Planter Box Tutorial

I love working out in our yard!

Maybe it's because I don't get to do it as often as I like, so when I actually do get out there I've been looking forward to it and I kind of have a plan of what I want to get done.

Today I wanted to share a little upgrade I did for our berry bushes.

On the side of our house we have about a 4 foot wide gap between our house and our neighbor's fence. It receives sunlight all day long, so two years ago we decided to plant some berries along the length of the house. Might as well put that space to use!

We planted two blackberries and one raspberry.

When we first planted these little guys we laid out the garden fabric, to keep weeds from growing, and cut out a little hole around the base of each bush. We then we covered it all with wood chips.

Last year the plants got so tall, and the branches were weighed down with berries, so we tied them up to the white trellises you see pictured.
It worked, but it looked a little messy and I know these plants are just going to get bigger. I wanted the area to look cleaner and have a wide opening at the bottom so it would be easier to water them when needed.
So this is the solution I came up with.
To start out I grabbed an extra 2x4 we had in our basement and brought it outside.
I marked off two spots and cut the wood with a handsaw.
It was a pretty good workout :)
I think the 2x4 had been cut before, because the piece across the front ended up being 28" and the two side pieces were 30" and that used it all up.
It ended up being the perfect size for this planter box though.
I only used three pieces of wood, making a 'U' shape because I used the existing wall from our house as the back of the box.

After cutting the wood I stood the 30" piece straight up, and propped the 28" piece across (to make an 'L' shape), took my screwdriver and pre-drilled two holes.

I had some spare screws on hand that were long enough to go through the front 2x4 into the side one, so I drilled those in.

I then did the same with the other side.

I cut the gardening fabric back so it would go on the outside of the wood planter box, and I dug a little trench to sit the 2x4's down into.

I then set my finished box into the little trench and filled in the gaps with dirt.

I added some topsoil and mulch as well to give it a finished look, and help the dirt retain moisture.

.I love the finished look and how quickly it all came together, and that I got to use up some old wood that had been laying around!
I've got two more of these to make and Im excited because I know how it will work out :)