Pallets can be used to create beautiful vertical gardens. However, some preparation is required before you can plant your pallets. You can find out how to do this step by step here.

Planted Euro pallets can be hung up or set up

Where can I get pallets from?

Getting used pallets is not that easy. Buying them online is usually not an option as the shipping costs are quite high. So all that remains is to become mobile. If there is a business park in your city, go there and look around. If you see stacks of pallets, just ask if you could get one or two. It does not necessarily have to be Euro pallets (€29.99). So-called one-way pallets or pallets with different dimensions can also be wonderfully planted.
Of course, you can also buy new pallets from a hardware store. An unplaned Euro pallet costs less than €20 here.

The principle of the planted pallet

Pallets are mostly used for vertical planting, although horizontal planting is also possible in principle. For vertical planting, the pallet is placed vertically with the long side down and then the mostly three subdivisions are closed at the bottom by screwing a board underneath. This creates three flower boxes. (€16.99) These are then lined with weed fleece, pond liner or similar so that the soil cannot fall out.

What tools and what material do I need to prepare the pallets?

Before planting, the pallets are sanded down, glazed and converted into flower boxes. For this you need:

  • Sandpaper and ideally a grinder
  • environmentally friendly, weatherproof glaze or paint and brush
  • Drill,(97.00€) screws
  • three boards per pallet to close the bottom of the pallet
  • Weed fleece or pond liner
  • staple gun

Planting a pallet: the instructions

1. Sand down pallet

To avoid getting splinters when planting and maintaining your pallet garden, you should sand down unplaned pallets. The smooth wood also offers less surface for moisture, dirt and pathogens to attack. The back of the pallet is particularly important visually, since it will later point to the front.

2. Close the bottom

To close the flower boxes, you have two options: You can buy boards of the required size from the hardware store, or you have a second Euro pallet at hand and remove the three long boards on the back of the pallet and use them.
Screw the three boards to the bottom of each of the three dividers, creating three boxes.

3. Painting

Now take an environmentally friendly, weatherproof glaze or varnish and paint your Euro pallet or pallet with it to protect it from the weather and moisture. You can choose a transparent varnish or you can add color to your palette. You can also paint each subdivision a different color.
Then wait for the paint to dry completely.

4. Lay out with fleece or foil

If you fill the pallets with flower pots, you don't have to line them with foil

Now the three boxes are laid out with foil or weed fleece. This is stapled to the top edge. If the weed fleece is permeable to water, you do not need to provide additional drainage. However, if you have decided on pond liner or another waterproof plastic, you should then poke several holes in the bottom so that excess water can drain off.
You can save yourself this step if you only want to place pots in your pallet.

5. Stabilize

So that your Euro pallet does not fall over, you should provide it with feet or anchor it at an angle. Of course, this step is not necessary if you want to hang the pallet on the wall. However, if you want to set up the pallet vertically, saw two boards of the same length and screw them diagonally to the right and left under the pallet so that it cannot fall over. Another option is to place the pallet at a slight angle, e.g. against a wall and use stones or similar to prevent it from slipping.
Now place your pallet in its final location so you don't have to move it anymore.

6. Fill the pallet with soil

Put one to two centimeters of gravel in the flower boxes as the bottom layer. This serves as a drainage layer. Then fill the subdivisions two-thirds full with soil.

7. Plant Euro pallet

Now place your selected plants in the pallet and fill in the remaining gaps with soil up to just below the edge. Water your pallet garden.

tips

Want to create a larger vertical garden? Then just screw two pallets on top of each other!

What to plant on the pallets?

Pretty much all typical balcony plants can be used for planting on pallets, such as:

  • Pelargoniums (geraniums)
  • begonias
  • fuchsias
  • elf spur
  • petunias

But pallets can also be used for growing fruit and vegetables. Prosper wonderfully here:

  • salad
  • spinach
  • strawberries
  • radish
  • cress

And if you like to cook delicious food, you can plant a variety of delicious herbs on your palette, e.g.:

  • oregano
  • basil
  • thyme
  • chives
  • rosemary
  • mint

tips

When planting your Euro pallet, pay attention to the site conditions. Most plants need a lot of sun to thrive.

Category:

Garden design