Great idea! Thanks. For people who cannot obtain so much soil or who don't want to use so much soil, you can use the hugelkultur method and fill the bottom half of the bed with branches and logs obtained from prunings from your yard. The branches and logs take up volume and provide moisture and fungi to the soil sitting on top of them.
Thanks for tuning in! We appreciate you! That is a great tip! Be sure and check out our latest hugelkultur segment here --> ua-cam.com/video/79xUvhl-H44/v-deo.html Happy gardening!
This is a good idea and everything, just please people when you go and "collect" your pallets, ask any stores you take them from first. I hate coming into work first thing in the morning and seeing a huge mess of pallets because people dug through them and just threw the ones they didn't want aside. We also need some of those pallets to put our plant shipments on. If people ask me before hand I'm more than willing to let them take what ever so long as they don't make a mess. But so many more don't and I waste more time cleaning up after them than I do doing what I'm supposed to be doing.
This is exactly what I was looking for and was so helpful! Can get many pallets so wanted to create a raised bed, and without taking them apart, so this was great!
love this video, I like the simplicity of not taking them completely apart that seems like a waste of time and loss of materials because of damage. Thank you for such a great diy video. I will be doing this with the pallets I want to recycle for my garden.
+Cynthia Van Buren, thank you so much for tuning in! We appreciate you very much! Be sure to send us photo updates on your version of the raised bed garden! Let us know if you have any questions at all. Happy Gardening!
Speaking of pallets. I live in the city (Chicago) and am considering ways of starting an urban farm. There are SO MANY developers that are just sitting on vacant land for future sale or developments. My idea was to have a mobile urban farm and provide a sort of custodial service to the developers, grow produce at a profit for my effort, and be able to pick up and relocate if/when the land changed hands. My idea (so as to NOT reinvent the wheel) was to make raised beds out of pallets. This way, with just a pallet-jack, I can rearrange them on the property when needed; or load them on to a truck for relocation. I want them to be wheel chair height so I can employee disabled people. I imagine I can make one bed out of every 3 or four pallets. I'd use one for the base, take wood from the others to make the sides, and use the supports from those to reinforce the main base. Since pallets are typically 48" I imagine the first 30" can be the 'in-ground' production bed, the back of the pallet-bed can be built up to provide a trellis (using even more pallet wood or something lighter) for veining crops; and herbs can possibly be planted in whatever leftover space is in between. Only thing is, I don't know if I should use a giant grow bag inside, or if the sides can be built up well enough to support the inside pressure of the dirt and water. I've calculated that 7 of these in a row would be just over the length of a standard 25 foot bed. Perhaps you could give it a try? At the very least you'll get some content out of it.
I would staple the ground cloth on the pallets before assembly...also fill the bottom with organic wood, or mulch, sand, scraps or even styrofoam to fill the bottom 12-18” so less soil is required...
Michigan Foodie Girl, we are glad we could help! Be sure to follow us on social media including, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, for more topics and discussion similar to this one!
Wow! SO glad to hear from our viewers from all over! Be sure to send us picture of how it turned out to oklahomagardening@okstate.edu. Happy Gardening!
We are glad we could help! Be sure to follow us on social media including, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, for more topics and discussion similar to this one!
Thanks for this! I'm definitely going to give this a try! Does the landscape fabric keep out voles and the like? Or would you suggest also lining it with wire mesh..?
you could nail tin to the sides too. I'm no carpenter either ha ha but I'm going to give it a go. I would place logs in the bottom & some rocks for heat 👍
I found your vid after I did mine, well, yours is so much nicer than mine! The only reason I had to have it higher was to avoid leaning over, two back injuries make it difficult. But after watching yours and using mine I might lower the height a bit.
Excellent tips, especially related to HT (heat treated lumber). Any thoughts about using super thick 'pads' of newspapers to line bed. I find keeps weeds out and is an earth worm magnet. I also place hardware cloth at base of bed to keep gophers and squirrels out of my raised bed.
