DIY Pallet Planter
Call me basic but I love the rustic barn look when it comes to design. Little bit of boho, little bit of rustic, little bit of beach. That’s the best way to describe how I plan to decorate my future home. My desire for crafts and design originated with my mom. She is literally the most creative person I have ever met. Halloween costumes, homecoming skits, spirit week, you name it, she crafted everything. She has this way of just finding things in random places and making them look like something you would see in a magazine. 
My idea came from Pinterest, like all good ideas do. I saw a ton of pallet projects and became interested in them. The things you can do with pallets are baffling. Beds, chairs, tables, bars, the lists are endless! I saw a lot of planter boxes filled with beautiful lush greens exploding out of them. I knew I had to be realistic with myself. There is no way I am responsible enough to take care of real plants. So where did I turn to? SUCCULENTS! Call me basic, again. Succulents are great because they are trendy AF and also range in a wide variety as to what they look like. When it comes to taking care of them, they only need to be watered like once a week.
So there I was, well decided I would make this pallet planter. The next morning I woke up, walked out side, and saw a perfect pallet just sitting in my alley. LAW OF ATTRACTION. It was so weird. It was like the universe wanted me to make this planter. So I recruited my roomie to help me bring it inside (these things are heavy) and got to work.
First thing you want to do is clean your pallet. Most likely it was sitting in a alley waiting for you to take it home. Downside is, it might be covered with spiders. I got a bucket of soapy water and a wash cloth then wiped everything down till it was somewhat clean. Let the pallet dry before going on to the next step. You also must decide if you are going to keep all of the planks. I took out two in the front and the two supporting planks in the back so it would hang evenly on the wall. When I say “I” did anything labor intensive, I mean boyfriend. You can try to remove the planks, but it is difficult. I tried and failed, miserably. Remove the planks with the back of a hammer. Be careful because there are a lot of old nails and sometimes the planks do not come off in whole pieces.
Once all of the planks are removed from the pallet it is time for you to sand it down. Make sure when you are sanding that you go with the grain. Do not be lazy on this part, the better you sand the wood the prettier the stain looks when you paint it. When it is all relatively smooth it is time for the stain. I did about 2-3 coats, making sure each coat dried before moving on to the next. Paint every part that will be visible when you hang it, I left the backside blank because it is against a wall.
When everything is dried it is time to move on to the mason jars. Make sure to get good potting soil. I used soil that is specific to help succulents grow! I am such a lost cause when it comes to plants I figured anything could help my chances. Fill the mason jar with soil about 3/4, dig a hole in the middle, then plant the succulent. Sprinkle over soil after and press down to ensure it is in place and the mason jar is filled. Add water if needed to blend the new soil with the succulent. Ensure you leave a few mason jars empty to put candles in.
Next comes the hose clamps, this was the hardest part. You need to get a drill bit to drill a hole in the clamps. This is really difficult because you are drilling through metal. So once again, boyfriend came to the rescue. First drill the hole, decide where you want to place the jar, and screw it in.
When all clamps are drilled in, add in the jars. To attach the hose clamps to the jar is easy, just loosen up the clamp to the correct size and then tighten. Wait till the end to put all of the jars on. Repeat this step for each spot where you want a jar.
You are almost done!! When deciding where to hang the pallet, choose a spot where your plants will get sun and will be easy to water. I originally thought you could just put like 5 big nails in the wall and hanging the pallet would work. Apparently, that doesn’t work haha. Don’t try it. What worked best is to get something called a “French Cleat”. You can get these at ACE or Home Depot. You just follow the directions on the packet and you are done! You have a beautiful Pallet garden!
For those that are still reading this incredible LENGTHY post, I promise not all of these will be this long. But I love you mucho for reading anyway.
Shopping List
- mason jars (ACE sells them in a pack of 12)
- battery candles or lights
- stain
- sand paper
- hose clamps
- big paint brush
- screws
- french cleat for 100 or 50 pounds depending on pallet
- drill
- succulents or plants
- potting soil
