How To Build A Pallet Garden Wall | Small-Space Greenery

Why A Pallet Garden Wall Works So Well

A pallet garden wall gives you dozens of planting spots in the space of a narrow shelf. Slats act like pockets and the frame holds everything in one piece, handy for renters, balcony growers, and anyone who wants more plants without losing floor space.

When you learn how to build a pallet garden wall, you create a simple vertical planter that hangs on a fence, brick wall, or sturdy balcony rail.

How To Build A Pallet Garden Wall Step By Step

Before you start cutting and drilling, it helps to see the steps at a glance. You choose a safe pallet, clean and sand it, add a backing and fabric pockets, fill with soil, plant, then hang or lean the finished frame securely.

Choosing Safe Pallets For A Garden Wall

Not every pallet suits a garden wall. Look for a stamp that shows “HT” for heat treated. Heat-treated pallets are baked to kill pests and do not rely on toxic fumigants. Avoid pallets stamped “MB,” which signals treatment with methyl bromide, a chemical you do not want near food plants or skin contact. Advice on safe pallet types from gardening writers and pallet suppliers backs this approach to backyard projects.

Before you build, hose the pallet, scrub off dust and soil, then let it dry. A light sanding with medium-grit paper removes splinters and reduces the chance of snagged clothes or scratched hands when you reach into pockets to prune or harvest.

Pallet Garden Wall Tools And Materials

You can assemble a simple pallet garden wall with basic DIY tools and a short list of materials.

Core Tools

• Drill or screwdriver with wood bits
• Hand saw or circular saw
• Hammer and nails or exterior screws
• Staple gun with stainless or galvanized staples
• Measuring tape, pencil, and spirit level
• Sandpaper or sanding block
• Safety gear: gloves, dust mask, and eye protection

Main Materials

• One sturdy heat-treated pallet
• Extra boards or exterior-grade plywood for the back
• Weed barrier or geotextile fabric
• High quality potting mix suited to containers
• Wall fixings: masonry anchors, heavy-duty screws, or fence bolts
• Optional non-toxic exterior wood sealer
• Your choice of herbs, flowers, succulents, or salad plants

Many pallet garden guides point toward a loose, peat-free potting mix with added compost. Advice from the Virginia Cooperative Extension on vertical gardening echoes the need for well drained growing media.

Step-By-Step Pallet Garden Wall Build

Step 1: Prepare And Repair The Pallet

Lay the pallet flat and check every slat. Replace cracked boards with spare timber and tighten any loose nails with your hammer. If boards flex when you press on them, add an extra screw into the pallet blocks behind them to stiffen the frame.

Give the pallet a final sanding so the front face feels smooth to the touch. Seal the wood with a plant-safe exterior sealer if you want it to last longer outdoors. Let it dry fully before you add fabric or soil.

Step 2: Add A Back Panel

Flip the pallet so the back faces up. Cut boards or plywood to close the entire back, then screw them into the pallet blocks. This back panel keeps soil inside the frame once the pallet stands upright.

Step 3: Staple Fabric And Form Pockets

Turn the pallet front-side up again. Starting at the back, lay weed barrier fabric across the pallet and wrap it around the sides like a loose gift. Staple the fabric to the back panel, then to the inner edges around each slat, so you form deep pockets between the boards and the backing.

Work from the bottom up so each row of slats has its own pocket. Press your hand inside each one to check the fabric and seal any gaps.

Step 4: Fill With Potting Mix

Stand the pallet upright, leaning it against a wall or fence, and slide a sheet of plastic or an old tarp underneath to catch spills. Use a scoop or small trowel to fill each pocket with potting mix, pressing gently to pack it without crushing the fabric.

Water each pocket lightly. The soil will settle, opening more space. Top up with more mix until pockets are full to just below the slat edge. Advice from the RHS veg-on-walls guide suggests checking how water moves through the structure before planting heavily.

Step 5: Plant Your Pallet Garden Wall

Now you can enjoy the fun part of how to build a pallet garden wall. Lay out plants in their pots in front of the pallet first. Put sun-lovers near the top if the wall gets partial shade, and keep thirstier plants closer to eye level so you notice when they droop.

To plant, poke a hole in the soil with your hand or a trowel, ease the plant from its pot, and slide the root ball into the pocket. Firm soil around the roots with your fingers. Start from the bottom row so spills fall onto empty pockets above, not finished ones below.

Step 6: Mount And Brace The Wall

Once planted, your pallet will feel heavier, so mounting needs care. Fix heavy-duty brackets or French cleats to the back of the pallet and match them to anchors in your wall or fence. Check with a level that the pallet hangs straight before you load every pocket with plants.

Building A Pallet Garden Wall Safely Outdoors

Safety matters when you hang a dense wall of soil and plants. A wet pallet garden wall can weigh far more than you expect, so fixings and brackets need to match that load. Use masonry anchors rated for heavy shelves on brick and block walls, or coach bolts on timber fences and posts.

Avoid mounting above areas where people walk or sit. A fence corner, garage wall, or balcony end panel is a better spot than the main doorway. Test the setup by tugging firmly at the top and sides of the pallet before you leave it unattended.

Watering And Drainage For A Pallet Garden Wall

Vertical gardens dry out faster than ground beds because they hold less soil, catch more wind, and shed water through the lower pockets. Hand watering with a gentle rose on a watering can works well for small pallet walls, as long as you water slowly and let the flow seep through each pocket.

Many vertical garden guides suggest a top-down method: water the highest row until it drains, then move to the next row. You can also add a simple drip line along the top backed by a timer. Articles on drainage for plant walls explain that a mix of moisture-retentive material and drainage media keeps roots healthy and prevents water from pooling at the base.

Line the back of the pallet with an extra sheet of plastic or a pond liner before you fix it to a house wall, then punch holes along the bottom edge. This layer shields brick or siding from damp patches while still letting water escape into a gutter tray or gravel strip below.

Best Plants For A Pallet Garden Wall

Choose plants that stay compact, cope with shallow soil, and match your light levels. Herbs like thyme, oregano, chives, and parsley thrive in sunny pallet pockets. Leafy greens such as loose-leaf lettuce and rocket suit cooler, part-shade spots. For colour, compact trailing flowers and small ferns can soften the timber edges.

Ongoing Care For Your Pallet Garden Wall

A pallet garden wall needs the same basics as any container: water, feeding, trimming, and a little renewal each season. Feed with a diluted liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks during active growth, since nutrients wash through the pockets more quickly than in ground soil. Set a weekly reminder to walk past the wall and check moisture, growth, and any loose fixings carefully and regular checks.

Watch for signs of stress such as yellow leaves, scorched edges, or drooping tops. These usually trace back to either too much water, too little water, or a mismatch between plant type and light level. Shift plants around the pallet until each one finds a spot that suits its needs.

Final Touches For Your Pallet Garden Wall

Once the build is done and the plants settle in, small tweaks can lift the whole display. A coat of coloured exterior paint on the pallet frame can tie the wall into your outdoor furniture. Hooks screwed into the side of the pallet can hold hand tools, twine, or a small watering can.

Send us your feedbackTell us what you thought about this post

⚠Please use a real email you check. If it's fake or mistyped, your message won't reach us and we can't reply — wrong addresses are rejected automatically.

Name *Email *

Your comment *

Quick check — what is …? *

Send feedback