A trellis is a great addition to your garden. In fact, an interesting combination would be a trellis with a planter box for your backyard garden.

What’s even better is making a lattice-trellis planter box out of shipping pallets. Shipping pallets are not just sturdy but they are also cheap.

Building your Lattice, Trellis Planter Box

The idea is already there in your mind, now comes the next question. How do you build a lattice-trellis planter box? Simply follow these simple steps:

• Get a shipping pallet.

They’re normally given away for free or you can buy them at very low prices. A standard pallet size is 48 inches x 40 inches. The size of the pallet deck board is 3 inches wide and 5/16 inch thick.

• Dismantle the pallet.

Separate each deck board from the stringer without causing damage. Choose a stringer pallet because it’s easier to dismantle than a block pallet.

• Make your planter first.

To create the planter box, take three of the deck boards and place them together. You can use the stringer as base to hold the deck boards by nailing them.

Cut three 9-inch pieces of the stringer. Place two on both edges and one in the middle. This will be the bottom portion of the box. Don’t forget to drill a hole on the bottom panel for watering purposes.

Create the side panels using the same procedure you followed in making the bottom panel until you form a box. Make sure that the pieces with support beams are facing outward.

You can put screw-on caster wheels on your planter box to make it easier to move around.

• Now prepare your lattice trellis.

A lattice is simply a crisscross structure design. You can cut the pallet deck board into 1.5 inch width to make it thinner.

Follow the length of your planter box to make the trellis frame. Screw the 1.5-inch deck boards together to form a grid. This will be your lattice design panel.

Attach your lattice panel to a frame and nail the frame to your planter box. Make sure you’ve screwed your trellis to your planter box securely.

• Use the trellis in one of two ways.

You can use it as a guide for plants to keep it straight towards the tops. The trellis is good in growing vine plants. The other way is to place plants on small pots and hang them on the trellis.

A Lattice Trellis Planter Box on Your Deck

As you can imagine, your backyard garden is not the only place where you can put your lattice trellis planter box. If you have a deck in your home, this movable lattice-trellis planter box can be a great design piece.

It can serve as a backdrop on your deck or as shade against the sun. If you’re going to use it on your deck, choose a good vine plant that can grow and cling on your trellis. Vine plants can provide enough cover to shield your deck against the sun.