Portable Garden Planter
This garden trolley is the perfect solution if you’re looking to grow more than a windowsill of herbs but don’t have the space for a full produce patch.
Standing at about 800mm high, the trolley features a 900 x 650mm planting area that’s about 180mm deep and a shelf for storage.
The unit is a comfortable working height and a good size to grow enough herbs for the average household.
With castors for mobility, it’s easy to wheel around to chase the sun or free up space for outdoor entertaining.
It’s built out of treated pine with marine plywood used as a base for the planter box and decking boards as slats for the shelf.
Cut the parts with a circular saw and assemble using butt joints and mitred corners, then paint it and add four 75mm castors to the base, making sure two are lockable.
To get the shabby chic look, finish the trolley with specialist milk paint.
Add the plants
Fill the trolley with pots or plant herbs and vegies into the box. To use it as a planter, drill holes in the base and line it with landscape fabric.
Add a 20mm layer of gravel to assist drainage, cover it with fabric then fill the planter with a potting mix formulated for vegies and herbs.
This planter features strawberries, chillies, eggplant, lemongrass, basil, mint, oregano and rosemary.
TIP For a fast crop, plant herb and vegie seedlings instead of seeds, watering them in well.
Fasteners
Use 75mm x 8g screws to build the box frame, and attach the legs and the blocks. Secure the box base with 40mm x 8g screws.
On all the corners use PVA adhesive and square-drive 75mm x 8g treated pine screws.
Secure the planter box pieces with 125mm x 14g bugle screws.
Make the shelf frame using 100mm x 8g screws, attaching the slats with 60mm x 8g screws.