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Pallets as outdoor planters

hi2u_ukhi2u_uk Posts: 58
in Tools and techniques
I was reading online that pallets can be used as planters so i got a wooden pallet. However i am  now a bit concerned that it may rot due to moisture  etc. i dont know if the pallet i got has been treated however it is wooden.

Has anyone had a problems with using pallets as planters ?

Any tips on anything i should do before i start using it as an outdoor planter ?
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Posts

  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    I have not done this but I have seen plenty of photos posted by others. My reservations are twofold. First it looks very utilitarian and it is not something I would want in the garden, and nor do I have a suitable spot to put it. Painted slate grey, or something similar, might make it look less makeshift.

    My other concern is that the planting pockets would only take quite small pots which would dry quickly on hot summer days. You’d have to be very diligent with the watering and have a very trusted neighbour if you go on holiday.

    Sorry, these are reasons why not to do it, and why I haven’t, but those with more positive views might set me straight.
    Rutland, England
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    I've made several but they always look what they are.  I've long intended to work out how to make planters with square down pipes as legs, clad with roofing slates on the sides.  Should be possible but ........
  • hi2u_ukhi2u_uk Posts: 58
    I was actually thinking of using it as a raised bed by putting it flat down  on the ground.
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    I can’t visualise that at all. If you lay it slatted side down on the ground the bed won’t have any walls and so won’t be a raised bed. You could, with a lot of effort, dismantle the thing and rebuild it as a raised bed but that raises other issues: the bed walls will be low, the bed size will be very small and before you go to any trouble with this have you addressed the principal question of why you need a raised bed in the first place?
    Rutland, England
  • pinutpinut Posts: 194
    edited April 2023
    I have built several. The largest so far measures 3 x 1.45 x 0.46m (LxWxH).

    Under UK weather conditions they last 6 years max if lined with plastic (eg woven landscape fabric) and about 3-4 years if not lined. I do not apply paint or any other surface finishes.

    A planter is a container with a base so the soil/compost inside it does not touch the ground.

    The only types of pallets you should use are ones stamped HT (Heat Treated) or EPAL.

    Avoid pallets marked MB (Methyl Bromide) which have been fumigated with a toxic chemical. Also avoid painted pallets as they usually belong to haulage companies under a rental contract.

    Common pallet plank (or slat) length are between 80-120cm. Longer lengths are found on shipping crates for paving slabs and flat pack furniture.

    Common thicknesses of the planks are between 12-21mm.

    The width of each plank can vary quite a lot from pallet to pallet.

    When you design your planter, you have to keep the constraints of the pallet dimensions and the material you extract from them in mind.






  • Winston_The_Gravity_ManWinston_The_Gravity_Man Posts: 263
    If you're breaking pallets to make 'a low bed with wooden sides' .... a raised bed (to me) conjours up images of a substantial structure of, maybe, 36" height for the use of people who have difficulty bending down ... for 'no dig gardening' then you might be unintentionally inviting the local mollusc population to relocate to the spaces between wooden sides and liner !  Instead, why not just mound-up some compost on the ground and plant into that instead ?  Worth considering ?
    When there's always biscuits in the tin, where's the fun in biscuits ?
  • EustaceEustace Posts: 2,290
    I have laid flat a pallet base with a few slats removed on the ground and made a strawberry bed. It is now in it's third year. HTH.

    Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
    And then my heart with pleasure fills,
    And dances with the daffodils (roses). Taking a bit of liberty with Wordsworth :)

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I just don’t get that I’m afraid … if you’ve got ground why not plant in that?  As has been said, the more ‘structures’ are involved, the more nooks and crannies for molluscs to lurk in. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • EustaceEustace Posts: 2,290
    @Dovefromabove the ground is so very clayey and it is difficult for me to dig to plant the strawberry runners. So I laid down the pallet base, filled it with compost/top soil and planted the runners. I'm just sharing that it worked for me, that is all.
    Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
    And then my heart with pleasure fills,
    And dances with the daffodils (roses). Taking a bit of liberty with Wordsworth :)

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Understood @Eustace … my instinct is always to get the soil right first … but that’s probably my farming background. 😉 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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