Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
Box up your vegies Build an edible garden on wheels
Roll out the goodness with this miniature garden on wheels – a moveable feast!
Sometimes the best spot for your vegie garden is also the place where you want to sit and take time out, entertain or encourage the kids to let o some steam. So make the area multi-purpose – vegie plot most of the time, your space other times – with a garden in a box that you can just wheel out of the way. Team it up with smaller planters you can easily lift. Gardens can be so accommodating!
STEP BY STEPS TO BUILDING A ROLLING VEGIE BOX Gather your supplies
• 70 x 45mm treated pine
• 18mm marine plywood
• Recycled fence palings
• Grow bag
• Seedlings
You’ll also need
Circular saw; tape measure; drill; 100 and 50mm galvanised ba en screws; 30mm galvanised screws; 75 x 75 x 40mm Make-a-brackets; 15mm galvanised bu on head screws; handles with supplied screws; heavy-duty castors (4)
Here’s how
STEP 1 Using a circular saw, cut treated pine into lengths measuring 2 x 660mm long and 2 x 400mm wide. STEP 2 Position ends against sides, predrill, then join lengths using 100mm ba en screws to create a frame.
STEP 3 Cut marine ply into a 750 x 400mm rectangle and a ach to frame, using 50mm ba en screws.
STEP 4 Drill drainage holes in centre of plywood base.
STEP 5 Cut fence palings to fit around frame so sides overlap ends. Secure using 30mm screws, making sure top edge sits above the frame to same distance as thickness of the palings.
STEP 6 Cut palings to make a cover that will sit flat within the frame and hide the grow bag. Bend and snap brackets in half, then use halves as plates to join palings. Screw through plates into palings using bu on head screws. Position cover on frame.
STEP 7 A ach handles to box ends using the supplied screws.
STEP 8 Build another pine frame to make a base for the top box to sit on. Clad with palings but position them flush with top of base frame. Screw blocks in corners.
STEP 9 Position top box on base box, place grow bag in top box, open and plant with seedlings. Water in.
STEP 10 To make a tall box, build a 750 x 400mm plinth frame for top box to sit on. To work out height, measure width of 4 palings, then add 20mm. Deduct the height of the castors from this measurement. Build frame using treated pine and 100mm ba en screws.
STEP 11 Cut palings to size to clad plinth frame and screw in place.
STEP 12 Screw castors to base of plinth frame.