Easy Wooden Planters

This post is a how-to for a very simple DIY planter box. It consists of two "U" shaped framing members and a few horizontal planks to tie the whole structure together. With varying sizes of wood, your planter sizes can also vary, so take my measurements only as a guide. Feel free to scale up, or down, to your needs. You can dress this kind of box up by accurately lining up the screws, staining the exterior, or even adding trim to corners and top. 

Lastly, text instructions makes this seem more complicated than it really is. If you can cut straight and handle a drill, one box shouldn't take more than an hour or two.

The Wood

 

It all starts with some wood: I had some scrap wood, seen on the right, and some purchased pine, seen on the left. You will have a choice of various board widths —but I typically go with 1x4 lumber (actually 3/4 x 3-1/2 inches) when I am not scavenging from scraps. You could also use thicker and wider cedar decking. Pine is often the cheapest lumber and cedar triple the price of pine, but that price difference reflects the relative abundance of each lumber resource. The higher price of cedar affords you greater longevity and better aesthetics for you planter.

 

In addition to 1x4 boards, you'll need a length of 2x2 pine or cedar for the interior framing. One 2x2x8 should be enough for one box of roughly 12"W x 16"L x 15"H. Make sure the 2x2 lumber isn't twisted or seriously warped before bringing it home. Purchase wood that is already dry, and preferably stored indoors, because wet wood will warp as it dries. It's simply better to start with dry, straight wood. That said, the lengths of 2x2 needed are fairly short, so a little bit of warp over the full 8 foot length shouldn't effect the results.

The Tools

 

Of course, you'll need some tools: tape measure, pencil, drill, drill bits, a chop saw (or good pull-saw), and some 1-1/2 inch and 3 inch screws. A carpenter's square is useful too. I don't recommend an air compressor and nail gun as this kind of construction is best with exterior-rated, star-drive screws. Screws are simply superior for holding wood together in outdoor environments.

Chop Saw

 
My first chop saw, aka miter saw, a corded Dewalt 703, I picked up in 2004 and is still in use today! I just used this saw to cut maple for frames made for my latest art exhibit and the only change I made was to add this new Freud blade. Not to say there aren't other good miter saws out there, but this basic Dewalt saw has given me zero problems, is easy to adjust, and its only lack is the deeper cutting capacity of the 12" Dewalt. Frankly, unless you are doing crown moulding, get the simpler saw for its lower cost and reliability. The DW703 is out of production, but its successor, the Dewalt DW713, is an even better model —highly recommended.

Handsaw (Pull-saw)

Of all the tools required for this planter box, the saw is the one where you have many options —I do not mean in brand, but in style of tool. Nearly all cuts needed for this simple planter box can be made with a chop saw except the bottom corner cuts. All cuts could be made with a jigsaw, or a common handsaw; hell you could do it with a reciprocating saw (aka Sawzall, the Kleenex of reciprocating saws)! But none of these would do a good job on all cuts. That's the thing about saws —they all have their best use and everything else is either sloppy or dangerous.

 

However, if I were to select one saw that can be used for this entire project, especially where there is no access to power, it would be a pull-saw. Specifically, I would want a Japanese-style, preferably Japanese-made, pull-saw known as a ryoba. A ryoba is a type of super sharp, super thin, steel blade saw mounted to a wood, plastic, or wrapped wood handle. They can be shorter or longer, and most, if not all have teeth on both sides of the blade —one side for ripping, the other for cross cutting. 

 

A ryoba works on the pull stroke —there is no push stroke! When the blade is pulled, the steel teeth cut into the wood, naturally maintaining a straight cut because the blade is in tension. This is its genius. The operator will hardly exert any effort —just a light pull on the saw. You can create exceptionally straight crosscuts needed for the planter's planking and frame. Unlike a powered chop saw, you can also easily cut out the corners from the bottom planks. It is truly a versatile saw that is considerably less expensive, noisy, and heavy than a chop saw. If you have a chop saw, use it for speed, and reserve the ryoba for those trickier corner cuts.

My first ryoba, the one used on this project, was bought in a Tokyo hardware store and lasted for many years, until a few too many accidental pushes bent the thin steel. Now I have a Gyokucho 651, the one in the above picture, and works as well as my first. Unlike my first ryoba, the blades on the Gyokucho, are replaceable, which I like. Another popular ryoba at a good price is the Suizan 9.5 inch.