Yes this is perfect I'm thinking about making a few of these and pining them all side by side to make a chicken fence/garden bed, you think it'll work😅
I am so excited about this, and plan to make these to border my fence line. Have you had any trouble with them holding up to the tremendous weight of the soil inside? Have they held up well to weather? And for soil, what did you use?
It has almost been 7 months and this beauty is still holding up strong at the botanic gardens here in Stillwater! The soil type is from your average gardening store.
I took this idea from you and made 2 of them double the length of your project. Then I faced them back to back with a 5 foot gap. Added 3 pvc pipes from the back of one to the back of the other to make an arbor. If you'd like a photo, how do I provide it?
Im going to build mines today... but i have a couple of easy questions.... What size and what kind of screws did you use? Also do you have more details on how you cut the pallets? Thanks in advance😀
It is up to you and your digression to how big you would like this raised bed. Yes. Landscape fabric is used to line the bottom as demonstrated in the video at (2:04).
I know this is two years old... a good way to handle this, is to char both sides of the boards with a propane hand torch. This inhibits rot (moisture) and insects.
nice and simple. But why make it so high ? Easy for access maybe, but way deeper then necessary . and expensive to fill. (also don't forget to use the sides to plant strawberries )
I agree that was a heck of a lot of soil. I've seen other videos where they fill the bottom of a raised bed with free stuff like food scraps, chunky compost, wood chips, shredded paper, etc. Eventually that will turn into compost and attract worms.
Yes, but perhaps consider 1.) That height might be perfect for a person with mobility issues, 2.) Different plants have different root depth requirements and with an enclosed bottom on this box, (depending on what's planted), greater depth may be needed to accommodate all plants and 3.) The project creator controls the height of the box. Simply cut the side height lower and still attach to the full pallet or cut that down as well. However, having said that, you could also leave the bottom open, dig down in your yard about 24", utilize some of your own soil for free and put a lesser amount of quality soil inside the box. And Oklahoma Gardening, I love the idea and video, thank you and thanks for mentioning "Heat Treated", HT pallets. Those MB "Methyl Bromide", pallets should be avoided.
Someone with mobility issues isn't going to be able to utilize that kind of space. If such was the case, you'd have it higher, but maybe about 2 feet wide at the most so that a person could easily reach their arm to work. The plants that have super deep roots, they would go into the ground proper anyway. They would not just stay in the raised bed.
+Sunny W I believe the point was to give the viewer ideas and not a strick observence in replacation... try and appreciate the effort that was mad for you and whoever else wishes to view. instead of making snarky comments
We encourage you to alter these plans however you wish. Shorter, taller, whatever goes. We chose this height so you wouldn't have to bend down as far when tending to your raised bed garden.
Heat treated is good, but that still doesn't mean harsh chemicals were never spilled on the pallets and absorbed. Pallets are routinely traded from warehouse to warehouse, company to company. Having worked in warehousing most of my life I can tell you for a fact that just because a pallet is heat treated doesn't mean it is safe. When using pallets to build something like a raised planter bed you want to make 100% sure that the water/dirt the plants are using NEVER contacts the palletwood. Plastic sheeting is great for this, and relatively cheap. I for one would never eat anything grown in your planters, and I would highly suggest you stop for safeties sake.
This is a horrible idea. Some pallets are chemically treated. Not only that, they bounce around from one place to another. There is no telling what was stored on those pallets and where they have been at anytime. Anything stored on them containing chemicals that could of leaked on the wood.
Great idea! Thanks. For people who cannot obtain so much soil or who don't want to use so much soil, you can use the hugelkultur method and fill the bottom half of the bed with branches and logs obtained from prunings from your yard. The branches and logs take up volume and provide moisture and fungi to the soil sitting on top of them.
Thanks for tuning in! We appreciate you! That is a great tip! Be sure and check out our latest hugelkultur segment here --> ua-cam.com/video/79xUvhl-H44/v-deo.html
Happy gardening!
