Hi.
I'm Saul from The Home Depot community.
And today we're going to make a vertical garden.
It's a great project where the green thumb and the tool person in you
comes together to make something you will not find in any other old garden.
There are several steps in this project, so you
might want to watch this video once through and then use it as a reference
as you build your garden.
If you're good with measurements and a saw,
you can create any size of vertical garden you want.
We're going to show you how to make one that's 37 by 24 and 1/2 inches.
Here's what you'll need--
four pieces of 1 by 4 whitewood or pressure-treated wood, two
cut 24 and 1/2 inches long and two cut at 37 inches;
four pieces of 1 by 6 whitewood or pressure-treated wood, two
cut 32 inches long and two cut at 18 inches;
four pieces of 1 by 2 whitewood, two cut at 32 inches, one at 20 and 3/4 inches,
and one at 15 inches; and finally, a piece of 1/4
inch plywood sheeting measuring 32 by 19 and 1/2 inches.
That's a lot of numbers to throw at you.
But it's important to get the right measurements.
Now to assemble the bed.
Take the two 32-inch lengths of wood and measure down from the top by 14 inches
and up from the bottom by 3 and 1/2.
Place a mark at each location.
Now take your three 18-inch boards.
One goes at the very top, one in the middle at the 14-inch mark,
and one at the bottom at the 3 and 1/2 mark.
Use a drill and 1 and 1/2-inch exterior wood screws to join the top and bottom
boards together, but hold off on the middle board for now.
Then take the piece of plywood and secure it to the back of the bed.
Now that the frame's assembled, we'll make
some room for our irrigation system.
Using a 1-inch spade bit, drill two holes in the top of the frame.
Take the middle support we didn't screw in
and slide it up flush to the top of the board.
Use a clamp to secure it to the top of the frame
and drill only one matching hole into it.
With the corresponding hole drilled, you can move this board back
to the 14-inch mark and screw it in as you did the others.
With your bed mostly finished, now is a good time
to install an optional French cleat if you want to hang your garden on a wall.
To do this, get an extra piece of 1 by 4 whitewood about 12 inches long,
and screw it into the interior of the bed at the top and bottom of the frame.
Then on the outside, screw your French cleat into these supporting pieces.
Remember, this is optional.
There are many other ways to hang your garden.
And the garden we're building is designed to stand upright
on the ground, if you like.
Attach the one by two pieces of whitewood around the frame.
These will give extra surface area to support
the frame, which we'll attach later on.
Screw the 32-inch long boards along the long sides,
the 20 and 3/4-inch board on the top, and the 15-inch one along the bottom,
keeping them all flush with the front of the bed.
Now we're ready to line the bed with plastic sheeting.
Do this to prevent wood rot and warping.
Line each compartment separately and leave enough slack for the soil.
Staple the plastic in place and cut away the excess.
Now with the bed assembled, let's move on to the irrigation system.
Start by using a razor to make an X-shaped incision in the plastic liner
in the holes we drilled earlier.
Put one piece of 19-inch long PVC pipe through the top and center section
holes and one piece of 8-inch long PVC pipe through the second hole.
Attach caps to the ends of each pipe, then
glue the reducing bushing to the opposite end where you'll be watering.
With a small drill bit, place drip holes along each pipe.
Put one as close to the bottom as you can to reduce standing water.
On the 19-inch pipe, you only need to drill holes in the second compartment.
Now we're ready to get a little dirty.
Fill both compartments with soil, shaking the box
occasionally to let it settle.
With the soil in place, stretch a piece of black ground cover or shade
cloth across the frame and staple it into place.
Remember those 1 by 4 pieces of wood from earlier?
It's time to use them as your frame.
If you want them painted, do this beforehand.
And if you want a miter the corners, be sure your measurements are accurate.
Drill the frame into the 1 by 2s we fixed around the exterior early on.
With your frame in place, you can accurately
measure the height and width you'll need for the supporting lattice work.
Cut accordingly.
Paint it, if you like.
Then attach it to the inner lip of the bed with 1-inch wood screws.
Take a razor and cut an X in each opening of the lattice work
so you can begin planting your flowers.
Then start coloring things up.
Remember, flowers with shorter stems will look nicer
since there's less weight to pull them down.
You'll have to keep your vertical garden horizontal for at least three weeks
to let the soil settle and the roots take hold.
After the three weeks have passed, hang your garden
to the wall with the French cleat or stand it upright on the ground.
Then step back and let the compliments start flowing in.
If you enjoyed this project and you're ready to take on a few others,
be sure to visit HomeDepot.com/GardenCenter for more
great project how-to ideas.
Sign up for the Garden Club at the same address.
More saving, more do.
That's the power of The Home Depot.