Drills & Drivers

The Bosch drill in the above picture was my first cordless drill —long ago replaced by a Dewalt Model 780 which I believe is out of production. For a project like this (and others), you cannot beat the performance of the Dewalt DCD771D1. As of 1/1/2025 it is under $100 with battery, charger, and bag —a very low price. But, if you want a stronger performer with a metal chuck, I highly recommend the Dewalt DCD800D2 which is also at a low low price as of 1/1/2025. Everyone should have a cordless drill in the house.

 

Now I only use my Dewalt drill for making holes because I bought an impact driver —a seriously long overdue replacement for using a drill to drive screws, bolts and lags. The versatility of an impact driver is huge —from woodworking to landscape work, home repair to auto repair. You will worry much less about jump-skipping bits and stripping screws as you drive them.  

 

However, for this project, you can be successful with only a drill -cordless or corded. It works and it's how we used to do it! But I love my Dewalt MAX* XR Impact Driver, pictured above, and use it for all kinds of projects, including for driving thousands of screws and lags when building large raised beds and boxes for Artist & Builder.

 

Tapes and Squares

 

I still have that 30 ft Stanley tape in the photo, but I have newer ones that I prefer to use —my ideal size, the Stanley 25ft Model 33-725. The smaller size and rounded shape fits best in my hand, easily clips onto my jean pocket, and has a pretty lengthy standout (although 11ft may be pushing it). For a project like this, a much smaller tape measure will do, like this 10ft Stanley.

 

There isn't a carpenter's square in the photo, but I used one. They are handy for drawing a straight line across a plank after marking the length. It's much easier to line up the saw blade with this line. The square will also come in handy when cutting the corners for the bottom planks -you'll see what I mean later on in this how-to. 

 

I use two types: the Swanson 7 Inch Speed Square and a try square. When it comes to try squares (tried and true), I prefer an "old tool barn find," of which I have a handful, but for the price, you can make due with a new Swanson 8" Try Square. For most quick and dirty projects like a scrappy planter box, I grab my Swanson metal speed square because its easy, quick, and I can drop it a thousand times and it's still good for this kind of project.

 

Safety First

 

Make sure to have safety glasses whenever using power tools! They are low-cost and available where ever you buy tools.

Let's Get On To Building A Planter Box

I needed four 2 x 2 x 14 inch posts for the interior framing. Square the 2x2 by cutting a small slice off the end —make sure to remove any staples that might be holding a tag in place. Then measure (twice), mark and cut (once) each 2x2 at 14 inches long. It is important that your cuts are square (90 degrees) so that each post sits squarely on the bottom your planter box. You can check for square using one of many kinds of carpenter squares —I like this one.

 

Now take another length of 2x2; measure and mark at 12 inches long. Cut and repeat once.

These two twelve-inch long 2 x 2 pieces will become the bottom of the U-shaped frame. Using your cordless drill and a #8 drill bit, drill two pilot holes about 3/4-inch from each end and centered on the 2x2 (see picture, above, for placement visual). 

 

A completed "U" shaped framing member.

Afterward, line up two previously cut 14 inch posts in the fashion you see in the picture, above. Before attaching, lay "U" on its side to continue the pilot holes into the vertical arms of the "U." Make sure to keep the post and bottom pieces lined up while drilling. Now, drive one 3-inch long star-drive screw through each of the two holes on the the bottom 2 x 2 into the posts.  

*Note that in the above picture you can see that the bottom piece is 3/16 inch wider than the 2x2 verticals —this is because I used a scrap 2x4, cut in half, for the bottom. This won't be an issue when using a store bought 2x2x8 for all of the framing.

 

Two "U" shaped interior frame members anchor the entire planter box.

You will repeat this step for the other "U" shaped frame that will be opposite the other inside the finished planter box. Now you are ready for the plank sides.

 

The old rule always stands: Measure twice, cut once.

 

I decided to make a 12x16 inch planter box, so I now need to cut four 12-inch planks for each of two planter sides. Take a board, cut one end to square (90 degrees) and then measure, from this fresh cut end, to 12 inches. Mark and cut square. The planks should fit exactly on the "U" shaped frame, sitting flush with the members' edge. The planks I am using are 3.75 inches wide, so that I needed four planks, stacked side by side, to rise from near the bottom of the "U" frame to the top of its 14 inch tall members. The total height of the planters will be 15.5 inches tall.

