Where can I get pallets from?
Getting pallets used is not that easy. Buying them online is usually out of the question as the transport costs are quite high. So all that remains is to become mobile. If there is a business park in your city, go there and have a look around. See stacks of pallets, just ask if you couldn't get one or two. It doesn't necessarily have to be Euro pallets (€ 16.99 at Amazon *). So-called disposable pallets or pallets with different dimensions can also be wonderfully planted.
You can of course also buy new pallets from hardware stores. An unplaned Euro pallet costs less than € 20 here.
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The principle of the planted pallet
Pallets are mostly used for vertical planting, even if in principle horizontal planting is also possible. For vertical planting, the pallet is set up vertically with the long side down and then the mostly three subdivisions are closed at the bottom by screwing a board underneath. This creates three flower boxes. (€ 13.18 at Amazon *) These are then covered with weed fleece, pond liner or the like so that the earth cannot fall out.
What tools and what material do I need to prepare the pallets?
The pallets are sanded, glazed and converted into flower boxes before planting. For this you need:
- Sandpaper and, at best, a sander
- Environmentally friendly, weatherproof glaze or varnish and brush
- Drill, (43.99 € at Amazon *) screws
- three boards per pallet to close the undersides of the pallet
- Weed control or pond liner
- Stapler
Planting a pallet: the instructions
1. Sand down the pallet
To avoid splinters when planting and maintaining your pallet garden, you should sand down unplaned pallets. The smooth wood also offers less contact surface for moisture, dirt and pathogens. The back of the pallet is particularly important from a visual point of view, as it will later face forward.
2. Close the bottom
To close the flower boxes, you have two options: you can buy boards of the required size from the hardware store or you have a second Euro pallet on hand and remove the three long boards on the back of the pallet and use them.
Screw the three boards to the underside of each of the three compartments so that three boxes are created.
3. Painting
Now take an environmentally friendly, weatherproof glaze or varnish to hand and paint your Euro pallet or pallet with it to protect you from the weather and moisture. You can choose a transparent varnish or you can add color to your palette. You can also paint each subdivision in a different color.
Then wait until the paint has completely dried out.
4. Cover with fleece or foil
Now the three boxes are covered with foil or weed fleece. This is stapled at the top. If the weed control is permeable to water, you do not need to provide additional drainage. However, if you have decided on pond liner or another waterproof plastic, you should then poke several holes in the bottom so that excess water can drain off.
You can save yourself this step if you only want to put pots in your pallet.
5. Stabilize
To prevent your Euro pallet from falling over, you should provide it with feet or anchor it at an angle. Of course, this step is not necessary if you want to hang the pallet on the wall. However, if you want to set up the pallet vertically, saw two boards of equal length and screw them crosswise to the right and left under the pallet so that it cannot fall over. Another option is to place the pallet at a slight angle, e.g. against a wall and with stones or the like to prevent it from slipping.
Now put your pallet in its final location so that you no longer have to move it.
6. Fill the pallet with soil
Put one to two centimeters of gravel in the flower boxes as the bottom layer. This serves as a drainage layer. Then fill the subdivisions up to two-thirds with soil.
7. Plant the Euro pallet
Now place your selected plants in the palette and fill in the remaining spaces with soil to just below the edge. Water your pallet garden.
Tips
Do you want to create a larger vertical garden? Then simply screw two pallets on top of each other!
What to plant the pallets with?
Pretty much all typical balcony plants can be used for planting pallets, such as:
- Pelargoniums (geraniums)
- Begonias
- Fuchsias
- Elven spur
- Petunias
But pallets can also be used for growing fruit and vegetables. Thrive wonderfully here:
- salad
- spinach
- Strawberries
- radish
- cress
And if you like to cook delicious, you can plant your palette with a variety of delicious herbs, for example:
- oregano
- basil
- thyme
- chives
- rosemary
- mint
Tips
Pay attention to the location conditions when planting your Euro pallet. Most plants need plenty of sun to thrive.
