The easiest garden box ever!

Background:

• About a year ago I went into the garden department of one of those ‘home improvement stores‘ looking to get a nice vegetable garden box kit.
• However, when I looked the price tag for the pre-made garden box, I was totally alarmed!  Small garden box kits cost $>60 to >$100!
• For that price I figured there must be something very special in that boxed kit; (Perhaps it came with some special starter seeds, a magic bean, a golden egg, or a golden ticket).   So of course I opened the box in the store.   The only dramatic thing I found was the price tag.  The wood was very thin cedar, the cuts were very basic and the overall size was small.

• As I closed up the box, my initial alarm changed to a growing annoyance.  Within a few more moments I literally became offended.  I hate the idea someone getting ripped off, and these kits are a total rip off.

 

The plan:

• As a result of this experience, (and a bit out of spite), I hatched a plan.
• I was going to create the best and cheapest garden box that I could.
• and then I was going to tell everyone how to do it.

• I wanted the garden box to be radically cheaper, significantly bigger, built with better materials and what the heck; I also wanted it to be easier to put together than their expensive kit.

 

Here’s how to do it:

Basic materials for your 6 foot x 3 foot garden box:

• Three 6 foot long fence planks/pickets (you can get these just about anywhere that sells wood and they cost about $ 2 each)
• One 2×4 or 4×4 (You only need a short one and it should cost around $4)
• Wood screws or deck screws (You probably already have the 16 screws needed lying around somewhere)

• Optional: Wire cloth/staple gun (price varies)

Note: at the very end of this post I go into greater detail about these garden box supplies.  I put the added details at the very end of this post because the level of information (and my ramblings) may be more than is needed.

Step 1 (cut the plank):

• Cut the dog-eared part off of one of the wood planks.
  • (In the picture below I cut off about a 1 and 1/2 inch but I would suggest that you cut off about 2 inches off just to be safe- this is an important measurement factor if you are going to add in gopher cloth protection at the end of the build).
• Then cut the remainder of that plank in to two equal lengths.
  • (Cut the plank so that you get two separate  2 foot 11 inch planks out of it).
  • You don’t have to make any cuts to the other two planks-just leave them be for now.

Step 2 (cut the supports):

• Cut the 2×4 or 4×4 into four separate pieces.
  • The 2×4 or 4×4 pieces should be cut to be as long as the planks are wide (in this case 5 1/2 inches).
    • In the photos you will see that I used a 4x4s for this part.  I did this because I had some extra 4x4s lying around the garage from a previous project.
    • For the sake of simplicity, in the rest of these directions ill just refer to this component of the project as a 4×4… although a 2×4 will also work just fine and will be a bit cheaper.

 

Step 3 (This part of the build is just to reinforce the corners of the garden box):

• Attach the recently cut (short) planks to the cut 4×4 (See picture below).
• Use 2 wood screws to attach the planks to the 4×4.
  
  • (I recommend that you drill a pilot hole first to prevent the wood from splitting).

 

Step 4 (attach the long sides):

• Attach the uncut 6 foot long planks to the wood pieces that you just created in step 3.
• Bring the wood pieces together so that the 4x4s are in the inside of the rectangle shaped garden box that you are creating.

Step 5 (that’s it):

• That was easy, your done… Unless you want to add some gopher protection.

 

Step 5 (optional):

• Consider using gloves so that you don’t cut yourself on the wire cloth/wire mesh.
• Align the wire cloth carefully so the squares of the mesh are parallel to the wood frame of the garden box.
  • Note: If the mesh and wood are not in great alignment at this beginning stage, then as you reach the other end of the box… the mesh and wood may not line up.  This would leave a gap and you would have to start over.
• Use your staple gun to attach the cloth.   Unroll the wire as you staple.

Step 6 (attach the wire cloth-continued):

• Once the box is covered with the wire cloth, cut end to fit the garden box frame.
  • Use wire cutters or metal cutting snips to cut the wire mesh.
• Now you are really done building the garden box.  Rest assured that by taking the extra step, you have prevented a lot of gopher headaches in the future.