Hugelkultur !....Thanks.
Love the simplicity! And the knowledge of treated wood! Thank you so much!
This is a good idea and everything, just please people when you go and "collect" your pallets, ask any stores you take them from first. I hate coming into work first thing in the morning and seeing a huge mess of pallets because people dug through them and just threw the ones they didn't want aside. We also need some of those pallets to put our plant shipments on. If people ask me before hand I'm more than willing to let them take what ever so long as they don't make a mess. But so many more don't and I waste more time cleaning up after them than I do doing what I'm supposed to be doing.
Such a good video. Deserves lots of praise.
You could use cardboard on the sides it will keep the soil in and eventually break down in that time the soil compost will retain its shape
I def like how easy this one is, much less cutting. No fancy looks, alot you can add. Good work.
Thank you, easy to follow for me as a beginner
This is the one pallet project I can actually build! I'm going to try it!
This is exactly what I was looking for and was so helpful! Can get many pallets so wanted to create a raised bed, and without taking them apart, so this was great!
GOOD JOB
Great tip about the “HT=Heat Treated,” thanks
love this video, I like the simplicity of not taking them completely apart that seems like a waste of time and loss of materials because of damage. Thank you for such a great diy video. I will be doing this with the pallets I want to recycle for my garden.
+Cynthia Van Buren, thank you so much for tuning in! We appreciate you very much! Be sure to send us photo updates on your version of the raised bed garden! Let us know if you have any questions at all. Happy Gardening!
Using a reciprocal saw with bi-metal blades and cutting through the nails saves the material. VS trying to beat them apart.
this will be a fun project to undertake with my kids, great video!
Love it! Just the kind of simplicity I was looking for, thanks for sharing.
Great video, thanks for sharing. Look forward to trying this.
Speaking of pallets. I live in the city (Chicago) and am considering ways of starting an urban farm. There are SO MANY developers that are just sitting on vacant land for future sale or developments. My idea was to have a mobile urban farm and provide a sort of custodial service to the developers, grow produce at a profit for my effort, and be able to pick up and relocate if/when the land changed hands. My idea (so as to NOT reinvent the wheel) was to make raised beds out of pallets. This way, with just a pallet-jack, I can rearrange them on the property when needed; or load them on to a truck for relocation. I want them to be wheel chair height so I can employee disabled people. I imagine I can make one bed out of every 3 or four pallets. I'd use one for the base, take wood from the others to make the sides, and use the supports from those to reinforce the main base.
Since pallets are typically 48" I imagine the first 30" can be the 'in-ground' production bed, the back of the pallet-bed can be built up to provide a trellis (using even more pallet wood or something lighter) for veining crops; and herbs can possibly be planted in whatever leftover space is in between.
Only thing is, I don't know if I should use a giant grow bag inside, or if the sides can be built up well enough to support the inside pressure of the dirt and water. I've calculated that 7 of these in a row would be just over the length of a standard 25 foot bed.
Perhaps you could give it a try? At the very least you'll get some content out of it.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing
I love this simplistic design. Just what I needed. Thank you from the UK
Wonderful! We are so happy it worked out for you! Thank you for tuning in!
This is amazing. I'll have to do this for a church member!!
Thanks a lot for nice ideas
Great video 👍
Thank you so much, will be doing this
Simple and easy. Thxs!
Thank you for sharing ❤
Beautiful.
Thanks for the video!!
Great video Thank you
Thanks for watching!
@OklahomaGardening You're welcome. I went to get some pallets and going to do work on my garden beds this week. I'm so excited 😊
Very helpful. Thank you.
Thank you , I was trying to figure out a way to do this and you did that for me
Thanks for tuning in! We appreciate you!
Great info. Thanks.
I would staple the ground cloth on the pallets before assembly...also fill the bottom with organic wood, or mulch, sand, scraps or even styrofoam to fill the bottom 12-18” so less soil is required...