Notice the exposed 1/2 inch of the bottom of the "U" shaped frame.

 

In the above image, I have four planks lined up nicely, if imperfectly, on the frame and an additional four planks for the opposite frame. I wasn't too concerned with the final appearance —these were scrap wood boxes after all. Since these planks are 3.75 inches wide, a stack of four comes to a height of 15 inches. The 2x2 verticals posts are 14 inches tall, plus the bottom horizontal member is 1-1/2 inch thick, making the "U" shaped frame a total of 15-1/2 inches. 15-1/2 inches minus 15 inches allows for a 1/2 inch reveal of the frame at the bottom.

 

Here you can see the edge of one of my planks. It has some unnecessary holes, but none too big to concern myself with. Drill two pilot holes (in the picture, it's the smaller one near the corner) per plank edge so that you don't split the plank when you drive screws through. The pilot holes should be set 3/4 inch from the cut edge to ensure the screws center on the 2x2 post. Each plank needs two pilot holes per side, so that four screws hold the plank in place. Feel free to measure accurately to line up the screws nicely or care not at all and eyeball it!
 

Once you have the pilot holes driven, you can then line the planks up with the "U" shaped frame. Hold each plank in place and drive a #8 star-drive screw through the plank and into the 2x2 frame, beneath. Be careful to ensure the planks are flush with the edges and well-aligned up the frame. If need be, you can lever the vertical 2x2 a bit to line it up with the planking —but only lever the 2x2 if you are sure planks are all measured equally and are flush with each other. If planks are cut accurately, there shouldn't be a need for more than an 1/16th of levering, if at all. It's also possible to loosen the bottom U-frame screw a bit to make that levering easier. I reiterate, however, that this shouldn't be necessary when measured and cut accurately.

 

This image shows (almost all) the 1-1/2 inch #8 star-drive screws driven through the planks into the "U" shaped frame. Repeat this for the opposite side. The star-drive screws should sink easily, so that they sit flush in any soft wood. Hardwoods may require a countersink, like this one, to carve out a recess for the screw head, so that it sits flush.

Here, both "U" shaped frames have been "planked." You will determine the length and width of your planter box, but I decided on a rectilinear shape of 12 x 16 inches. In the above picture, you can see that the second set of planks will overlap the short-side plank edges. This means that the pilot holes you will drill into the next set of longer planks need to be set in an additional 3/4 inch (the thickness of the planks) from the cut ends.

 

Measure, mark and cut 8 planks, each at 16 inches long, ensuring that all cut ends are square.

 

Above are four 16" planks laid over the completed short sides —the pilot holes are set 1-1/2 inches from the edge so that the screws sink into the center of the 2x2 framing. Feel free to line up pilot holes for a more polished look.

 

After pilot holes are drilled, line up and flush the edges of each with the short sides. Sink a 1-1/2 inch star-drive screw through each pilot hole, into the framing beneath. Do this for each of the four planks; then do the opposite side of the planter. *Note that the illustration above isn't lined up just right, and in fact the planks are upside down. Just make sure to line things up well!

With a good size pile of scrap wood, I made several boxes. However, some of my 2x2 scrap was a bit short. In the image above, you can see the "U" shaped framing 2x2s do not extend to the top. That's okay, it still works, but it also meant that I couldn't use two screws per side of the uppermost plank. Two screws are better than one in this case because, as dry wood gets wet, the upper plank warps outward. The moral of the story is to make sure your 2x2 length matches your planter box dimensions.

Now its time to place a bottom on this scrappy planter box. This is the most complicated part of the entire planter box building project, however, it is still pretty simple. You can do it!

 

First, take a measurement of the planter box bottom interior.

Since the bottom planks will be rest on the 2x2 bottom framing, make sure to measure across the sides with 2x2 bottom framing. My planter box needed 14-1/2 inch lengths of plank.

After recording the bottom dimensions, measure, mark, and cut to length your planks. My remaining scrap wood planks did not add up, side by side, for a perfect fit, so I had to cut a small 1-1/2 inch width piece to make up the difference.

*Pro Tip: To avoid additional cutting when planking the bottom, consider the bottom plank board widths when deciding on the size of your planter box! Common store bought 1x4 boards are 3-1/2 inches wide —this requires that your short-side planter box dimensions be in multiples of 3.5. Therefore, the easiest short-side dimension could be 10-1/2 inches, 14 inches, 17-1/2 inches, and so on. 

