Difficulty

Beginner

This is our easiest to build DIY planter box. It is made primarily with cedar fence pickets, so the cost is between $10 and $20 per planter. You'll just need a few basic tools to construct. Free plans by Ana-White.com

DIY Planter Box Features

Simple modern farmhouse design, perfect for decks, front porches, or bringing structure to your outdoor space
Paint or stain any color you like
Easy to build design uses just a few basic tools
Optimized plans leave you minimal scraps to deal with later
Built primarily with cedar fence pickets, so naturally rot resistant and inexpensive

Video Tutorial to Build These DIY Planter Boxes

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Dimensions

About 20" tall, wide and deep

Preparation

Shopping List

3 - 5-1/2" wide cedar fence pickets, not dogeared, 72" long

1 - 1x3 @ 8 feet long (can use furring strips, I did)

3 - 1x2 @ 8 feet long (can use furring strips, I did)

1" and 1-1/4" brad nails or staples

Cut List

6 - Cedar Fence Pickets cut at 18" long

6 - Cedar Fence Pickets cut at 17" long

4 - 1x2 @ 18-1/2" long

4 - 1x3 @ 18-1/2" long

Remainder of cuts should be cut to fit the project while you are building it

Tools

Instructions

Step 1

Build four legs with one each, 1x2 and 1x3, nailing together with 1-1/4" brad nails and wood glue. A spacer block can help by holding up the 1x3 unsupported side as you nail.

Step 2

Take two of the legs and place 1x3 face down on your work surface.

Lay out the 18" cedar fence pickets on top.

Attach with 1" brad nails, starting at the top and working down.

Repeat for both sides.

Step 3

Rotate the sides vertical, and attach the 17" fence pickets to the inside with the 1" nails.

Step 4

Repeat for remaining side.

Step 5

Measure and cut the trim pieces from 1x2s for the top. Attach with 1-1/4" brad nails and glue.

Step 6

Measure and cut two 1x2s to fit inside the planter. Attach at the height you would like to add a bottom with 1-1/4" brad nails into the leg corners.

Step 7

Cut slats and lay inside the planter on the cleats. Attach with brad nails to the side cleats.

Project Type

Planters, Garden Beds, and Greenhouses

Room

Outdoor

Style

Farmhouse Furniture

Rustic Furniture Plans

Comments - Click to Display Comments

Comments

clm1647

Sat, 07/25/2020 - 15:33

Beautiful

AnnaL

Mon, 11/16/2020 - 10:00

Great Planter Boxes

Very easy, fun project. The planters are sturdy and look great. I lined mine with heavy duty plastic liner (with a few holes in it) so that I could plant right into the box. Very happy with the final product.

rcarlson21

Sat, 01/23/2021 - 18:11

Weather durability

How long do you think these would last out in the weather? I know I can stain/paint every piece before building it, but I was hoping to avoid that lol and just paint it after building.

djolly1231

Sat, 01/23/2021 - 19:40

Easy to follow plans!!

Just finished building these for our front porch. My wife loves them. I stained them white as well and they look great.

audriannafreeman

Tue, 03/30/2021 - 13:56

Is the material list for one…

Is the material list for one or two planter boxes?

aspicyx

Sat, 04/17/2021 - 10:24

Eror

Hi, I'm getting an error, can't download the plan.
Can you fix it please?

EricPS

Sun, 04/25/2021 - 11:23

Your plans are awesome. I…

Your plans are awesome. I really enjoy your videos! Keep them coming!

AndyUK

Sun, 04/25/2021 - 13:38

Error Downloading Easy Planter PDF

Hi, I love the easy planter plan. Unfortunately, I get an error when I click on the PDF download link.

The error is:
Error generating document: Failed to generate PDF: 'align_items' is not a recognized CSS property., 'justify_content' is not a recognized CSS property., 'box_shadow' is not a recognized CSS property.

This happens in Chrome and Edge

AndyUK

Sun, 04/25/2021 - 13:42

Update: - Error Downloading Easy Planter PDF

Hi again, our friend Mr (or Mrs) Google (other search engines are availablle :) ) has a fair amount about this error.
Error generating document: Failed to generate PDF: 'align_items' is not a recognized CSS property., 'justify_content' is not a recognized CSS property., 'box_shadow' is not a recognized CSS property.

woodworker noob

Tue, 08/10/2021 - 11:29