Pallet Garden Fail

There are some awesome ideas out there using wood pallets. I love that these are being recycled because it is hard wood. But, I've hesitated to bring one in the house because they are treated with formaldehyde to prevent rot. I don't want that in my house. If you are using them inside, please, please, please don't sand or at least wear protection if you do, and seal it well.

I did have a pallet on hand, sitting in my garage waiting for me to decide what to do and I saw this lovely idea on Pinterest:

from  Life of the Balcony

I decided to try it out. Lowe's had a great clearance on some annuals and even perennials and I already had dirt.

Lay the pallet front side down (doesn't matter, you decide) and staple landscaping fabric on the back and bottom edge. You get to go a little crazy with the staple gun.

Flip over (or have a strong person do this; pallets are heavy!) Fill with dirt. Really pack it in.

Then add your plants. (And note that I did not plant anything I intended to eat because of the chemical issues.) I only did the main part; once it was tipped up I was going to plant in the top as well.

Water it in and wait at least a week, two would be better to allow the roots to take hold.

Tip it up. *Warning: this is now incredibly heavy! And, woh-woh, FAIL!

Oh, sure, it looks pretty from the front, but a peek around the back shows the landscaping fabric sagging and that means the plants aren't actually in the dirt.

We did not try to repair it this season because it turns out, we need it out of that space to make way for another project and it is too heavy to move. 

Next year we are trying again, but we are going to nail a plywood board to the back to prevent the dirt from pulling away. It may have worked if the pallet was smaller.

Ah, well, it was pretty while it lasted.

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