Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

Lots of ideas here...

I also have leftover cattle panel pieces, fairly long but only about a foot wide...

I never throw that kind of stuff out. They might come in handy for a small project. Or, maybe I'd use some zip ties to make them 2, 3 or 4 feet wide. Where I live, cattle panel is pretty expensive, so I would find a use for those thin strips. Zip ties are cheap and are easy to use on lots of things.

 

[fuzzi]

I never throw that kind of stuff out. They might come in handy for a small project. Or, maybe I'd use some zip ties to make them 2, 3 or 4 feet wide. Where I live, cattle panel is pretty expensive, so I would find a use for those thin strips. Zip ties are cheap and are easy to use on lots of things.

Oh. Zip-tie them together...hmm.

 

[chickengr]

I use zip ties a lot. I have been told to use the black ones as they are more durable. never the white ones unless they are in a deep shade.

 

[gtaus]

I use zip ties a lot. I have been told to use the black ones as they are more durable. never the white ones unless they are in a deep shade.

Not all zip ties are made the same. For outdoor use, you want to use UV rated zip ties. AFAIK, the color of the zip tie does not matter.

Of course, the strength of the zip tie will also factor into how long it might last outside...

For example, when I attached my chicken run fence wire to the T-Posts, I used a heavy-duty UV rated zip tie for longer life. They have held fast for 4+ years of service outside in the snow and sun.

I don't know what kind of zip ties you have in Greece, but here in the USA I can get zip ties in just about any color, any strength, and UV rated or not. I prefer to use the standard black zip ties for most of my projects, but sometimes it is nice to have a color (green, yellow, red, etc...) matched zip tie for a certain project.

 

[gtaus]

Raised Bed Construction Lessons Learned

The first raised beds I ever built are now about 8 years old. I had some wood 4X8 foot fence panels that I cut in half and made a few 4X8 foot raised beds, about two feet high. For the most part, they are still in service, but this spring they are really showing their age and starting to fall apart.

When new, the full panels looked something like this...

I cut them in half lengthwise at two feet high, then made the raised beds 4X8 feet. When brand new built, they looked pretty good, IMHO. But time is hard on wood and here are some lessons I learned after a number of years.

First lesson, I had the 2X4 framing in the inside of the raised bed. As you can see, I have a few corners blowing out from the outward pressure of the soil in the raised beds...

Here is another angle closeup on that corner. I think I can fix it, but the problem, IMHO, was initially having the 2X4 framing on the inside...

Another problem I noticed after only a year or two, was the 8 foot long sides started to bow out. I should have add additional support braces at the 4 foot point to prevent that bowing...

In order to fix that, I would have to basically empty the entire raised bed, install the cross braces, and refill. Too much work for me especially since I am in the process of moving my garden location. I don't have anything planted in them right now, and maybe not at all this year. As long as the bed holds together, I can live with the sidewalls bowing out. But I think I could have made it better from the start and prevented that bowing.

One other problem I have had with this design is that I have had a few sidewall boards blow out and needed to be replaced. Again, I think this is due to the framing on the inside of the bed and the weight of the heavy wet soil pushes out on the boards. Eventually, some of those boards come loose and just blow off the framing. I have already replaced those boards and do not have a picture of sidewall blowout.

Of course, I built those fence panel raised beds long before I got into pallet projects. Now, I have "corrected" those problems I have seen in my first raised beds in the design and build of my pallet wood raised beds v2.0.

Namely, the 2X4 framing is now on the outside of the raised bed which should add more strength to the bed and prevent those corners from blowing out. Additionally, each corner in my pallet wood raised beds also has two 2X4 posts in each corner that the main frame gets screwed into. It's really a solid built that I expect will last much longer.

The sidewall planks are now on the inside of the 2X4 frame, so the weight of the soil pushes the side boards into the 2X4 frame on the outside. I should never see any sidewall planks blowing out.