I’ve never built anything before but you made this look so easy I’m going to try it. Thank for this video:-)
Michigan Foodie Girl, we are glad we could help! Be sure to follow us on social media including, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, for more topics and discussion similar to this one!
thank you so much for the how to!
No, thank you so much for tuning in! Be sure to check us out on other social media for more DIY projects just like this one! Happy Gardening!
Love it! Greetings from Berlin, great video! I just made a pallet planter too. 👍👍☝
Wow! SO glad to hear from our viewers from all over! Be sure to send us picture of how it turned out to oklahomagardening@okstate.edu. Happy Gardening!
THAT WAS SO AWESOME!!!!!!! :) THANKS! EASIER THAN MOST EVERYBODY ELSE"S IDEAS! :) THANKS AGAIN!!!!!! :)
Thanks for tuning in! Happy Gardening!
We are glad we could help! Be sure to follow us on social media including, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, for more topics and discussion similar to this one!
Thank you..
so good i,ll try to my small garden
Thanks for tuning in! Let us know how it turns out for you! Happy Gardening!
Thanks for this! I'm definitely going to give this a try! Does the landscape fabric keep out voles and the like? Or would you suggest also lining it with wire mesh..?
Fantastic!!!
SHADOW WRAITH, thanks for tuning in! Happy gardening!
you could nail tin to the sides too. I'm no carpenter either ha ha but I'm going to give it a go. I would place logs in the bottom & some rocks for heat 👍
Thanks for tuning in +JoJoZep! We appreciate your tip! Happy Gardening!
I found your vid after I did mine, well, yours is so much nicer than mine! The only reason I had to have it higher was to avoid leaning over, two back injuries make it difficult. But after watching yours and using mine I might lower the height a bit.
Ty for making this video. What saw are u using
My weekend project😊
Glad you enjoyed this segment! Be sure to send us updates of how yours turns out! Happy Gardening!
I love it ! I'm going to try this thank you for posting ! What part of Oklahoma are you ?
Awesome!
Thanks for tuning in! We appreciate you!
Excellent tips, especially related to HT (heat treated lumber). Any thoughts about using super thick 'pads' of newspapers to line bed. I find keeps weeds out and is an earth worm magnet. I also place hardware cloth at base of bed to keep gophers and squirrels out of my raised bed.
They used newspapers in St. Kitt until they realized the ink was poisoning people.
Yes this is perfect I'm thinking about making a few of these and pining them all side by side to make a chicken fence/garden bed, you think it'll work😅
buena idea para mi proyecto de strawberries, gracias.
¡Gracias por ver! Cultivar un huerto feliz!
Thx!
Thanks for tuning in! We appreciate you!
I am so excited about this, and plan to make these to border my fence line. Have you had any trouble with them holding up to the tremendous weight of the soil inside? Have they held up well to weather? And for soil, what did you use?
It has almost been 7 months and this beauty is still holding up strong at the botanic gardens here in Stillwater! The soil type is from your average gardening store.
Thank you for this VIDEO AWESOME ✅️ I AM NOW A SUBSCRIBER THANK YOU AGAIN BLESSING.......#GREATIDEA
I took this idea from you and made 2 of them double the length of your project. Then I faced them back to back with a 5 foot gap. Added 3 pvc pipes from the back of one to the back of the other to make an arbor. If you'd like a photo, how do I provide it?
I want to make this
Could you also make this from one pallet by making the raised bed half as high? Great video!
4-12" is a typical raised bed height so pick the one you like and cut as many of one pallet as you want.
Im going to build mines today... but i have a couple of easy questions.... What size and what kind of screws did you use? Also do you have more details on how you cut the pallets? Thanks in advance😀
What about material mesh to keep rodents etc, from tunneling into the raised bed?
Put 4 to 5 inches of wood chips on the edge with dirt in the middle. It is called Air Pruning.
Thank you, I agree. I am not going to use pallets, but I am going to put space between my boards and use landscaping cloth.
Is it ok to use burnt bark from pinetrees?
making these your way can these make a fences and add a cattle panel , over them.
