Building Planter Boxes for My Vegetable Greenhouse

March 19, 2019

Building Planter Boxes for My Vegetable Greenhouse

As you all know, I am a very serious gardener, and am always interested in finding different ways to improve the productivity of the gardens at my farm.

This winter, I decided to build and install wooden garden boxes to fit the entire length of my vegetable greenhouse. These boxes will keep the space tidy and provide protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled. Once complete, the boxes will be filled to the top with soil, creating raised beds that can be maintained more easily and planted more intensively. I recently purchased all the lumber for this project - dozens of long oakwood boards. Various species of oakwood are commonly used to make household furniture and other pieces because of its appealing look and sturdy composition. Once they arrived at the farm, my outdoor grounds crew went to work.

Here are some photos - enjoy.

: My glass vegetable greenhouse is located near my large Equipment Barn. We use it to grow lots of vegetables during winter, so I can share the produce with my family and friends all year long.

: Not long ago, I ordered lots and lots of oakwood lumber for this new garden box project. Oak is a hardwood meaning its wood fibers are more dense than others. Oakwood is remarkably strong, heavy, durable, and resistant to fungal attacks.

: In the past, we’ve always created beautiful raised beds, like these, inside the greenhouse. This photo was taken last October before we planted our first indoor crops of the season.

: Each bed is surrounded by a small footpath for easy maintenance and harvesting. Another slightly larger footpath runs down the center of the greenhouse. This path is lined with flat stepping stones.

: These beds worked very well in the greenhouse – producing lots of luscious greens and vegetables, but it was time to create something new, and see how much better the gardens could be.

: Pete starts by measuring each board, so it can be cut. Here, he marks each piece with a carpenter’s square.

: This is a compound miter saw designed to make very clean cuts. The crew worked in the large garage of the Equipment Barn next door, where there was more room for the lumber and tools.

: The crew then built a template to use with each piece of wood that marked the screw holes at the ends of each piece. Doing this not only ensures the holes will be in the same place, but also saves a lot of time.

: Next, the pilot holes are drilled.

: Here are the ends of two boards where they meet at the corner. Long screws will be used to attach the boards together.

: Phurba and Ryan measure the entire box before securing all the boards together. We calculated that we needed each box to measure six-feet by seven-feet, so that we could get 16-boxes into the greenhouse without compromising the necessary footpaths.

: As each board was completed, the crew carried it into the greenhouse. Here are Pete and Phurba carrying the heavy board inside.

: Now it is time to put the boards together. Here is Phurba putting in the washers. Washers have two main purposes – to distribute the pressure of the nut evenly over the surface, so that the surface isn’t damaged, and to ensure that the nut is pressed against a smooth surface, reducing the chance that it will loosen.

: Next, Chhiring begins screwing the three-inch screws into the boards. First, the top…

: And then the bottom.

: Here is one corner all done. After the boxes are complete, we will amend the soil and replant. The boxes will be filled to the top with nutrient rich composted manure, which will allow the soil to drain better. Soil compaction will also be almost non-existent in these raised beds, so the need for seasonal tilling will be minimal. And, weeds should decrease over time in raised beds that are well cared for and mulched.

: After each box is built and properly positioned, using a palm sander, Phurba smooths out the top surface of the box.

: Colored garden twine is used to create a level line and guide, so all the boxes are positioned properly.

: The crew uses sections of old stakes as spacers in between the beds. It is so crucial to measure everything perfectly. This is the long center footpath.

: Chhiring also measures the space for the smaller footpaths.

: Adjustments are made in the soil, so each box is at the perfect height. I wanted the bottoms to be level with the antique granite posts used to surround the garden. The antique posts are from China – originally used as grape supports in a valley that was going to be dammed and flooded to create a reservoir. I’ve also used these posts as upright supports for the pergolas and my raspberry bushes.

: Here we have a few heads of lettuce growing – everyone is careful not to disturb any of the plants during this project.

: The giant tree ferns that also live in this greenhouse will stay here – they just need to be strategically placed, so they do not interfere with the garden beds.