Spring Break Porch Makeover - Part 2: Pallet Herb Garden

Now it is time for step 2 of the porch makeover!  A pallet project.   I found inspiration for the project here at PinkWhen.com and I'm excited to see what I can do.   Her directions are great - only I don't have a lot of the tools she mentioned (like a kreg jig) so I had to do some improvising.  I'll explain that part as we go.

Need to see part 1 of the porch makeover? 

I noticed a pile of pallets outside behind ACE hardware this morning on my way back from plant shopping.   So I popped in and asked if I could have one.   They told me to help myself to as many of the un-painted ones as I want. One for now...:)  I picked what looked like a good one and loaded it up to haul it home.

Then it was on to youtube to find out how to break down a pallet.   This was going to be harder than I thought!  I wish I had a sawzall...that makes it look easy!   There were a lot of great ideas, but I didn't have the tools.  So I followed the directions on this video, but instead I used a large flat screwdriver (a stand in for a crowbar) and a hammer to pry up all the boards on the back and one of the middle boards on the front.    Whew!  It was a lot of work, but well worth it.  I will say I worked my shoulders in a way that they aren't used to...as they were screaming the next morning!  I am pretty sure I also pulled a muscle in my neck/right shoulder that is still hurty.  Ouch! This was by far the hardest part of the job! 

(looks like I need to clean up the floor again!) 

After a quick trip to Lowes for some more 

• 1 1x4x10' cut into 4 18" pieces (shelves) and 2 16.5" pieces (one side has a separate brace, so it makes it much shorter.  The leftover piece was about 8 inches so I used it for a foot.
• a pack of screws.  I got #8 2.5 inch screws.  I have no idea why...they looked like they were a good fit
• a pair of bolt cutters (an expense I'm not proud of, but I'm done fighting with those nails!!)  $13.50

Total spent at Lowes $25

I bought 12 plastic pots at the Dollar Tree.  They came in 4 colors, so I picked up 3 of each to add a bit of color.

  They needed a hole in the bottom for drainage, so I drilled the bottom.  It was really easy.  They have little indentations, but just needed to be drilled through.

 AND I got a pair of work gloves.  All that work yesterday without gloves.  I ended up with one splinter (got it out!), two smashed fingernails (not from the hammer...but when I was prying, something came loose suddenly and I smashed my fingers into the board/nail), and one scraped up wrist.  The $1 for work gloves was totally worth it.

Total spent at Dollar Tree $14

Next it was time to cut the nails - you have to use your muscles.  I pulled and pulled and pried and tried to hammer them in but they won't budge.  So I got the bolt cutter and cut them off as close as I could to the boards.

Attach the shelves.   I used the level in the compass app for my iphone to make sure they were really level.  You can see in the final pictures that they don't look level because the original boards on the pallet aren't square. It adds to the charm, right? :) I drilled the holes then put the long screws through.   In PinkWhenJen's  original planter she used a kreg jig to drill angled holes and that seems like it would be a great idea, but way beyond my ability.  My shelves are also staggered a bit because once you put one in, you can't put another directly beside it.  :) Do the best you can - they don't have to be perfect!  

Attach feet - again, I used what I had.  I had one leftover piece of wood from the long 1x4 I bought and it was about 7 or 8 inches.  So I screwed that on one side.  I had another piece from the wood I pried off that was in pretty good shape and about 9 or 10 inches, so that became my other foot.  :) This step could be skipped if you want to lean the garden or attach it to a fence/wall.

Finally!  Time to plant!  One more trip to Lowes and Walmart to see if they got healthy little herbs and veggies after the frost.  Success!  Plus I found another pot in my storage closet AND bought two types of tomatoes.

• 1 more jalepeno pepper plant
• rosemary
• cilantro
• spearmint
• lemon balm
• 2 sweet basil plants
• purple basil
• thai basil
• 2 types of strawberries
• 4 tiny kale plants
• 2 types of cherry tomatoes
• another bag of miracle gro potting soil

Total spent at Lowes (21) and Walmart this morning (33) = $54

After potting everything and sweeping up the porch, I am very excited about my Spring Break Porch Makeover!  I think the only thing I need now are a couple of cute outdoor pillows for the porch chairs.   

Now, fingers crossed that I can grow all of these plants!!

On the blue table: bibb lettuce, tomato plants (2) and lavender.  On the floor: impatiens and daffodils (from my mom's house!) and 3 kinds of hostas.  On the big table: jalapeno plants (2), a candle and a citronella candle holder.

Top row:  Strawberries (2), Lemon Balm, Spearmint.  Middle row: sweet basil (2), thai basil, purple basil.  Bottom row:  kale (2), rosemary, cilantro.