Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

Clover and vetch would add some nitrogen to the soil.

Ok, I see what you are thinking. In my case, I use nitrogen rich chicken run compost to top off the raised bed. So, I do not think I'm lacking nitrogen. But I get your point now. Thanks.

But veggies would be good too. I just didn't know if you were wanting more veggies this year or just wanted to plant something in it.

I have a pack or two of radish seeds that I have not used. So, I was thinking about tossing them in the new bed. Also, I still have a pack of 100 onion bulbs that I think would have more than enough time to grow as green onions. I also have lots of extra bean seeds saved from last year. I planted my beans about a month ago, and they are doing fine, but I suppose they would make a good cover crop in the sense that they put nitrogen back into the soil instead of drawing it out.

Thanks for the response which got me into thinking about options I still have available to me. Here is a little something I learned from Copilot when I posed the bean question to it...

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You're in Zone 3B, which means your growing season is short and your first frost typically hits around **mid-September**. That makes it too late to expect a full **bean harvest**, especially since most bush beans need **60–70 frost-free days** to mature. But your idea to use the extra seeds as a **cover crop** is spot-on—and quite resourceful.

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### Using Bean Seeds as a Cover Crop in Zone 3B

Even if you don’t get beans to eat, the plants can still benefit your soil:

- **Nitrogen Fixation**: Beans are legumes, so they’ll enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen—especially if you inoculate the seeds before planting.
- **Biomass for Composting**: The foliage adds organic matter when chopped and dropped in fall.
- **Weed Suppression**: Dense bean growth shades out weeds and protects soil from erosion.
- **Soil Structure**: Roots help loosen compacted soil and improve drainage.

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### What to Do

- **Plant ASAP**: Get those seeds in the ground now to maximize root and foliage growth before frost.
- **Use HT pallet wood beds**: Since you’re already building hügelkultur beds, beans will thrive in that loose, nutrient-rich environment.
- **Inoculate if possible**: A rhizobia inoculant will boost nitrogen-fixing performance.
- **Chop and Drop**: Before frost hits, cut the plants at soil level and let them decompose in place or till them in.

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If you ever want to try a **cold-hardy legume** for future cover cropping, **fava beans** are a great option—they germinate in soil as cold as 35°F and fix loads of nitrogen. You could sow them in **late summer or early fall** and let them overwinter, then chop and drop in spring.

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I think I'll go with the radish and onions option this year for the new raised bed. But all that info on beans as a cover crop was interesting.

 

[gtaus]

I love it! Definitely adding to my “gonna do” list!

Good to hear from you. There are lots of pallet wood project ideas on this thread and I am sure some of them will be of interest to you. I really appreciate when others can offer pallet projects that they are working on. I'm doing mostly garden projects, which I share, but it's mainly more of the same in my case. It's always great to hear what other people are doing with their pallet wood. Pictures are wonderful. I encourage you to post whatever you can that you are willing to share. Thanks.

Or, if you have any questions about pallet wood and/or reclaimed lumber projects, please post them here. I'll help where I can and others following this thread are also very helpful.

Pallet wood projects is my retirement hobby. It not only saves me lots of money, but I get to save a valuable resource from ending up in our local landfill. I get some satisfaction out of using a waste resource and turning it into something valuable to my family.

 

[gtaus]

Deer in the Gardens Again - More Damage

Had to play a little catch up today on getting things done quickly. One of my hügelkultur raised beds has nine SuperSweet 100 vine tomatoes in it. I have a wooden trellis frame up and around that bed. I made some wood framed panels with 4-foot-high chicken wire. Unfortunately, I only had the panels friction set in the trellis framing and that turned out to be a mistake.

We had a thunderstorm overnight and I guess a couple of my chicken wire panels blew off the raised beds. This morning, to my horror, I discovered that some deer took advantage of my mistake and ate the tops off the tomato plants in that raised bed...

Those tomato plants had been about 2 feet tall but have now been reduced to 6 inches to one foot tall, depending on the plant. They should grow back, but it's a shame that I did not secure the panels better.

Here is a picture of my pallet wood raised bed, with a salvaged lumber trellis frame, two sides have leftover 2X4 wire fencing permanently attached to the trellis frame, and the other two sides have the removable chicken wire panels...

The idea was to make those panels removable so I can get into the raised bed to work with the tomato plants. You can see the rope hanging down to each plant. I use those plant clips to attach the plant to the rope so it will climb up. As the tomato plants grow taller, I have to add more clips to the rope/plant. So, every once in a while, I have to get inside the raised bed to work on the plants. Maybe only once or twice a month.

Obviously, my idea of a friction fit for the chicken wire panels was not very well thought out. The wind blew the panels off the trellis frame and the deer took advantage of the situation. If you look closely, you can see where I now added a block of scrap wood and screwed the chicken wire panel to the trellis frame...

I had considered a number of other options, like hinges and hook and eyes to make a swing out panel, but I needed a fast solution today and that is what I came up with. It is still removable. I just have to take out the screw attached to the trellis frame and the panel will come out. Probably not as convenient as a hinge and hook system, but the wood block with screws is basically a no cost solution and I got everything secured before nightfall.

I made a few more of those type of chicken wire panels for another raised bed. I had to custom fit the panels because not all of my raised beds are the exact same size. Although I talk a lot about my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 design which I really like, I made other raised beds before I got into the pallet wood projects. Mostly, they all are about 4X4 feet, but they can be off by as much as 4 inches depending on the raised bed.