Hello, how high off the ground do you have it, and is there anything under the fabric to hold up the dirt?
It is up to you and your digression to how big you would like this raised bed. Yes. Landscape fabric is used to line the bottom as demonstrated in the video at (2:04).
thankkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkks
how long does the wood last? at some point the wood will decompose and I think the base will happen before the upper portion.
I know this is two years old... a good way to handle this, is to char both sides of the boards with a propane hand torch. This inhibits rot (moisture) and insects.
The dark cloth, is it not going to rot with time?
I was thinking the same thing. What happens then.
👍
Hi Folks. Can you tell me the dimensions of the pallets that you used? I know you said 4 feet. Is that the long way? And how wide is the shorter end?
This standard palate is 48" x 40".
nice and simple. But why make it so high ? Easy for access maybe, but way deeper then necessary . and expensive to fill.
(also don't forget to use the sides to plant strawberries )
We encourage you to build your raised bed to fit your needs!
U could plant a tree in that
This seems like a real waste of dirt to make the pallet walls so high? You could plant alot more in the amount of dirt it took to fill that planter.
+Sunny W thanks for tuning in! We encourage you to alter this design to fit your needs appropriately! Good luck and happy gardening!
I agree that was a heck of a lot of soil. I've seen other videos where they fill the bottom of a raised bed with free stuff like food scraps, chunky compost, wood chips, shredded paper, etc. Eventually that will turn into compost and attract worms.
Yes, but perhaps consider 1.) That height might be perfect for a person with mobility issues, 2.) Different plants have different root depth requirements and with an enclosed bottom on this box, (depending on what's planted), greater depth may be needed to accommodate all plants and 3.) The project creator controls the height of the box. Simply cut the side height lower and still attach to the full pallet or cut that down as well. However, having said that, you could also leave the bottom open, dig down in your yard about 24", utilize some of your own soil for free and put a lesser amount of quality soil inside the box. And Oklahoma Gardening, I love the idea and video, thank you and thanks for mentioning "Heat Treated", HT pallets. Those MB "Methyl Bromide", pallets should be avoided.
Someone with mobility issues isn't going to be able to utilize that kind of space. If such was the case, you'd have it higher, but maybe about 2 feet wide at the most so that a person could easily reach their arm to work.
The plants that have super deep roots, they would go into the ground proper anyway. They would not just stay in the raised bed.
+Sunny W I believe the point was to give the viewer ideas and not a strick observence in replacation... try and appreciate the effort that was mad for you and whoever else wishes to view. instead of making snarky comments
4 people don't like pallets.
I would leave the bottom uncovered
After digging out the grass
But to be honest. I think the grass would die
You can go to woodprix if you would like to make it yourself guys.
Much too deep. You will never use down to the bottom of that soil, so why waste it.
We encourage you to alter these plans however you wish. Shorter, taller, whatever goes. We chose this height so you wouldn't have to bend down as far when tending to your raised bed garden.
Some people make them deep so they don’t need to bend down as far.
One problem: It’s an eyesore.
That is too deep and needs tons of soil and here is so expensive to buy soil
+Anna we encourage you to alter this design to fit your needs appropriately! Good luck and happy gardening!
Heat treated is good, but that still doesn't mean harsh chemicals were never spilled on the pallets and absorbed. Pallets are routinely traded from warehouse to warehouse, company to company. Having worked in warehousing most of my life I can tell you for a fact that just because a pallet is heat treated doesn't mean it is safe.
When using pallets to build something like a raised planter bed you want to make 100% sure that the water/dirt the plants are using NEVER contacts the palletwood. Plastic sheeting is great for this, and relatively cheap. I for one would never eat anything grown in your planters, and I would highly suggest you stop for safeties sake.
This is a horrible idea. Some pallets are chemically treated. Not only that, they bounce around from one place to another. There is no telling what was stored on those pallets and where they have been at anytime. Anything stored on them containing chemicals that could of leaked on the wood.