Hang them on your fence or on your shed — these easy-to-make planters are perfect for adding herbs and vegetables to the back yard.
We used 6-foot cedar fence boards and chain links to make these boxes. They catch the sun and are easily removable. Little extra touches: the trimmed fence tops make decorative ends and our simple “hook” holder means you don’t have to drill into your cement fence. (You’ll need to make some adjustments to the holder if you have a wooden fence.)
Here is our video tutorial and the complete instructions are below.
Materials and tools (for each 48″ planter)
3 6′ cedar fence boards
2 x 2 in. cedar or redwood board (one 8′ length)
Hand saw or circular saw (we used a compound miter saw but it’s not necessary)
Wood glue
Power drill with screw bit and pilot bits
Galvanized screws: 1″ and 2.5″
Eye hooks (4)
Black chain links (about 50 lb. weight capacity)
Pliers
Instructions
1. Measure your wall space vertically and decide how big you want your planter box.
2. Measure how far down you want your box to hang. (Do this before purchasing chain links.)
3. Mark two fence boards 6″ down from the top and cut. These will be your end pieces.
4. Mark two fence boards at 48″ (or whatever length you desire) and cut.
5. For your third (bottom) board: Mark remaining fence board 1.75″ SHORTER than your other boards. The end pieces will take up that 1.75″ space.
6. Place wood glue along the bottoms of your end pieces and hold them perpendicular against the cut edges of your bottom board. Drill in 1″ screws in on each side.
7. Turn box onto one side. Glue bottom of side 1 and fit against the edges of the end pieces and the bottom board. Screw in place (about 1 screw every 10- to 12 inches).
8. Repeat for the other side.
9. Using a large drill bit, drill 3 or 4 drainage holes down the center of the bottom board.
10. To make hook holder (you’ll need two of these): Cut top piece measuring the depth of your fence PLUS desired extension (ours is about 16″). Cut back two pieces to fit around the fence cap and a short “lip” to fit beneath it. Cut one more short piece (about 2 inches) to fit on the front side of the fence. Screw pieces securely in place with 2.5″ screws.
11. Drill pilot holes into the center top of the planter’s two end pieces and on the underside of the hook holder, where you want the chain to hang from.
12. Insert eye hooks into each hole and screw in tightly.
13. Cut chain link to desired length and pry open top and bottom link just enough to fit through eye hooks. Insert into place and close links with pliers.
14. Fill planter with soil and plants as it hangs, or complete it on the ground before Step 13.
Michelle says
I love the simplicity with a little style for an outdoor hanging planter box. I had to take my old one, which stood on 4 legs down as it had served me well and had begun to rot in places. I want to make one to hang this time. I have a solid 2×6 that is 50” long. So I’d like to screw this planter into the 2×6. Do you have any suggestions on how to do it to be solid and still look nice? Thanks for a great site and video 😉
Michelle
Erika says
Hi Michelle, is the 2 x 6 part of your fence? Maybe you could send photos to us – sheshedliving@gmail.com – and we can give you some ideas. Thank you for your kind words about our hanging planters!