Raised planter from Wooden pallets

Depending on where the wood pallets are from and what they are made of sure!

If you have concerns with it, you can just line the insides or anywhere soil contact would be.

Also, do you get wood pallets for free? Do you have lots of free time to rip it apart, take out all the nails, and mill everything into useable pieces?

Raised planters can be had pretty affordably from most stores, but building stuff is fun

SubjectivelyObjective wrote: ↑ Depending on where the wood pallets are from and what they are made of sure!

If you have concerns with it, you can just line the insides or anywhere soil contact would be.

Also, do you get wood pallets for free? Do you have lots of free time to rip it apart, take out all the nails, and mill everything into useable pieces?

Raised planters can be had pretty affordably from most stores, but building stuff is fun

thanks for the info. Yes. I do get as many wood pallets as i want for free. I am planning to build at least 2 raised planters as of now. trying this for the first time

I do have some free time. During this winter, was planning to do it in the basement in my spare time.

glenn9090 wrote: ↑ thanks for the info. Yes. I do get as many wood pallets as i want for free. I am planning to build at least 2 raised planters as of now. trying this for the first time

I do have some free time. During this winter, was planning to do it in the basement in my spare time.

It should be pretty straight forward, reuse the larger members for corner and supports along longer lengths.

The annoying thing is always getting the nails out, because you'll probably want to rip the smaller pieces a little bit, so you can get them to butt up against each other nicely, but you could see how they sit without ripping.

Other than that, I would advise lining them, and trying to limit ground contact. Or if you're going to have ground contact you're going to want to treat those members a lot if you want them to last.

It's my understanding that for the most part pallets are NOW made with chemicals that dissipate within a month or so (to prevent mold). This leaves the concern about what was spilled on the pallet then (e.g. if it was shipping something toxic).

Personally I would first check if there are any stampings on the pallet on when it was made and who made it. I would then send a friendly email off to the manufacturer. If you cannot confirm the pallet is toxin free (whether by the manufacturer or what has been shipped on it) I would use a liner. When building them acquire your liners first so you can build that size.


That's just my opinion, I have little experience with pallets for home projects. But I'm pretty sure most pallets I have moved around are stamped (just whether the stamp tells you what's been done to the wood or who made it I don't know).

I've tried the pallet route to make beds but in the end its easier just to buy 2x6's.

Free is good but consider the time and effort spent on the project for something that won't last more than a couple seasons. I have a long planter at the side of the house made from treated 4x6's that I use as a flower bed and it was built over 15 years ago (still in perfect condition). I also have two huge oak barrel planters on the deck that are about the same age and still going strong.

All pallets are stamped.
Look for HT = Heat Treated
Stay away from MB = Methyl Bromide

Others (but less common) may be:
DB = Debarked or KD = Kiln Dried
these are safe too!

And of course, just because it is safe (from the stamp), doesn't mean that it's safe! Chemical spills are more common than you think.
And like my 'ol pa used to say, "You never know where an old pallet has been!" (but substitute pallet for something else)