Grow your own herbs and vegetables easily: with a raised garden bed made from pallets

A Euro pallet is used as a base in logistics. It consists of eleven boards and nine blocks and has a defined size of 0.96 square metres. Due to the gaps on all sides, it can easily be lifted by a forklift truck. Each one weighs about 25 kilograms. They are so versatile that you can also make other pallet furniture besides raised garden boxes or vegetable planters. We have more tips on how to build your own pallet furniture. Check out our extensive list of DIY projects for your garden, balcony, or terrace.

Pallet stacking frames have a Euro pallet as a base on which a frame is placed. They are usually used in this form as transport containers.

You can actually plant anything in a pallet raised bed that doesn't have very deep roots. Many different types of tasty vegetables, certain types of fruit, and of course herbs will all thrive in your raised pallet garden box. If you are adventurous, you can also easily plant exotic fruits and vegetables in your garden.

Suitable varieties of fruits and vegetables for your raised pallet planter box:

• lamb's lettuce
• iceberg lettuce
• other types of lettuce, such as butterhead lettuce
• garlic
• onions and spring onions
• carrots
• beetroot
• herbs such as basil, thyme, and oregano
• nasturtiums
• strawberries
• gooseberries
• raspberries
• rhubarb

Several pallets placed on top of each other are ideal for building an insect hotel. Simply fill the spaces between the pallets of your raised flower bed or garden box with straw, empty clay pots or other objects in which insects can build their nests. With a bit of luck, wild bees will nest here and pollinate the flowers of your strawberry bushes.

The size of your raised pallet garden bed depends on how much space you have in your garden. Here are some ideas for making raised garden beds from a different number of pallets.

A small, raised pallet flower bed can be built by erecting a pallet on either side with a third pallet on top, like a table. You can place a wooden tub, a tray, or several potted plants on top. This design usually serves more as an eye-catcher that is perfect for displaying your flower decorations.

The standard size is a raised bed made of four pallets to form a perfect square. This design would fit neatly in the corner of the garden.

If you have a larger garden area, you can use six pallets to build your planter box in the shape of a rectangle. Position two pallets on the long sides and then close them with one pallet at either end.

If you want to divide your DIY pallet garden bed, add an additional pallet in the middle. This way, you can separate your build to grow vegetables on one side and herbs or flowers on the other.

Before you start, think about what you want to use the raised pallet garden bed for, how big it should be and what you want to grow in it. With good pre-planning, you will not only build your raised pallet garden planter boxes quickly and efficiently, but you will also enjoy it for longer.

You can build your vegetable or flower bed out of pallets in different places – it doesn't always have to be a large garden. Ultimately, it's a question of space.

• Balcony

You can even set up a raised garden bed from Euro pallets on your balcony if you have enough space. When planning, bear in mind that you will also need room for building and assembling it. In any case, you will need to use some foil as a foundation. Also check in advance whether the balcony can bear the additional weight – with pallets, soil and plants, this can reach up to one tonne.

• Terrace

A terrace is quite suitable for a small Euro-pallet garden bed if the appropriate floor space is available. Look for a spot that is partially shaded. You will need to place a protective layer underneath to prevent any damage to the floor. You should also consider the weight of the raised bed.

• Garden

The garden is the best place if you want to build a raised flower bed or vegetable planter from pallets. You can situate it directly on the ground and the water will simply seep into the soil. Galvanised wire mesh helps to keep the small rodents away from the roots. A raised vegetable garden is best placed in the vicinity of your compost area so that you can add it easily. In our guide, you can also find more tips for building raised garden bed without using pallets.

• 4 Euro pallets: ca. £40 to £85
• galvanised wire mesh (3 metres): ca. £5
• film: each roll ca. £25
• wire and nails: ca. £4

You can buy Euro pallets for your raised flower bed in many DIY stores nowadays. They have the same standard dimensions as those used by transport and food companies. If you have a haulage company or supermarket nearby, you can ask if they would sell you four to six pallets for a reasonable price. Some will even give them away. Finally, you can check bulky waste collections, recycling centres or local classifieds.

The ground that you are building your raised pallet garden on should be level. You can place it directly on the soil in the garden, but you should remove any turf from underneath first. Allow an additional 5 to 10 centimetres to surround the pallet garden boxes. For balconies and terraces, make sure to protect the floor by installing a subfloor.

Euro pallets take their name from a European standard that precisely specifies the size of the pallet: 1,200mm long, 800mm wide and 144mm high.

When building a raised garden bed with pallets, the pallets are used as side walls. The bottom is covered with either wire mesh or foil. The inner walls are lined with foil and then filled up with soil to just below the top edge.

You can either cut the pallets in half or build a smaller bed: two pallets serve as walls, and in the middle you attach a planting tray with soil.

If your raised pallet garden is exposed to strong sun or rain, it makes sense to include a roof. You can add a fixed roof or a roll-up roof to help protect your vegetables or plants.

A typical raised pallet garden bed usually has three layers, each about 20-30cm deep. You calculate the internal dimensions multiplied by the height of the layers.

A DIY raised garden planter box from pallets does not need an intermediate floor if you work with several layers of soil.

For the bottom layer, use basic soil for aeration, for the middle layer compost and for the top layer good-quality garden soil.

You can use a layer of fleece to prevent compost from being washed into the ground soil. This can be especially helpful if your pallet garden bed is located in an area where it rains a lot.

If you want to move your raised pallet garden box or vegetable planter out of the harsh sun or protect it from heavy rain, you can put castors under it.

1. Level the surface of the ground: It is best to use a spirit level to check that the surface is perfectly level.
2. Place paving stones at the corners if you do not want the pallets to rest directly on the levelled surface.
3. Place the pallets at a 90 degree angle and screw them together with wood screws.
4. Sand the boards so that no shards of wood stick out.
5. Form a U-shape with the next pallet and screw it together. Finally, screw the other two pallets together.
6. Cut the galvanised wire mesh generously (base area plus 10cm), lay it in the floor and staple it in place.
7. Attach bubble wrap or foil to the walls, preferably with a stapler. Make sure that there is some give and not too tight.
8. Generously water the soil and then plant your fruits, vegetables, herbs or flowers. Leave enough space between each plant so there is enough room for them to grow.

You can improve and embellish your pallet garden planter boxes. This can be done affordably in just a few steps.

Building raised garden beds from pallets can be made more durable by using pallets that have been pre-treated with a wood stain  before starting. This will help keep water damage and mould at bay.

If you want to build a raised bed of pallets on a slope, you have to level planter and secure it. Either you need more pallets on one side, or you fill in the soil so that it faces straight towards the horizon.

The easiest design option is to leave the bottom of the pallet facing outwards. This way makes it easier to attach the film on the inside of the raised pallet garden bed. As a bonus, insects can live in the gaps on the outside and you can also hang pots with small plants from them. For a smooth outside finish, turn the pallets over or attach boards from another pallet.

If you pre-drill the holes in the wood, you can screw the pallets together more quickly. This is practical when you are alone and only have two hands to put everything together.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Matching planter boxes

Raised garden beds made from pallets that are placed on a terrace or a non-natural surface can be equipped with castors and moved. The castors should be adjusted to the weight of your raised pallet bed.

Would you like your raised pallet garden bed to be a little higher? Then you can use stacking corners to protect and reinforce the wooden blocks on the outside.

• Castors

There are practical planter boxes for the inside as well as for the outside, which make it easier to separate different varieties of plants.

• Stacking corners

Did your raised garden bed using pallets whet your appetite for more garden projects? Then take a look at our instructions for a DIY greenhouse or a DIY wall garden, for example.