We present you plan for the wooden planter, which we think is easy to make; its manufacture is not expensive and you will get one very nice, eco-friendly planter.
Wooden planter is an excellent solution for growing plants in places where there is no enough space or possibility to grow a garden. In the urban surroundings planters allow creating a bit of natural ambience by use of living plants. On the other hand, on the places like parks planters are suitable for the vertical decoration, allowing to highlight beauty of individual plants or entire plant arrangements in planters. Planter can be seen outdoor as well as indoor, because besides its practical features, the planter is also a very nice decoration, wherever it is placed. It is most commonly used for growing flowers and decorative plants, although the vegetables can be grown in it as well. Depending on their dimensions, planters are ideal for both medium and small plants. Planter can be filled with soil for direct planting of herbs or shrubs, or plants may be kept in separate pots within the planter so you can change your flowers with the seasons.
900mm (35.43'') x 1250mm (49.21'') x 420mm (16.54'')
This project is for any woodworker and requires only basic workshop tools. The basic external dimensions are 42cm high, 1250cm long and 900mm wide. At the bottom are attached two slats (part 9 - legs) that act as legs, so that the planter bottom is raised above the surface. Thickness of side walls is 5 cm and at the corners they are connected with wooden pins (long dowels). You can make this planter from planks that are 25-50mm (1-2'') thick. Because of planters’ slatted bottom, plant liners or potted plants are recommended for indoor use. The plan is simple so you can easily fit dimensions to your needs.
Planters are suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Indoors, planters can be an ideal decoration to any restaurant, hotel or office. Outdoors, planters can be used in garden, backyard, patio, terrace, roof terrace and park or for bordering at promenade or sidewalk. Some of most decorative and most attractive are window planters. Planters are decorative and practical, so they make a pleasing addition to everyday surrounding.
Planters can be made out of different materials. Most often it is terracotta, plastic, wood, concrete, stone, metal, fiberglass but also it can be made from combination of these materials. They can be built of bricks or similar materials. An interesting solution can be achieved by adapting and changing the use of various objects, such as old barrel. A very unusual planter can be made if the large trunk is hollowed out.
The material largely determines durability of the planter, as well as the possibility of manipulation. Plastic planters are lightweight but when they are exposed to the elements they will quickly crack because plastic poorly withstands to extreme temperature oscillations and severe insolation. Concrete or stone planters will last for long because they are resistant to temperature oscillations, but such planters are extremely heavy and they should be predicted for use at places where is not required their moving. Wooden planters are very practical, because wood is resistant to temperature fluctuations and easy to relocate, because wood is not heavy material. On the other hand, wood decays affected by constant exposure to moisture and composting action of soil so you should not expect that wooden planter will last for very long time.
When choosing wood, first you must decide how long you would like your planter to last. You can make it out of firewood, if you want to use a cheap wood, but then you should have in mind that wood will decay rather quickly and you will have to make the new planter after a few years. If you want to make planter which will last a few years longer, you should use some durable wood suitable for outdoor use. Some of such woods are pressure treated timber or woods like Douglass fir, white cedar, red cedar, redwood, European oak, black locust or even teak.
High quality finishing is necessary because wooden planter will be exposed to water, moisture and composting action of soil all the time. Good choice is penetrating finish containing water repellents and rots and mildew inhibitors. Special attention should be paid to the inside surfaces of the planter, wood ends and hidden surfaces as well as other potential spots where water might step in.
Planter made by our plan has a slatted bottom. It is recommended to put crushed rocks or drainage rocks in the bottom so the water can drain out. To extend the planters life, you can protect its inside by lining it with damp proof membrane or with aluminum liner. In that case, do not forget to make drainage holes on the liner.