Do you need to save space in your terrace? Do you have a big yard but you want to have aromatic plants all in one corner? Create your pallet vertical garden!
Everybody desires a pallet vertical garden. People who live in the city could find in it the best idea for colouring their terraces and less going to the supermarket to buy flowers and aromatic herbs. While, to people who live in the countryside, a vertical garden is the perfect place where to put all the aromatic herbs in a unique spot. Moreover, for all kind of people there are a lot of benefits of living green walls or vertical gardens. I will give you just a few of them: living green walls purify the air, reduce the ambient temperature and creates a sense of well-being.
I bet you are so inspired now that you would like to start making a pallet vertical garden immediately. Well, I would say, ‘Why not?’ Are curious about how you can create one with your own hands? Follow the instructions and you will have your personal pallet vertical garden. Let’s begin!
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- Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
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- Photo by Ulrike Leone from Pixabay
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- Image by congerdesign from Pixabay
Everything you need for this wonderful creation
- a EUR/EPAL pallet (it is good to recycle old pallets but remember that they need to be branded with the EUR/EPAL stamp, otherwise they are not compliant with the European regulation)
- sandpaper
- natural water based paint for wood
- different sizes of brushes (when painting the pallet, there will be corners that require smaller brushes)
- a yardstick (to take measurements)
- very small nails
- a hammer
- mulch sheet (it must have very small holes to let superfluous water pass when you will water the plants)
- bio topsoil
- plants, flowers, aromatic herbs (it is up to you to decide which plants you want to put in your own pallet vertical garden: just remeber that it is better if you buy them from a local producer!)
- water
- coffe residue: it is a real efficient natural fertilizer!
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- Photo by Andreas Lischka from Pixabay
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- Source: Wikipedia
How to create the structure
First of all, you have to lay the pallet on the ground (better if on top of newspaper) and rub it well with the sandpaper. The wood must be well sanded so that no splinters are present. In addition, the more you sand the pallet, the more it will absorb the varnish later. After sanding, remember to use a clean brush to dust the pallet: there must be no sawdust residue, otherwise you will have some difficulties applying the color.
Finally, now you can have fun with the natural paint application. Be aware that you will have to apply the varnish twice, so save some of the it for the second coat. Once the first coat of paint is finished, you will have to wait some time before moving on to the second one. The drying time varies according to the product, so check the label and stick to it. When you are done, you will have to start creating the bags that will contain your plants. To do this job, you will need to use the mulch sheet.
So, take the yardstick and then measure the largeness of the empty rectangles on the pallet. After, take the mulch sheet and report the measurements on it. Then, cut it and create the bags that will fill those empty rectangles. For the upper part, a sheet will be enough (see the first image above); while for the part below you will need to fold the sheet several times to create a solid support (see the second image above). Differently, the bio topsoil and the plant that you will put in the bag would not be supported. Finally, fix the mulch sheets to the pallet with little nails and the hammer.
It is time to plant your favourite flowers and herbs!
Go to a nursery next to your home and ask the local producer which plants are better to plant during the current season. If you build the pallet vertical garden during spring, it would be perfect to plant aromatic herbs. In this way, you will have the opportunity to enrich your summer dishes with numerous flavours. When you have bought the plants, just insert them with their roots in the bags and add the bio topsoil. Finally, water them!
Do not worry if the plants seem to sag right after you have planted them. Do not think that they need more water: they simply have to adapt to the climate, location and soil in which they are planted. If you water them daily, after a few days they will shine!
So, what are you waiting for? Go search for a pallet to recycle!
