent size, so went for:
- Sides: Two pieces at 3 feet long
- Ends: Two pieces at 1.5 feet long
- Bottom: One piece at 3 feet by 1.5 feet (cut a picket down)
Fired up the miter saw. Key point here: Made sure every cut was as square as possible. Double-checked measurements ’cause, yeah, messed one up early on – total bummer, ruined a picket. Cut the 2x2s into four pieces about 15 inches tall – these became my corner posts.
Building the Frame
Laid out one long side (3ft) and one short end (1.5ft) on the floor. Slapped some wood glue along the end of the short piece where it would meet the long piece. Clamped them together at a right angle. Grabbed the drill. Crucial step: Pre-drilled holes right through the long side piece into the end grain of the short piece. Learned this the hard way on a previous project – cedar splits easy! Screwed them together with two screws. Repeated this for all four corners.
Now I had the basic rectangular frame standing up? Sorta wobbly. Time for the corner posts. Took a 2×2 corner post and pressed it into the inside corner of the frame. Used the clamps again to hold it tight. Drilled pilot holes through the frame sides into the 2×2 post and screwed it in tight from both the long and short sides. Did this for all four corners. Instantly made everything rigid – felt good!
Adding the Bottom & Lining
Dropped my pre-cut bottom piece into the frame. It rested nicely on the 2×2 corner posts inside. Secured it by driving screws down through the bottom board and into the tops of the 2×2 posts in each corner. Simple.
Figured drainage was key to not drowning plants. Grabbed the landscape fabric. Cut a piece big enough to line the entire inside, sides and bottom, with a bit extra hanging over the top edge. Just stapled it loosely around the top inside rim. Made sure it covered the bottom holes I planned to drill.
Took the drill again and made a bunch of holes in the bottom board through the fabric – maybe 5 or 6 spread out. Not massive holes, just enough for water to escape.
The Finishing Touches (Kind Of)
Alright, looked like a box! But the raw edges of the fence pickets were kinda rough. Took some sandpaper and just gave all the top edges and corners a quick once-over to avoid splinters. Swept out the sawdust and leftover fabric bits.
Didn’t stain or seal it that day – wanted the cedar to weather a bit naturally first, see how it looks. Maybe later?
Lessons Learned & Success!
Honestly, this whole thing took me maybe 3 hours, including my crappy measuring job that wasted one picket. Totally doable for a beginner.
- Measure 3 times, cut once: Sounds dumb, but seriously.
- Pre-drill those holes!: Cedar is beautiful but splits way too easy without pilot holes.
- Clamps are your best friend: Holding things still while screwing makes a huge difference.
- Untreated cedar is pricey, but worth it: Feels sturdy and smells fantastic!
Hauled the finished box out back, dumped in some leftover potting mix, threw in a couple of basil plants I had sitting around. Looks solid, smells great, didn’t cost a fortune. Victory! Definitely building a couple more soon. Give it a shot!
