How to Make a Simple Pallet Planter

Wood pallets lend themselves perfectly to building planters. When flat, they look just like what they are: wooden platforms. But when set upright and turned backward, they’re ready to be converted into three-tier, wall-mounted planters for trailing plants, flowers, or herbs.

This is a fun, fast, and easy project that you can build from a pallet or two in just a couple of hours. Because so much of the planter is already in place, the building is kept to a minimum, allowing you to devote more time to decorating the planter.

How You’ll Make a Pallet Planter

When you stand a pallet on end and look at it from the back, you will notice that a number of the horizontal boards line up with each other: one in front, one in back. These will become the walls of the planter boxes—already built.

Since these planter boxes have no bottoms, it’s up to you to nail a few boards in place.

After that, staple landscape fabric on the insides of the planter boxes and the back of the pallet to prevent soil from spilling out. Decorate the pallet, add soil and plants, and you’re done.

Basic Wood Pallet Components

• Top Deck Boards: Pallets that are 48 inches by 40 inches usually have seven top deck boards and 30-inch by 30-inch pallets have five top deck boards. After conversion to a pallet planter, the top deck boards will form the planter’s front wall.
• Bottom Deck Boards: On the bottom are five deck boards for the larger 40-inch pallets and three deck boards for the smaller 30-inch pallets. As a pallet planter, the bottom deck boards will form the backs of individual planter boxes.
• Stringers: Stringers are the two-by-fours that run perpendicular to the top and bottom deck boards. There will be two side stringers and one center stringer. As a pallet planter, the stringers will form the sides of individual planter boxes.