Also, with the pallet wood raised beds limited to 4X4 foot, I should never have a problem with the long sidewall bowing out like I saw in the 8-foot-long raised beds. It just makes sense to build a pallet wood raised bed at 4 feet because the 2X4 stretchers are 4 feet long. You don't have to cut any boards that way. But I really prefer the 4X4 foot smaller size because I just find it easier to work around.

Picture of my Pallet Wood Raised Bed v2.0 design...

Well, that pallet wood raised bed v2.0 design addresses the faults I had in my earlier fence panel raised bed projects. All those benefits, plus, the pallet wood raised beds cost me less than $2.00 each to build. The wood is free, of course, but I use new screws and brad nails to complete the project faster.

 

[chickengr]

Not all zip ties are made the same. For outdoor use, you want to use UV rated zip ties. AFAIK, the color of the zip tie does not matter.

View attachment 3848127

Of course, the strength of the zip tie will also factor into how long it might last outside...

View attachment 3848128

For example, when I attached my chicken run fence wire to the T-Posts, I used a heavy-duty UV rated zip tie for longer life. They have held fast for 4+ years of service outside in the snow and sun.

I don't know what kind of zip ties you have in Greece, but here in the USA I can get zip ties in just about any color, any strength, and UV rated or not. I prefer to use the standard black zip ties for most of my projects, but sometimes it is nice to have a color (green, yellow, red, etc...) matched zip tie for a certain project.

here in common places they just call them zip ties with no specification. I don't know if in some specialized shops there are uv rated, etc. mine probably are chinese. they (black) last 3-5 years.

 

[fuzzi]

Raised Bed Construction Lessons Learned

The first raised beds I ever built are now about 8 years old. I had some wood 4X8 foot fence panels that I cut in half and made a few 4X8 foot raised beds, about two feet high. For the most part, they are still in service, but this spring they are really showing their age and starting to fall apart.

When new, the full panels looked something like this...

View attachment 3848131

I cut them in half lengthwise at two feet high, then made the raised beds 4X8 feet. When brand new built, they looked pretty good, IMHO. But time is hard on wood and here are some lessons I learned after a number of years.

First lesson, I had the 2X4 framing in the inside of the raised bed. As you can see, I have a few corners blowing out from the outward pressure of the soil in the raised beds...

View attachment 3848132

Here is another angle closeup on that corner. I think I can fix it, but the problem, IMHO, was initially having the 2X4 framing on the inside...

View attachment 3848133

Another problem I noticed after only a year or two, was the 8 foot long sides started to bow out. I should have add additional support braces at the 4 foot point to prevent that bowing...

View attachment 3848134

In order to fix that, I would have to basically empty the entire raised bed, install the cross braces, and refill. Too much work for me especially since I am in the process of moving my garden location. I don't have anything planted in them right now, and maybe not at all this year. As long as the bed holds together, I can live with the sidewalls bowing out. But I think I could have made it better from the start and prevented that bowing.

One other problem I have had with this design is that I have had a few sidewall boards blow out and needed to be replaced. Again, I think this is due to the framing on the inside of the bed and the weight of the heavy wet soil pushes out on the boards. Eventually, some of those boards come loose and just blow off the framing. I have already replaced those boards and do not have a picture of sidewall blowout.

Of course, I built those fence panel raised beds long before I got into pallet projects. Now, I have "corrected" those problems I have seen in my first raised beds in the design and build of my pallet wood raised beds v2.0.

Namely, the 2X4 framing is now on the outside of the raised bed which should add more strength to the bed and prevent those corners from blowing out. Additionally, each corner in my pallet wood raised beds also has two 2X4 posts in each corner that the main frame gets screwed into. It's really a solid built that I expect will last much longer.

The sidewall planks are now on the inside of the 2X4 frame, so the weight of the soil pushes the side boards into the 2X4 frame on the outside. I should never see any sidewall planks blowing out.