In any case, the raised bed, trellis frame, and framing for chicken wire panels are all pallet wood or salvaged lumber builds. A zero cost build for the wood. I used a bunch of repurposed 2X4 inch fence wire for the trellis, so, no cost there, either. I did have to use some new chicken wire for the panels. So that probably cost me about $10 total for the two panels. Not too bad. Those panels should last a lifetime.

I had great success growing the SuperSweet 100 tomatoes last year. I call them garden candy because I will just eat some right off the vine when I'm outside working. Very nice. Here is a picture of what they should look like later in the summer...

Anyways, I had a ton of those tomatoes almost ready to harvest last year when the deer first found my garden and ate almost everything in one night! They ate most of my peppers, too. That's why I am now making all these chicken wire panels and cages to protect my plants.

 

[fuzzi]

The tomatoes may do well. Some plants produce better after a severe pruning.

 

[Smokerbill]

That's a heartbreaking way to start the day. I've been there. And I agree, the tomatoes will come back and do great, just maybe a little later.

 

[gtaus]

The tomatoes may do well. Some plants produce better after a severe pruning.

Speaking of pruning, last year I watched a YouTube video and learned how to remove the suckers from my tomato plants. So, I removed all the suckers and only had the main stem growing up the string. I did not like the end results of the super thin tomato plant. I did get tomatoes, but probably nowhere near as many as I could have produced if I had left on the suckers. It did, however, open up the bed and there was lots of good air flow. But my tomato plants were not close enough that air flow was a problem.

This year, I don't plan on removing all the suckers. I might not remove any. Since I'm just letting the tomatoes grow up on a string, I think I'll just drop down more lines to support the suckers as they grow. And, in the case of these plants that lost their main stem, I guess I'll have to depend on the suckers filling out and making the tomatoes this year.

 

[gtaus]

That's a heartbreaking way to start the day. I've been there. And I agree, the tomatoes will come back and do great, just maybe a little later.

It's a small setback. I have 9 plants in that bed, and 4 of them were topped off by the deer. But those plants are still alive.

Trying to make lemonade out of lemons, I am thinking now I will have tomatoes coming into harvest at different times this year. Staggered harvesting might work to my benefit with those topped off tomato plants maybe a few weeks behind the others.

 

[chickengr]

Speaking of pruning, last year I watched a YouTube video and learned how to remove the suckers from my tomato plants. So, I removed all the suckers and only had the main stem growing up the string. I did not like the end results of the super thin tomato plant. I did get tomatoes, but probably nowhere near as many as I could have produced if I had left on the suckers. It did, however, open up the bed and there was lots of good air flow. But my tomato plants were not close enough that air flow was a problem.

This year, I don't plan on removing all the suckers. I might not remove any. Since I'm just letting the tomatoes grow up on a string, I think I'll just drop down more lines to support the suckers as they grow. And, in the case of these plants that lost their main stem, I guess I'll have to depend on the suckers filling out and making the tomatoes this year.

I remove just a few low suckers for the air flow and to give strength to the plant to grow. above about 1 ft it becomes jungle. talking about indeterminate tomatoes. I don't prune determinate tomatoes unless really crowded.

 

[gtaus]

I remove just a few low suckers for the air flow and to give strength to the plant to grow. above about 1 ft it becomes jungle. talking about indeterminate tomatoes. I don't prune determinate tomatoes unless really crowded.

Yeah, I don't prune my determinate Roma tomatoes, for example. But I over pruned my indeterminate cherry tomatoes last year. Good idea to prune those lowest branches on both types to keep them off the ground.

 

[gtaus]

Sale on Air Puncher

I just got a notice of a sale on the HAPT50SP nail puncher on Amazon...

I purchased the Air Locker AP700 nail puncher last year and use it all the time when I break down pallets. If you want to save time, a nail puncher is the tool for you. I work 3X-4X times faster when I denail pallet boards using my AP700.

A nail puncher is not a must have tool if you only occasionally need to denail pallet wood or salvaged lumber. A hammer, crowbar, or pliers works fine. The nail punchers just speed up the job and make it a lot easier.

For anyone considering their options, here is a comparison between the HAPT50SP on sale and the AP700 I own.

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Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the 3PLUS HAPT50SP and your Air Locker AP700, both solid punch nailers built for denailing and pallet work:

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Feature Comparison: HAPT50SP vs. AP700​

Feature	3PLUS HAPT50SP	Air Locker AP700
Nail Gauge Range	10–20 gauge	10–20 gauge
Operating Pressure	70–120 PSI	80–120 PSI
Driver Diameter	Not specified	0.16 inch
Body Material	Die-cast aluminum	Die-cast aluminum
Grip	Rubberized ergonomic grip	Rubberized ergonomic grip
Nose Design	Slim elongated nose for tight spaces	Slim elongated nose for tight spaces
Weight	~4.2 lbs	~2.35 lbs
Replaceable Driver	Yes	Yes (you already have the spare!)
Exhaust Direction	Fixed	360° adjustable rear exhaust
Retail Price Range	$39–$95 (varies by seller)	$60–$99 (depending on kit and extras)
Best Use Case	Pallet recycling, hardwood denailing	Pallet denailing, tight-space nail removal

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Key Differences​

• Weight: The AP700 is noticeably lighter, which may reduce fatigue during long sessions.
• Exhaust Control: AP700’s adjustable exhaust is a nice touch for comfort and safety.
• Driver Specs: AP700’s 0.16" driver is well-documented; HAPT50SP’s isn’t clearly listed but is confirmed replaceable.
• Price: HAPT50SP tends to be more budget-friendly, especially when on sale.

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If you’re already happy with the AP700’s performance, the HAPT50SP could be a good backup or secondary tool—especially if you’re working with multiple people or want to keep one set up for a different nail size.