Finding a home for the garden box:

• Dig out an area to place your garden box and make the box relatively level.
• As you can see, I have built 3 garden boxes using this method and I have lined them up for easy access.
• Note the Martian like native soil that would be challenging to grow any crop in (without the help of a garden box).

Fill the boxes with rich soil:

• I used free compost that I got from a mushroom farm to fill the boxes.
  • Check out this link for more information about free mushroom compost.
• Water in the soil to get out the air bubbles.

Extra thoughts:

• Roll on some weed cloth before planting if you want to save on future weeding labor and water bills.
• Add wood bark mulch around the boxes for weed control and erosion control.
• Install a protective electric snail fence if you would like to protect your fresh little seedlings from those ravenous mollusks.

 

Enjoy:

• Plant, grow, and enjoy for years to come.
• As an example; these pole beans (in the picture below) grew amazingly well in a short amount of time in one of these garden boxes.

 

More specific details on the list of supplies:

Fence planks/pickets:

• These planks commonly come in the size: 11/16 in. x 5 1/2 in. x 6 ft.
  • That size will work great and it is the size that I used for the garden boxes that I created here.
• I recommend that you get untreated cedar or redwood.
  • You can also get pressure treated wood which will last longer.  However, I am sure that all of those wood preservative chemicals will leach out over time.  If the toxins escape the wood they will get into your soil and perhaps into your veggies.  No one wants that.
• The redwood planks costs a little bit more than the cedar but who cares, there both so cheap.  The last time I checked, each redwood plank goes for about $2.10 and the cedar planks are a bit less than $2 each.
• If you don’t have a Miter saw (chop saw) at your home then you can have the store help you out.  Most places that sell wood will often cut some of it for you if needed.  For example, most of these home improvement stores have staff who can operate the saws in the lumber department and they will often make a few wood cuts for free.

 

2×4 or 4×4 brackets:

• Get the ‘rough cut’ wood option if you can. It will be cheaper and there is really no need to have polished looking wood here.
• Again, if you don’t have a Miter saw at home, then have them cut the wood at the store for you.  Specifically, for the materials used in this discussion, have the wood cut into four separate 5 1/2 in lengths (if that is the width of the plank you bought).
  • If you are not sure of the width of the plank, look to see if it is on the tag on the end of the wood.
  • If you don’t see the size on the tag then just tell the staff what you want and they should be able to help.
• As a side, if you are considering getting a Miter saw (for this and for future projects), I highly recommend the DEWALT DW713 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw.  I got mine through Amazon and it has been awesome.   I have used is for lots of home improvement tasks and I keep finding more uses for it. It also has a lot of extra options that work great.

 

Wood or deck screws:

• Really for this project just about any standard wood screw that is 2-3x longer than the thickness of the plank will work (in this example the plank thickness is 11/16 in).
• You only need 16 screws for this project.
• If anyone in the house has done any woodworking, then you probably have some screws lying around that will work.  On the other hand, if you do end up having to buy a box of screws, then you will have supplies for your next projects.

 

Wire cloth (optional):

• Note: wire cloth does not come in the expensive garden box kits that I mentioned at the beginning of this post.  Therefore, if you are using this gopher prevention technique, then you are going ‘above and beyond.”  Good work, you will sleep better for it.
• Specifically, get a wire mesh roll that has ½ or 1/4 inch square holes and that is 3 feet tall.  For the dimensions of the garden box described here, a 3 foot tall wire mesh spool will conveniently cover the bottom of your finished garden box with little effort.
• Although this is also probably the most expensive ingredient of the project, I have seen some decent prices online.  Here’s an option through Amazon.com.
• For more garden uses of your wire mesh, check out my gopher protection techniques and how to build a gopher cage.

 

Some additional (optional) items for this project:

• If you are going with the gopher proof wire mesh option then you will need to buy or burrow a staple gun.
• Using an electric staple gun, will be lot easier than using a nonelectric stapler.
• Note, electric staple guns can also be used for all kinds of other cool projects such as upholstery, home repair and crafts.  FYI: here’s a fun list of 8 other uses of an electric staple gun.
• Finally, everyone should have a cordless drill at home. I like the Black & Decker 18v Cordless Drill because the their cordless products have been good to me and the battery is interchangeable with the other Black & Decker tools that I have.