Waist-High Garden Planter

I have decided to grow a garden this year. I did all my research first to see how much it would cost to start and if it was easier just to go to the grocery to buy produce. You guys know as well as I do that homegrown veggies are 20 times more packed with flavor than grocery veggies. Not only that, but it would give me something constructive to do and take care of during Brad's upcoming deployment.  I knew that I did not want to start any kind of large production because after all, this was my first garden ever! I am still not convinced I know what I am doing!
Things I wanted to avoid:
1. Tearing up or killing any grass
2. Making any type of permanent fixture
3. Cluttering the backyard....etc.

The more I researched, the more I realized building a container garden was the way I wanted to go. With container gardens: weeds are easily controlled, pests cannot readily reach, you're able to move it, does not kill the grass, practically everything will grow in containers...the list goes on and on. Next step was to design the container. I originally had a large planter drawn out (8' x 8') with a trellis stretched across the back and so forth. When Brad and I went to Lowe's to get the lumber, we saw that it was going to be $40 just in brackets alone! Therefore, the whole planter was going to be around $200 to build and that was way more than either of us wanted to put into it.

We found concrete mixing tubs (14 gallons deep) and decided this is what we would build the container around. Luckily, Brad is amazing with math and was able to quickly come up with a configuration and what we needed. We purchased the lumber and off we went to begin the building!

Building the frame

 Cutting wood

 Adding the support to the base of the containers

Brad added a middle shelf for support and to provide a place to set tools, bowls, etc.

 Screwing on the legs

 

 Sanding

 Drilling holes into the bottom of the containers to help with water drainage

 

See the holes?

 All done building and ready for staining

 One coat of stain

 Second coat of stain

 COMPLETE!! With the potting soil and compost added

 I am obsessed with my new planter! It is perfect size, perfect height, perfect depth...you could say it's perfect in my eyes! In a couple weeks, I plan to add the tomatoes and cucumbers to begin their growth. First cycle of growing: tomatoes (cherry, beefsteak and roma) and cucumbers (Boston pickling). Second cycle: Okra and Black-Eyed Peas. Stay tuned for our success!