Pallet Garden

A pallet garden is a great activity to do to add some color and interest to your backyard. It is small and contained, so it could also be placed on a balcony if you live in an apartment. It should be made towards the beginning of the summer so the plants have plenty of time to mature. Plus, if you make it now, it'll look fantastic by the time the Fourth of July rolls around!

To get a pallet, you can check your local craigslist under the free section, or you can start driving around behind different stores to look for pallets that are just lying around. But if they are organized, I would assume they're not free.

This project will take you at least 2 days. I spent one day making the pallet plantable (about an hour). The next day I bought plants, put dirt in the pallet, and planted everything, which took a bit more time.

You can find landscape fabric for pretty cheap at Lowes. I've used it for several different projects, and still have more left over. Also, if your pallet's wood is harder than mine, you may need to use a hammer and nails rather than staples.

A great resource for growing plants is You Grow Girl.

I was shopping on a budget, so I stopped after I had found about $25 worth of flowers. Two of them are vining, so I am sure it will fill up by mid-summer. But feel free to fill your garden up even more than I did! You can even make it more your own by painting it (only paint the outside though!), adding your favorite flowers, or by making multiple pallet gardens to place next to each other or around your yard. 

Here's the blog that inspired me to make my own pallet garden:

• http://innovativegardening.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/vertical-gardening/ 

If you have any questions about any of the steps, or have ideas for how to change it, post a comment below!