DIY grow boxes

Since I didn't maximize my fall planting in the hoop this year, I wanted to get a jump in the spring.  I'm pretty pleased with how these are turning out, so thought I'd share.


The path in my hoop house is a little wide, which was intentional both for access to the back of beds, and because I knew I'd use the space for spring propagation (And, I want to fit a lawn chair in there!).  Still, there are times of the year when I wish for a little more growing space. In addition, I have a hard time germinating cool crops like spinach and lettuce in September, which is when you need to plant for overwintering--in our area the hoop house is pushing 100 degrees that time of year, even with the ends off and the sides rolled up.   So, I had this idea to make movable grow-boxes.  They can be set in a cooler spot for fall crops, and in the late winter, started indoors.

While  you can probably make this out of pine or any scrap (untreated) wood,  I turned to my favorite cheap building material:  cedar dog-eared fence boards (see also my compost bins).  For one six foot board you can make exactly one box with no waste, that happens to fit nicely in a standard size flat.

For these, I cut three 19 inch lengths, and divided the remainder in half (about 7 1/2 inches).  Construction was very simple, just a box, but I do recommend pre-drilling if you are using screws, to avoid splits.


 For the handles I used a doorknob drill bit.  And I paired up the dog-ears to make matching ends.  There are a few holes drilled for drainage as well (the first batch I drilled in the bottom, the second pair I tried the sides, we'll see which works the best).


My only minor complaint so far is that the handle height makes them a little bit tall for putting under lights, my spinach is stretched a bit.  Still, the plan is to get them outside as soon as possible after germinating--these should go out later this week, once they have their first set of true leaves.

Alternatively, you could size these up to fit a window box liner, and you could also get fancy and make the ends tapered a bit.  I've seen thinner wood used to make standard-size reusable flats for starting plants.  I think they would make a great kids project (after the prototype, the second pair took me less than an hour start to finish).  They could also be sweet for pre-planted salad boxes to sell at a spring farmer's market, or to start forced bulbs in.