Also, with the pallet wood raised beds limited to 4X4 foot, I should never have a problem with the long sidewall bowing out like I saw in the 8-foot-long raised beds. It just makes sense to build a pallet wood raised bed at 4 feet because the 2X4 stretchers are 4 feet long. You don't have to cut any boards that way. But I really prefer the 4X4 foot smaller size because I just find it easier to work around.

Picture of my Pallet Wood Raised Bed v2.0 design...

View attachment 3848130

Well, that pallet wood raised bed v2.0 design addresses the faults I had in my earlier fence panel raised bed projects. All those benefits, plus, the pallet wood raised beds cost me less than $2.00 each to build. The wood is free, of course, but I use new screws and brad nails to complete the project faster.

Early on one of my raised beds bowed a little, I think the board was slightly warped. I took a short T-post and pounded it in on the outside of the bed, tight against the boards. It's holding nicely.

 

[gtaus]

here in common places they just call them zip ties with no specification. I don't know if in some specialized shops there are uv rated, etc. mine probably are chinese. they (black) last 3-5 years.

I think the proper name for them is cable ties, but lots of people (like me) just call them zip ties. Anyways, at the big box stores where I buy my cable ties, they have both the holding strength capacity and UV rating of the ties on the packages.

If your black zip ties are lasting 3-5 years, I think you are getting your money's worth out of them.

 

[gtaus]

Early on one of my raised beds bowed a little, I think the board was slightly warped. I took a short T-post and pounded it in on the outside of the bed, tight against the boards. It's holding nicely.

I can see where that would work with some raised beds. However, the fence panel raised beds I built are two feet high and the weight of the soil caused the bowing. The only way I think I could correct that problem is to fully take out all the soil out of the raised bed and rebuild it with either bracing inside in the middle, or even a T-post on the outside like you mentioned. But the bed would have to be emptied because there is a lot of weight in there.

It was a lesson learned the hard way and I posted it in case someone else is in the process of making a raised bed. I hope they won't make the same design mistakes I initially did. Like I said, when newly built, the fence panel raised bed looked great and I was very happy with the build. But over the years, I have seen how they age and what I had to do to make a better design.

Although I don't have 8 years on my pallet wood raised beds yet, I think they are much stronger and will last longer. Well, until the pallet wood itself rots from the elements. My oldest pallet wood raised bed builds are about 3 years old and, so far, show no signs of failure. Certainly, the 4X4 foot design on the pallet wood raised beds appears to have eliminated the bowing out of the middle of my earlier 8-foot-long raised beds.

Another benefit of my new pallet wood raised bed v2.0 design is that I am using those notched out pallet wood 2X4's that I previously had no good use for. Now, I just use that complete 2X4 stretcher in the raised beds as it is. Also, I like the looks of the notches in the framing of the bed.

Again, here is a picture of my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 and I would ask that you look at the 2X4's with notches and how I was able to use them in these builds...

 

[gtaus]

Update on Raised Bed Protective Covers

Speaking of finding a good use for those notched out 2X4 stretchers, a week ago I made some frames with pallet wood 2X4's and stapled on some chicken wire on top to act as protective covers for my beds...

I was concerned that a squirrel would be able to squeeze through those notches which are about 1-1/2 inches tall. I read that a squirrel can fit into a 1-1/4 inch hole. Well, it has been one week now, and no squirrels have gotten into that bed. So, I think I can call that a success - at least so far. If I can go another week or two, the beans will have sprouted and grown a few inches at which time I will no longer need the protective cover.

We are really having an issue with all the squirrels digging in our garden beds. I planted peas in one raised bed (without a protective cover) and the squirrels totally dug up all the seeds and ate them. They are also digging all around Dear Wife's flower beds and planters. So, we are already replanting stuff.

My biggest disappointment was to see that the squirrels dug out and killed all of Dear Wife's bitter melon starts I made this year. It's not that I mind starting over, but I don't know if losing those 6 weeks on the starts will provide a long enough growing season for the bitter melons when I replant them.

I plan on making a number of pallet wood 4X4 foot full sized raised bed protective covers to protect the plant starts next year. We really got hit hard this year from the squirrels.