Skip to main content

Southwest Airlines Community

Going Green: DIY Pallet Garden

kcrow
Explorer B
Growing up, we always had a garden in the backyard.  Every year, my dad planted vegetables that would last almost all summer.  As an adult, I always wanted to plant a garden, but I wasn't really sure where to start. Tilling the soil and knowing when and where to plant everything just seemed a daunting task.  It was just something I was afraid to tackle, until I saw the answer to how to make a manageable garden. I was on Facebook and saw someone share how to create a wooden pallet garden.  Could it be this simple—no tilling, no weeding, no worries?   I was ready to give it a try.  As summer is coming to an end, it’s time to plant for fall vegetables, so maybe this will inspire you to get your veggies out of the garden rather than from the grocery store! pallet garden 1 First, I had to find a pallet.  That part was easy enough, because we had some here at work that were about to be thrown out. Next, I needed a barrier cloth and boards to shore up the ends of the pallet.  I went to my local home improvement store and purchased a barrier cloth and some inexpensive fence panels.  Some stores will cut the boards to size if you need them to, which is very convenient! After that, I was ready to nail the boards in place, staple the barrier cloth to the bottom, and fill the pallet with the potting soil.  If the boards on the pallet you have are too close together, you can remove one or two of the slats to allow enough room for planting. pallet garden 2 The hardest part was deciding which vegetables to plant.  After some thought, I decided to try growing green beans, onions, radishes, green peppers, and we even decided to see if a cucumber plant might work as well.  For the green beans, I planted them at one end, and when they get big enough, I will attach a trellis for them to climb. pallet garden 3 With a minimal amount of space, you can have a great garden.  As you can see, the plants are doing well, and, except for watering, it has been no trouble at all.  We have a concrete slab in our backyard, so I put our pallet on that.  But, you can put the pallet in the grass without a problem because the barrier cloth will help keep the weeds out.  If you want a garden but have either little space or little know-how, this is a great way to gain the experience of growing your own vegetables without a huge investment of time or money.  We are already talking about what to plant next year, and we may even increase our garden to two pallets!