Grow What You Eat: Wooden Planters

Plants need homes. A certain someone who is handy with such things was kind enough to build me two large wooden boxes to give my plants a place to live.

He used scrap wood to build the planters, then I ordered Tung Oil and Citrus Solvent from The Real Milk Paint Company to protect them from weather damage.

I used an old milk carton to mix the two liquids together, then used a very very old Girl Scout t-shirt to spread the oil onto the wooden boxes. Two coats did the trick, though I'm sure three coats wouldn't have hurt.



Once the finish dried, I lined the boxes with part of a plastic drop cloth (found at Home Depot for a couple of bucks) with holes punched in it for drainage. Then I filled them with a couple of bags of potting soil, a layer of compost and voila!

One planter currently houses two tomato plants, a jalapeno pepper plant and a green pepper plant. Next year, I'll split these up into two planters, as the pepper plants are currently being overshadowed by the gargantuan tomato plants.

The other planter houses a row of green bean plants and a row of pea plants. Next year, I'll split these up into two planters as well, as the peas are struggling for some space.

The other containers I've used in the garden are all ones I have collected over the years, including plastic hanging pots, plastic pots of all shapes, sizes and colors as well as a clay strawberry pot.

Happy homes make happy plants!