We made these quick and easy garden boxes on the weekend and they are so simple to do, even kids can make them! Originally, my daughters decided that they wanted to have their very own mini garden plot where they could plant their own goodies, weed, water and look after it by themselves and then it was their decision if they would dry their herbs and eat the other vegetables or sell it in the neighborhood! I thought this was a great idea!
Together we planned the simplest way to make these garden boxes, and it really could not be easier! For each mini garden box, we used one and a half boards — three boards made 2 boxes! We opted to leave the bottoms open so it could drain much easier, but you can cover the bottom with wood if you so choose. We made these garden boxes with 4 items which makes it simple and fun to put together with your kids! Secure the wood together with some nails or screws, add landscaping cloth by using a stapling gun (or a manual carpenter stapler) and voila, a garden box — super simple! Then fill it up with garden dirt and plant your goodies! There you have it in 4 (or maybe 5) easy steps!!
We homeschool, so this became a project for my daughters to complete. This is a great way for them to use a variety of skills like math and measurements while using practical skills like building and gardening. It also teaches them responsibility for caring for their gardens by watering and weeding and is a neat way to learn about weeds, how plants grow and strengthens their science skills by experimenting with different seeds and learning about which types of dirt produce the best gardening results plus a quick lesson on photosynthesis is easy to sneak in there! We can also learn different uses for different herbs aside from adding it to meals and salads! They can learn science and math without even realizing it — its a fantastic way to see how these skills fit in our everyday world. It also teaches them to be thankful and grateful. And of course they can add decorated rocks or fun items to their garden boxes too!! A garden box they can call their own sounds fabulous to me!!
Let’s get building!
There’s 4 easy steps to building this garden box! Step 1 is to cut the wood in the desired lengths. Step 2 is to assemble the garden box with screws or nails. Step 3 is to attach the landscaping cloth and place garden box where you like in your yard. Step 4 is to fill it with dirt. Then you are ready to plant! Super easy!
We purchased 2×6 boards in 8 foot lengths. We decided to cut two boards in half (4 ft each) and then one board in fourths (2 ft each) which when assembled, makes 2 garden boxes. Initially we thought we would stack them so it would be deeper to grow more root vegetables, but then my daughters decided they’d have 2 small, shorter boxes rather than one. We paid $14.99 per piece of 2x6x8′ kd spf lumber – spf means that the wood is a combination of spruce, pine and fir.
Once the boards are cut, it is time to assemble. We actually got the boards cut at the hardware store because it was convenient for us. We used both screws and nails but you can use either. Attach one small 2′ board to a 4′ board on each side. Then attach a 2′ board to the other end.
It should look something like this once built. Pretty simple really. Its a project my kids decided to do as a home skills project and this is the way they decided to build it because it was easy and a quick way for them to build with the length of boards they chose, cheaper since they only required 3 boards each and easy for them to move around the yard plus it uses much less dirt, but you can easily make them as large or small as you like!
Once the garden box is assembled, it is time to staple the landscaping cloth on. We doubled it up so its less likely the grass will grow through! Be careful to not pull too tight or the cloth may rip and tear!
Flip the box over and set it where you would like it in your yard. We have lots of room by our fence, so that is where we chose to put them. It gets both sunshine and shade which is great!
Once the garden box is set in its spot in the yard, it is time to fill it with garden dirt! We also added a bit of potting soil simply because we had it to use up! Each garden box took about 80L of dirt and cost roughly $3.98 per 25L. We did not pack it in and did not leave the dirt to settle, so more dirt may need to be added next year. For things like beans, lettuce, cucumbers and squash and a variety of herbs, there is sufficient dirt! For a root vegetable though, I would add much more and probably double up so the garden box is much deeper for carrots, beets, potatoes and so on to grow in! This is a fabulous start and a wonderful experiment! My girls were eager to get planting!
Everything is planted! Now to wait patiently, weed it and water it. I am excited to see how well their gardens grow!
Overall, each plot cost roughly $38.92 to make, a bit pricey, but not too bad. The price of lumber is a little crazy right now! This would be much more cost efficient when lumber prices go down. Cedar is another great building option and will ward off pesky bugs, but here in Canada, it is much more costly. This was a fun building project and I enjoyed watching my kids have fun and taking pride in assembling and building their garden boxes and then adding dirt and planting their seeds. Gardening is such a great skill to learn and an important one on the homestead — even in the city!!
You may be wondering what about our other garden plot. We do still have our garden plot in the community garden but my kids wanted something to call their own. We found last year, our garden plot at the community garden simply was not enough! My goal is to one day, grow enough vegetables that we can enjoy throughout the summer and all winter long. We definitely will not meet that goal this year, but little by little, we will get there!
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours