Hey CityGirls!
I have decided to start a new feature on the blog titled Sunday DIY. Probably self explanatory, but the idea is that I will feature a new DIY project every Sunday. The goal is to find projects that keep the cost of materials to a minimum and take around a hour or less to complete.
Yesterday for my first Sunday DIY I decided to built a planter box to keep a few succulents in. I love having plants around the house but also like to plant ones that require minimal care because there are times when I'm away from the house for a couple days at a time and I don't want to have to worry about them dying while I am gone. Succulents are great for this because they don't need a lot of water or other care.
I built this box for inside my house but it can also definitely be kept outside. I was looking to build something that was around 15-18 inches in length and about 6-9 inches wide.
Note: The liner is optional. If you are placing this outside then I would do away with the liner.
Materials:
(I went to Home Depot for my materials because I knew they would have everything I was looking for)
-Wood: [The idea here is that you want 3 pieces that are the same size for the two sides and the bottom and then two additional pieces that are the same size as each other for the ends] I picked out a walnut board and had it cut into 3 pieces that were 16" in length and 2 pieces that were 8" in length. Walnut wood looks and feels really nice but is also somewhat pricey; You can find much cheaper woods that will work for less than half the price, just depends on the look that you are going for. Also, at most Home Depots they will cut the wood for you in the store, otherwise you can do it at home with a handsaw or electric saw. Wood I Used
-Soil: I used soil that is specifically meant for the type of plants I was potting, but a general soil mix will work fine too. Soil I Used
-Plants: For the size of the box I was building I figured that three plants would look the best. I picked up three succulents from the indoor garden section of HD.
-Liner: For the liner I actually headed to the paint section of the store and picked up a plastic drop cloth. The one I got was HUGE 9ft x 12ft so there was a bunch left over for future projects. Liner I Used
Other Materials You May Already Have on Hand:
-Hammer
-Nails (Be sure not to use ones that are too thick as they can split the wood)
Directions:
The first step is to construct your wooden planter! For this I simply used a hammer and nails. It is easier to have another person to help you at least get started putting the box together but it is not necessary. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures as I went during these steps so I will do my best to explain and then post a couple pictures of the end results.
I first nailed all of the 16" pieces together. To do this I held the bottom piece upside down and nailed in the side piece, starting with nailing in the corners first and making sure that the edges are as flushed as possible. (Imagine holding an upside down L while doing this) After nailing both edge pieces to the bottom (forming an upside down U at this point) I then flipped it over to nail in the remaining two pieces (the 8" ones) to the ends.
Directions:
The first step is to construct your wooden planter! For this I simply used a hammer and nails. It is easier to have another person to help you at least get started putting the box together but it is not necessary. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures as I went during these steps so I will do my best to explain and then post a couple pictures of the end results.
I first nailed all of the 16" pieces together. To do this I held the bottom piece upside down and nailed in the side piece, starting with nailing in the corners first and making sure that the edges are as flushed as possible. (Imagine holding an upside down L while doing this) After nailing both edge pieces to the bottom (forming an upside down U at this point) I then flipped it over to nail in the remaining two pieces (the 8" ones) to the ends.
Next up I added the liner. I cut a rectangular piece about 26" by 30" which ended up being a little too large but I would place it in there and play around with it to see how much of the excess you want to cut off. You probably don't want it hanging over the edges or being visible, I just used the liner so when I water it didn't run all over the surface I put it on. To secure the liner I actually used a glue stick which ended up working pretty well. Some other type of glue or possibly strong tape would also work as well.
Next up is the soil. I went through a few cycles of adding soil and then placing the plants in to see where they sit and adding more soil as necessary. You don't want them sitting way low in the planter but you also don't want them too high; Just an inch or so below the side of the planter.
At this point you are pretty much finished. I wish I had bought more wood because it took less time than I thought it would. Let me know if you try it or have any questions I didn't address!
And Happy Monday ;)
-CityGirl
