DIY: Building Raised or Mounted Planters
Calling all plant parents! We have a project just for you. Is the floor space of your home dominated by the pots containing your sunshine-sucking tenants? Well, while we can’t exactly keep your home from appearing to be a plant nursery, we can help you reclaim square footage and improve the productivity and practicality of your plant care routine.
May we introduce: raised and/or mounted planters.
These are stylish decore choices, space savers, and best of all, better for the overall health of you and your foliage. Raised and mounted planters are not only easier to service (no more back-breaking bending and lifting) but they also provide more control over water retention and drainage. Additionally, they allow you to keep a tighter leash on weeds and soil quality, as well as all other kinds of garden maintenance.
By employing our DIY plan, you’ll provide all these benefits for you and your plants while saving yourself labor in the long term and money in the short term. Full customization power also falls into your hands with the Do It Yourself option as well as the personal satisfaction of a job well done and a plant well cared for.
Making a Plan
The first step to take on your new plant care journey is to determine what your personal plant needs are. Assess your current stock as well as any seedlings that may be on your wishlist and decide what types of plants you want to elevate and how many. Next, map out where in your home these fixtures will go. These two steps may overlap and take some trial and error to complete. This is where the ability to customize really comes into play. You can choose the type, size, style, and contents of your planters. Feel free at this stage to gather inspiration from all quarters, looking at various designs online or in gardening magazines to find the perfect style.
What will be most helpful at this point is to simply walk through your home looking for empty blank walls and empty corners and to keep these vacant spaces in mind as you do your research and begin to make choices about colors and materials. Be sure to make careful measurements of these areas and plan the dimensions of your planters accordingly. A good way to help yourself out during this process is to visualize the wished-for finished product in whatever way possible. For the artistically inclined among us, this will mean sketching out the layout and desired design for the space, and for others it will mean downloading some kind of design software to really get an idea of what you’re aiming for. A dream board of some kind will also serve you well, as we’ve discussed in previous blog posts. Gathering all your inspiration into one place will be immeasurably helpful in keeping you on track as will having a pre-determined budget.
Choosing and Gathering Supplies
Now we get to the nitty-gritty concrete decisions. Taking into consideration durability, aesthetics, and budget, decide what materials you want to build your planters out of. You will most likely be choosing between metal, wood, and plastic — metal being more affordable up-front, wood being easier to work with but harder to upkeep, and plastic being cheap but less durable and customizable.
The supplies and tools needed for the raised and mounted planter are listed here respectively.
Raised Planters
Supplies
Wood or metal boards according to taste
Screws or nails depending on the need for stability and material type
Wood glue (if applicable)
Landscape fabric
Tools
Saw
Drill
Screwdriver
Measuring tape
Level
Hammer
Mounted Planters
Supplies
Wood or metal boards according to taste
Screws or nails depending on the need for stability and material type
Wood glue (if applicable)
Landscape fabric
Wall brackets
Mounting hardware
Tools
Saw
Drill and/or screwdriver
Measuring tape
Level
Hammer
Wall anchors
Building and Installing Planters
After acquiring the required materials it’s time to build! Measure and cut the wood or metal to size, according to your design. Don’t be afraid to double and triple measure, because this is worth getting right on the first try. Take the appropraitae safety precautions regarding whatever cutting implement you choose (there are enough carpentry fails on youtube). Bring the frame and base together using screws or nails, adding wood glue where needed. Ensure it is sturdy at each stage, waiting for glue to dry before adding the next portion and using a level to ensure neat lines and headache-free installment. Secure legs or a stand to elevate the planter. Make sure they are evenly spaced and stable, again using the level to ensure evenness. Be sure to line the inside of the containers with landscape fabric before adding soil to prevent it from escaping and to help with water retention and drainage.
For mounted planters find a sturdy wall space (perhaps with a stud finder, depending on the weight of the planter) or fence that can support the weight of the planter. Secure wall brackets or mounting hardware to the chosen surface. This is necessary since mounting the planter directly onto the wall can be messy and will cause problems later on. Use wall anchors or screws as needed for support and attach the planter boxes or containers to the brackets, ensuring that they are level and securely fastened.
Finally, add soil to the planters, making sure to match it to the type of foliage you plan to plant in each. As some of you plant lovers may already know, some plants need denser, looser, or more nutrient rich soil than others. Level the prepared soil off and ensure it’s ready for planting, leaving enough space for your plants. Now for the fun part! Arrange plants in the newly mounted containers, spacing them properly and watering them well after planting. As time goes on, maintain your planters by watering, fertilizing, and pruning plants as needed. Some details you may want to add may include paint, decals, or other decorative elements to enhance the look of your planters. Incorporating built-in irrigation systems, trellises, or other features may be something you consider if you like how this project turns out.
Conclusion
To recap, what you need for DIY planters is determination, a good plan, plenty of inspiration, some power tools, and a bunch of raw materials… but mostly determination. And in the end, you will have a new stylish and healthy home for your plant babies to thrive in. We hope you have fun with this project! Tell us how it goes in the comments and check out more DIYs on our blog.
