Have you looked out the window lately? Holy canolies Batman, spring has arrived. It’s time to break out the garden boots and start playing in the dirt. If you are short on space or have bad soil but still want to plant a small garden this year, you might want to consider creating a pallet garden. Not only are pallet gardens easy to plant, but they are fun to make.
To get started, you’ll want to find a clean pallet marked with the letters HT. This means the pallet was heat treated vs chemically treated. You can typically find used pallets down dark alleys and in junkyards. But don’t take those ones. Noooo No! You don’t know what has been stacked on top of them. Instead try asking your local grocer or warehouse club manager if they have any extras. I found this one at a local garden center and was told only plants had been stored on the pallet.
Once you have your pallet, start by laying it on a level surface. Next add a bag of good potting mix in between the slats.
Add water to the soil.
If you have a major case of OCD like I do, you’ll want to line up your packs of lettuce first to make sure they are aesthetically pleasing. For this particular pallet I chose to add red sails lettuce down the middle, followed by a few varieties of mesclun, and romaine lettuce.
After you have planted your gourmet salad starts, simply care for your plants as if they were growing in a regular garden setting. When it’s time to harvest your salad simply take a pair of sharp scissors to the base of the lettuce and cut. Once all the lettuce has been harvested simply pull up all the roots and start over again. Turning a recycled pallet into a garden is the perfect project for the weekend gardener. The kiddos might even enjoy making one too.
Salad… it’s what’s for dinner!
Have you ever made anything out of an old pallet? If so, what did you make?
Mavis is a northwest gardener bound and determined to grow 2,000 lbs of fresh fruits and vegetables in her suburban backyard this summer. You can follow her gardening journey on her blog onehundreddollarsamonth.com
Related Links: One Year Organic Gardening for $4.99 {Today Only}
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