 

Place the bottom planks side by side and measure the width to ensure it will be a good fit when installed in the box. You'll notice that the 2x2 vertical framing is in the way of sliding the bottom planks into the box. Only the central plank(s) can go in, uncut. The exterior planks require cut corners to get around the 2x2 framing. How do we do this?

 

Pro Tip: Store bought dimensional "stick" lumber will be smaller than the named dimension (this does not apply to "sheet" lumber, like plywood). If you haven't already noticed, a store-bought 2x2 is about 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 inches. This is due to lumber mill practices —the 2x2 was cut "green," meaning it was fresh, wet wood and, as it dried, it shrank to about 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 inches. Sometimes you will find 1-3/8 or 1-5/8 inch sides, so measure your 2x2 to figure out how much you need to cut out for the bottom planks.

 

There are several tools you can use to cut out the corner area -but whatever you choose, don't try to do it on the power miter saw! I like to use a Japanese pull saw, like this one. There are also several saws that mimic the Japanese pull saw that will also work. Another option is to choose a Jig Saw, like this one. In a pinch, you could give a traditional European hand saw or even a coping saw. Any saw that will allow you to safely cut with the grain (aka "ripping" along the length and parallel to the grain) and against the grain (aka crosscut, perpendicular to the grain) will work.

 

From the top, looking down, you can see the corner cuts made to fit the bottom planks.

 

Measure and mark the corner cutout —in my case 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 inches. Using a square and any marking tool, draw out the corner to be cut to help guide your cutting. The cuts don't need to be perfect, just to fit —after all, it will be covered in soil! Once these cuts are made, slide the outer planks down into the box. You can screw the planks down to the bottom frame or just allow gravity to do the work. Drill a few 1/2 inch drainage holes. If you wish, you may attach additional 2x2 pieces for increased bottom plank support, but I didn't feel it was necessary for a scrappy box.

And here is the finished planter box. This is easiest, but scrappiest, box I could make. There are many ways to improve fit and finish, but the basic construction technique can be the same. 

 

An improvement to this box, above, would be to bring the 2x2 posts all the way up to the top. Another would be to use the same species of wood for the sides! Certainly you could use your square to line up the screws for a more uniform look and could also match the screw color to the wood species color (the screws I used were intended to match green, treated lumber). 

 

Resist the temptation to use smaller, trim screws for the side planking -the heads are too small to resist the outward forces wet/dry wood expansion and contraction. If you want to clean up the look, consider purchasing 1x2 cedar/pine/other species, cut to the height and attached to the corners with trim screws —make sure to avoid driving the trim screw into the head of the plank screws underneath. You will only need 8 trim screws on each corner. 

Finally, you could add a top plate made of 1x4. This requires 2x2 framing along the interior, top edge to anchor the top plate trim screws. If so desired, 1x2 trim pieces can be cut to fit on the underside, exterior of the top plate. Whatever you do, do not miter-cut, at 45 degrees, the corners of the top plate. These will shrink, warp, and pull apart in no time. Just do square, 90 degree cuts.

Three finished planter boxes in poplar, redwood, and pine.

I intended to make functional, scrappy boxes on the cheap, and in many cases you get what you pay for. These, however, will be vegetable planter boxes that few will see. I also made them on my Brooklyn sidewalk with an extension cord hanging out my window. It's not always possible to find a woodworking shop, right?

There are several ways you can modify this simple design —it's entirely up to you! Cedar posts and planking will make a longer-lasting planter. Professionals often use treated lumber for framing and bottoms, using only the more expensive lumber for the sides and trim —this choice depends on your end use (I avoid treated for vegetables). You can plank your boxes vertically, although you will need to change the "U" shaped frame on each side to a square 2 x 2 frame, with one frame at the bottom and the other at the top.

A few things to note if you are planting vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and others:

• Deeper is better so that the roots have room to spread out, especially for tomatoes.
• I filled my box with pure compost, but also added some moisture-holding potting mix 
• Planter soil, especially in exposed sunny, windy sites, or on hardscape, can dry rapidly.
• My mixture was roughly 60% compost, 40% potting mix.
• Make sure to check often so that your vegetables aren't stressed by dry soil.
• Consider adding drip irrigation if you have access to water spigot.
• Plants, like tomatoes, will send roots into ground soil if you place the pot on soil.

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