Today, I’m thrilled to take you on a journey into the world of DIY planters! Whether you’re a flower enthusiast or a veggie gardener, these planters are the perfect addition to your home. In fact, I recently made two of them to grace my front porch, adorned with beautiful roses.
Measuring a neat 16 x 16 inches and standing at a charming 14 inches tall, these planters are a fantastic addition to any outdoor space. But here’s the twist – the first one I crafted turned out to be a 16 x 14-inch design due to a little assembly mishap. Surprisingly, it still worked like a charm, so feel free to go with whichever size tickles your fancy.
For this project, I opted for three 6-foot pressure-treated fence pickets, although cedar works just as well. Let’s dive right into the process!
**Step 1: Making the Cuts**
Begin by cutting the sides out of two pickets. Trim the bottom of the picket to ensure a square end. Then, proceed with the following cuts:
– 2 pieces at 14 inches for the long sides.
– 3 pieces at 12.75 inches for the short sides and the bottom.
Don’t worry about the top dog-eared portion; we won’t need that.
Now, take the third picket and divide it into three strips, each measuring 1 and 11/16th inches wide. Keep the middle piece for later. As for the two side pieces with dog ears, cut out 4 pieces, each 16 inches long, remembering to square off the bottom and leaving just a tiny portion of the top dog ear as scrap.
**Step 2: Assemble Your DIY Planter**
Here’s where you can choose your own adventure: you can go for a square 16″ x 16″ box or embrace the oblong design. I stumbled upon this choice by initially assembling one side incorrectly, giving me the longer side. Happy accidents, right?
Start by laying two of the longer side boards with the best side facing up. Apply waterproof wood glue to two legs and place them onto the longboards, aligning the top and side edges. Secure them with 18-gauge 1-inch nails. Next, turn it on its side, run glue all the way down the leg, and apply another leg directly to the leg you just attached. Add more nails to ensure a strong bond. This will create an L-shaped leg assembly. Flip it to the other edge and attach another leg.
Grab the other two long boards and repeat this process to create the other side, using the remaining two long pieces and four legs. Use the remaining two long pieces and four legs to repeat the process to create the other side.
Stand the two sides you just assembled on their ends and apply glue to the lip on the bottom. Lay two of the short sides onto this lip, aligning them with the top of the boards. Finish this off with nails and flip it over to do the same on the other side.
Congratulations, you’ve got yourself a planter box! Well, almost. We still need to add the bottom.
If you’ve constructed the boxes square, the bottoms should fit perfectly, requiring nails only on three sides. No need for glue here. Press the bottoms in and nail them to the outsides, leaving a gap in the middle. We’ll add another piece from the center picket later.
Now, measure the finished size of your box and add ⅜” more to create a lip all the way around. My version didn’t allow for any additional area, so I cut them to the exact size. Cut a 45-degree angle into the centerboard you set aside. Then, measure your correct length from the long part of the triangle to where the other longest part will be. Cut four sections for this.
Apply glue all around the top edges of your planter and assemble it to the tops. Ensure your corners are tight and then nail them in.
Flip your box over one more time and measure the size piece you need to fill the gap in the bottom. Cut that last piece to fit and nail it in place.
I recommend drilling some holes into the bottom to allow for water drainage for your plants. Finish it off with a stain or paint them in the color of your choice. Voila! You now have a planter that will spruce up your front porch or any other spot you desire. Repeat the process for as many as your heart desires!
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