The Palletic Garden

Pallets are simple, cheap wood constructions designed to support freight and transport goods from one place to another. For years no one gave them a second thought and most if they weren't recycled were thrown in the dumpster after they served their purpose.

With the minimalist movement supported by recycling enthusiasts and anyone who just wants some cheap construction supplies, pallets have become a high-demand commodity. Just ask the tiny house builders who use broken-down pallet wood for walls, siding, floors, and furniture. It's amazing what a person can do with the cheap, yet usable wood from pallets.

Years ago when I first moved into my house and was left with little funds to really be able to do any high-class remodeling, I used pallets for fence repairs and my compost bin walls.

 

I've grown tired of hauling all this compost to the woods so
I hide it on the side of my garden shed. This is from one week of
cleaning. It'll be ten times this come this fall. Then what will
I do with it?

My local hardware/feed store puts unsuitable pallets out on the corner for anyone to take. Unfortunately, they are often broken, smelly, or damaged in some way.

On that note, it's wise to be selective. I've drug heavy pallets into my van only to get a block away and realize they do smell and it's not a good smell or even a wood smell. I've read they can be treated with fire retardants, pesticides, covered in chemicals from products that leaked while being shipped, or infested with mold because of this spillage or water saturation. Also, beware of broken wood, sharp staples, rusty nails, or other dangerous conditions and don't bother with pallets that are too damaged to be of use or looking like they are rotting.

I attempted to collect some pallets for my tiny house idea, but after trying to break down the first one, I gave up. It's not easy to take them apart! They are built to withstand all kinds of stress during transportation with up to five nails or screws or twisty nails on each end of each wood piece. Wow. I read about one woman who built a tiny house, used pallet boards for the exterior siding, and had to break down eighty. That doesn't sound like a lot until you experience just one. Hard to imagine, but with patience, perseverance, and a whole lot of energy, it can be done.

If I had the strength to break down pallets I think I'd build one of Derek Diedricksen's lounge chairs. I've considered this, but I think you'd have to really sand the wood well so you don't get splinters in your butt AND I'm sure it takes him about 15 minutes to put it all together and it would take me at least 15 days if not 15 months. With the cost of building a deck or a porch, using pallet wood would be a huge savings.

Pallet gardening is the latest thing. I confess, I've run out of gardening space so I'm trying to find clever ways to use unusable yard space. My first idea is using pallets as a garden for lettuce. Raising it up off the ground makes it a really awesome raised bed which would promote growth since the soil would be kept warm, and might even deter bugs and slugs. That's a plus!

 

I had to use pallet boards from other pallets as the walls. Then I used another pallet as a floor to plug the holes between the slates so the dirt doesn't fall through.  I didn't want to use plastic as it would impede drainage nor buy special garden cloth because I'm cheap. Wood will work just fine. Free wood even better!

 

I placed it in the dog-kennel-now-strawberry-garden at the side of the house where the dog house used to be. That unusable slab of concrete will now serve as my lettuce, basil, and onion garden!

Lettuce babies...so cute!

 

I love the perfect rows creating a perfect pattern. Organized gardening!

My second borrowed idea is to use two leaning pallets for my squash garden.

Such a tiny little plot for my pumpkins, but it's all the space I have left!

Every year I plant squash and the tendrils crawl 50 feet across walkways, over bushes and take over the whole yard. It ends up being an unmanageable jungle. I'm hoping the tendrils can climb up the pallet trellis and the fruits can hang down under it. Well, that's what they showed in the example photo.

I've grown pumpkins here before and they were very successful
even though there isn't as much sunshine on this side of the house.

 

I found baby pallets!! They are about 2/3rds the size of regular pallets so lighter weight which is excellent. Much easier to carry and less strain on the wrists. They are so cute and in very good shape. I think they got rid of them only because they were such an odd size. It's my mission now to collect baby pallets as they are more manageable.

There are other clever ideas for pallets in gardens such as planters in various styles, tool organizers, outdoor shelves and tables, benches, swings, patio furniture, garden architecture over walkways, fencing, and wooden walkways.

Hooray for pallet gardening!

Gardening is so joyful!