10 Clever Wood Pallet Vertical Garden Projects

Vertical gardens are all the rage right now for their ability to maximize planting space and infuse any area with an explosion of greenery. However, elaborate vertical garden structures can be expensive to purchase and install. This is where repurposed wood pallets come in! Used wood pallets provide the perfect material for creating customized vertical planters on a budget. They are easy to source for free, simple to build with, and allow you to grow a lush vertical garden virtually anywhere. Beyond saving money, pallet vertical gardens offer a sustainable way to reduce waste by reusing shipping pallets. They also deliver excellent airflow and drainage critical for healthy plant growth.

What Makes Wood Pallets Great for Gardening

It's easy to understand why sturdy wood shipping pallets make tremendous materials for constructing unique vertical gardens and planter boxes.

For starters, wood pallets are widely available for free since companies have excess pallets after delivering shipments. This free source of quality wood makes pallet projects very cost-effective compared to buying new lumber. The rigid structure of pallets composed of slatted wood or plywood offers durable frames for building vertical supports and boxes to hold soil and plants while allowing for ample drainage and airflow circulation.

Wood pallets can be easily deconstructed and reconstructed into customized structures like vertical planter towers, hanging wall gardens, privacy screens with built-in planters, and more. The options are practically endless! Their modular, stackable nature lends well to experimenting with multi-level designs and unique shapes tailored to unique spaces.

Finally, reclaiming and repurposing wood pallets keeps them out of landfills. Upcycling them into vertical gardens gives used pallets renewed purpose while being kind to the environment.

Tips for Choosing and Preparing Pallets

When selecting wood pallets for your vertical garden, scout local businesses to find pallets in good condition that can support heavy soil weight without falling apart. Avoid chemically treated pallets that contained toxic pesticides or materials. Ensure any protruding nails are hammered down to prevent injuries.

Use a pressure washer to blast away surface debris on pallets before constructing your planters. Then sand down rough wood patches and seal the pallet wood with polyurethane or outdoor paint to protect against weathering damage over time.

Always wear thick gloves and eye protection when handling used pallets to avoid exposed nails and wood splinters.

Project #1: Wall-Mounted Planter Box

For a relatively easy vertical garden project, you can repurpose a sturdy pallet into a contained wall-mounted planter box perfect for herbs, greens, or flowering plants.

Building a Wall-Mounted Pallet Planter Box

Start by measuring and cutting a standard wood pallet down to desired dimensions for your box planter. You'll need an outdoor area at least 3-4 feet wide with mounting space for the finished pallet box. Gather the necessary tools including a saw, hammer, nails or screws, L brackets, landscape fabric, staple gun, and soil.

After cutting the pallet to size, position the pallet box against your chosen wall mounting area and mark where to attach heavy-duty L brackets or cleats to secure it in place. Consider weight-bearing capacity to safely support a soil-filled pallet planter. Pre-drill bracket holes before nailing or screwing brackets into wall studs for durability.

Line the inside of your pallet box with breathable landscape fabric. Staple the excess fabric to the inside edges of the pallets after it's positioned. Then fill your pallet planter about 3/4 full with potting soil mixed with compost or fertilizer. Don't pack soil down too densely or drainage will be hindered.

Finally, carefully mount your soil-filled pallet box onto the wall brackets. You now have a custom vertical garden awaiting flowers, herbs, or tasty greens!

Planting Your Wall-Mounted Pallet Garden

For easy growth and access, choose short bushy herbs like oregano, thyme, or mint for your wall planter. Leafy greens such as lettuces, spinach, kale, or chard also thrive with ample vertical room for lush leaves. You can also grow cascading flowers like petunias or trailing vines.

Check soil moisture frequently and use drip irrigation tubing if possible versus frequent watering from the top. Wall placement receives additional heat so monitor for dryness.

Project #2: Vertical Tiered Planter

Create visual drama and expand planting capacity through building a towering vertical pallet garden with stacked shelves or staggered tiers. Tiered designs allow customization of separate planter compartments at varying heights to play with color schemes and compatible plant pairings.

Constructing a Strong Tiered Pallet Planter

Gather at least four identical-sized pallets along with extra wood boards and galvanized pipes or rebar for the supporting structure. Have power tools on hand like a circular saw, drill, and drivers. Measuring tape, nails/screws, wood glue, landscape fabric, staple gun and soil complete supply needs.

Plan out the towering design you wish to create including desired tier dimensions and distances apart. Cut pallets and lumber accordingly with adequate vertical space for plant growth on each successive tier. Drill guide holes and insert galvanized pipes through pallet shelves or flanking either side to align even placement of shelves.

Securely attach all lumber frame elements with wood screws or nails and wood glue for durability. Then line each pallet shelf with landscape fabric before packing soil into the planter compartments.

Consider incorporating an irrigation system with soaker hoses or drip lines winding through each planting level. This will prevent soil erosion issues plus efficiently deliver water directly to all plants.

Plant Selection for Tiered Planters

When selecting plants, opt for compact, trailing varieties that won't overgrow boundaries plus complementary colors and textures for visual appeal across ascending tiers. Herbs like oregano, thyme, basil pair beautifully with petunias, marigolds,alyssum or creeping Jenny. Lettuces, greens, strawberries, or radishes inject fresh edibles into the mix.

Incorporating Pallet Garden Additions

Beyond containing plants, wood pallets can serve other functions through cool add-on elements to enhance your vertical gardening experience.

Pallet Irrigation System

Create an irrigation system for your pallet garden using recycled materials such as PVC pipes and connectors. Cut the pipes into desired lengths and connect them to a water source using a hose connector. Place the pipes around the pallet garden, and insert drippers or sprinklers at regular intervals. This system will help to conserve water and ensure that each plant receives the necessary amount of moisture.

Pallet Greenhouse

Create a greenhouse by covering your pallet garden with a clear plastic sheet. This will protect your plants from harsh weather conditions and provide a controlled environment for seed germination and plant growth. You can also use a frame made of recycled materials to hold up the plastic sheet.

Pallet Compost Bin

Create a compost bin using pallets to collect food scraps and yard waste. This will not only provide you with nutrient-rich soil for your pallet garden but also reduce waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill. You can also add composting worms to the bin to speed up the process.

Pallet Raised Bed

Create a raised bed by stacking multiple pallets and filling the enclosed space with bagged garden soil. The lifted height makes gardening easy without having to kneel or hunch over. Lining the pallets with landscape fabric helps contain the soil. Then sow vegetables, herbs or flowers directly into the enriched raised bed soil blend.

After reviewing these imaginative vertical garden concepts, you can see that wood pallets provide almost unlimited potential for DIY planter projects. Beyond the ability to grow food or ornamentals vertically, repurposing pallets into creative garden structures renews environmental resources favorably. With so many possibilities, you're bound to find an inspiring vertical pallet garden perfect for greening up your specific space whether big or small.