5 DIY Wooden Pallet Ideas for your Garden

Photo credit: https://gardenseason.com/pallet-garden-ideas/

Using wooden pallets in your garden can be a cheap (or even free) way to personalize your space. It is possible to find free pallets if you know where to ask; Facebook Market or Craigslist could be a good start.

Before trying any of these project, look over your pallet for an "HT" marking. This means it was Heat Treated rather than with potentially harmful chemicals.

Photo credit: https://www.palletone.com/heated-treated-pallet-stamp/

1. Garden Bed

Photo Credit : Anne Gibson from The Micro Gardener

Typically, raised garden beds will mean a longer growing season for a gardener. The soil warms up quicker in the spring and as long as the soil is properly prepared, will drain better. Here you can read about a beginner-friendly way to build a garden bed out of pallet frames.

With some more skill, the wood can be compltely unassembled and used to create more complex beds.

Photo credit: https://www.instructables.com/Raised-Planter-Bed-from-Pallets/

Here is a great blog post going into depth on how to construct this garden bed:

2. Vertical Herb Bed

Photo credit: https://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/diy-pallet-herb-garden/

Many agree that herbs are almost essential to a garden. Besides growing your herbs in a vertical bed being more accesible, they are less likely to get weeds in the planters.

Follow along this article for an idea on how you can make a personalized herb bed.

3. Compost Bin

Photo credit: https://joegardener.com/video/how-to-make-a-compost-bin-using-free-shipping-pallets/

According to this informative article from Indiana University,"if everyone in the United States composted, it would be equivalent to removing 7.8 million cars from the road."

This blog post includes a video tutorial on how to build an effective composting system out of pallets. The writer states he has been composting for years and using this pallet system for a decade and it is by far his method of choice.

4. Trellis

Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/96509468@N04/14643849316

This tutorial explains how simple it is to build a trellis out of pallets. For the beginner gardener, a trellis is vital to plants like peas and beans as they need something to climb. This structure promotes healthier crops as the plant is less likely to rot and pruning and fertilizing is easier.

5. Chicken Coop

Homesteading is becoming more and more common these days and raising chickens can make a great addition to a homestead but can be costly. For ideas for an advanced project, check out this article to see how this DIY-er created a chicken "pallet palace" using pallets as the frame.