If you are looking a unique and fun way to grow and display herbs, flowers and even small vegetable plants on your patio, deck or porch, our new 3 tier, DIY vertical planter box plans might be just the ticket!
Vertical planters have become quite popular over the past few years. Not only do they look great on patios, porches and decks, they are great for conserving space in these areas with their upward design.
With their unique towering design, they can allow for plenty of room to grow nearly anything. Especially if the layout allows for a deep enough growing box.
Large tiered planters can really make a statement. For starters, you can fill them with big blooming annual flowers for a huge splash of color. But they are also great for growing herbs – which can be handy for quick snips of flavor for the kitchen or grill.
You can even fill them with a few compact vegetables and greens too. Not only can the planter be a smorgasbord of color and texture, but a pretty good source of food as well!
Creating A Sturdy, Attractive Patio Planter For The Farm – 3 Tier Planter Box Plans
With all of those great thoughts of small-space growing in mind, we wanted to create a few vertical planters for the patio and outdoor living spaces going in at the new farm.
For us, we want to fill a couple of planters with annual flowers to brighten up the patio spaces. But even more, we are also really looking forward to having fresh herbs and veggies right near where we use them the most – at our grill and outdoor eating area!
As we like to do with anything we build for the outdoors, we wanted to build strength, functionality and long-term durability into our planter boxes.
Unfortunately, many of the ready-made planter boxes available tend to be a bit flimsy. Whether made of lightweight plastic or thin wood, they simply don’t hold up. Even worse, many also don’t allow room for enough soil to grow any sizable plants at all.
Creating A Sturdy, Spacious Planter – 3 Tier Planter Box Plans
To avoid all of those pitfalls, we started by using 2 x 4’s to create a sturdy base for the growing boxes. Thick, heavy 2 x 4’s stand up strong to harsh winds, rain, and the hot summer sun. Unlike thin wood or lightweight plastic, they won’t bend, warp or split over time.
And what about that growing room? To grow well, most herbs, annuals and small vegetable plants need at least 6 to 7 inches of soil depth. This helps plants establish deep roots. Even better, it also helps to keep them from drying out too quickly.
With that in mind, we used 1 x 8″ boards to create our growing boxes. This allows for plenty of growing room to keep plants happy and healthy all summer long.
Not only is the 3 tier planter box simple and easy to build, its vertical design is attractive too. It fits nearly any space, style or decor and lets you grow almost anywhere. The exterior can be created from traditional lumber (untreated pine), cedar, or any hardwood option.
You can even use treated lumber if you will not be growing vegetables or herbs. We created ours from rough-sawn pine to give it a more rustic feel. The sky really is the limit when it comes to choosing your source of lumber.
No matter what lumber you use, with three full-size planter boxes, there is plenty of room to put plenty of plants! In fact, you can easily create an entire herb or flower garden with just a single 3 tier planter.
3 Tier Planter Box Plans – How To Create Your Own Planter Box With Ease!
The planter box can be made with just (1) 2 x 4 x 8, (2) 2 x 4 x 10’s, and (3) 1 x 8 x 10′ boards. The project requires very little in the way of tools. In fact, if you have a tape measure, drill driver and a circular saw, you have all you tools need. (Planter Box Plans – Link)
Once the materials are cut to size, the planter boxes go together quickly. In a little under 3 hours, we had our boards cut, the box assembled, and planting was underway!
Planting, Drainage & Care
For draining away excess moisture from rain or when watering, we drilled a few holes in the bottom of each box to act as a drain. The drain holes do an excellent job of keeping the plants healthy and from being over-watered.
To plant, we filled our boxes with our homemade potting soil. Whether planting hanging baskets, container plants, or planter boxes, success in growing all starts with using great soil. (See : How To Make Great Potting Soil)
As for the inside of the boxes, it is best not to paint them if you will be growing any herbs or vegetable plants. You can line the interior with plastic if you are looking to preserve the wood for as long as possible.
Even without a plastic lining, the growing boxes are thick enough and built tough enough to handle years and years of growing without worry. Here is to creating your very own DIY 3 tier planter box this year. And even better grow something fun and beautiful on your porch, patio or deck!
3 Tier Planter Box Plans
As we do with all of our DIY projects, we do have complete step by step plans for the planter box now in our Etsy DIY Plans store. The plans include a cut list, material list, and complete step by step building instructions. They will guide you through the building process from start to finish.
As we always do with a new plan release, we love to give our regular readers a first day “New Release” discount. For today only, just put SAVE15 in the promo code box at checkout to get $1.50 off of the regular $10 price!
Here is to creating your own DIY vertical planter box for your home. Not only will it let you grow even more, it can also add a bit of flair to your patio or deck too! Happy Gardening, Jim and Mary.
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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