How to build a plant wall using a pallet

In the summer of 2019, I ordered one of those super bags of pea gravel to cover the part of my yard not covered by the deck. While they were supposed to take it with them, they left the pallet that it was delivered with. I kept it because I knew that I would be able to come up with some sort of project.

This summer I wanted more flowers. I only have a small in-ground garden that I have chives from my late Grandma Susie’s garden and garlic from my dad’s garden. I decided to create a wall of flowers using the pallet.

Materials used:

• Pallet – I had a standard size one but many places have various sizes. Where I live, there is an air conditioning business close by. They welcome having their pallet used instead of just having them thrown out. Check with the business in your area before taking anything just to be sure.
• Paint for the pallet – I used leftover door & trim paint. You can decided the colour and how vibrant you want it to be.
• Tarp/Sheet – Use this when painting the pallet. I made the mistake of attaching the pallet to the fence first and when I painted it, some of the paint ended up on the fence.
• Terra Cotta pots – I had some pots and bought some extra ones from Canadian Tire. The ones I purchased were 4″ or 10cm. The total depends on how you want to lay them out on the pallet. I have 14 on mine.
• Worm clamps – These are what attaches the pots to the pallet. These are bands that are when the screw is turned, it acts as a worm drive pulling the threads of the band, causing the band to tighten around the hose (or when screwed the opposite direction, to loosen). I bought 4″ clamps to match the size of the pot.
• Paint for the pots (if you choose to paint them) – these actually take very little paint to cover the pot. Expect to do two coats, depending on the type of paint you use.
• Sealer for the paint you put on the pots – I use a spray Rustoleum flat clear to protect the paint. You could also used a coloured spray paint from Rustoleum and the sealer is built in.
• Wood screws (2 lengths)
  • For attaching the pallet to the fence board – the length you need will depend on the thickness of the board you are attaching it to. I used 2″ screws for this.
  • For attaching the worm clamps to the pallet – a 1″ screw will do the trick for this
• Potting soil
• Flowers, herbs or whatever you’d like to plant!

Tools Needed:

• Impact Driver with a Robertson (or square, as I refer to it) bit
• Paint brushes – for the pallet and for the pots
• Slotted screw driver – to tighten the worm clamp once you’ve put the pot in

Instructions:

1. Make sure that the pallet is cleaned the best you can. Once this is done, prepare the paint. I used white trim paint I already had in the basement mixed with water. Using an old rag or paint brush- I also wore a rubber glove so I didn’t get paint all over my hand, paint the pallet. I’d also recommend doing this on an old tarp or sheet that you don’t mind getting dirty.
2. Using outdoor screws (I had leftover deck screws), attach pallet to the top of fence. You’ll want to screw it into the thickest part of the boards.

3. Paint pots. I use Annie Sloan paint but any paint will do. Remember, these pots will be outdoors and exposed to the elements.

4. I chose flowers that were good in the sun and that I thought were pretty. These turned out to be a mixture of verbenas, petunias, dianthus, bidens, tickseed coreopsis and calibrachoa. Using potting soil, I repotted the flowers.

5. To attach the pots to the pallet, use metal worm gear clamps that will fit below the rim of your pot. I sized all mine using a flat head screw driver before I mounted them to make life easier. Using a shorter deck screw, I placed it on the pallet with the screw in between the space. I used an impact driver (a screwdriver could also be used) to attach to the pallet. This video by NKI DIY around the 1:09 mark is a wonderful resource to demonstrate how to do this.

6. You’ll have to play around with spacing of the clamps based on the flowers you’ve selected and how you want it displayed. It took me a few tries to get it to how I liked it.

And voila! All done! If you have any questions, please reach out. This is a great way to get some colour if you’re short on space.