Small rustic planter

Made of pressure-treated wood, cut with a hand saw and put together with nails and butt joints. Simple and quick project, but quite enjoyable as it involved woodworking and gardening. It’s just this time of the year, perfect for combining these two. There was a need for another planter and there was leftover wood, so I measured the board, marked the cut lines and cut the pieces I needed. A sharp hand saw did the job in no time.

I used the simplest approach to join the boards together, and that was nails and butt joints. To give some structural strength to the bottom piece, it was nailed from the sides. Using the same principle, the side pieces were placed inside the box and not frontally. These are the basics of making cabinets and I used them to make this planter. Even a project this small and simple can be done the wrong way – I hope my build will last 2 – 3 years.

Once the box was done, I drilled 25 mm (1 inch) drainage holes and using remaining material, cut and installed 4 corner feet. The feet gave the project a little more complex look, but it was still too simple for me and I decided to install the bracing.

I cut 4 pieces of galvanised fixing band and installed them with nails. Their purpose was rather decorative and didn’t add much strength to the box, still it was nice to see something different than just 4 simple walls.

I filled the planter up with compost and gave it over to the right person. My job was done and I spent the rest of the day in the garden – for a change.