Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[Molpet]

I got out some pea seeds just for planting in my 2X4 "pole bean" raised beds. However, I discovered that the new beds I just had filled had been dug up pretty bad...

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That bed was nice and level just the day before when I filled it. I'm thinking maybe squirrels got into it? Maybe birds? We have lots of rabbits running around the yard, but the raised beds are 16 inches high and I have never seen a rabbit jump up into a bed. If anyone knows the signs of these digging holes, let me know what is doing it. Thanks.

Well, I decided I would have to build a protective topper for the raised bed before I planted the pea (or bean) seeds. I used the 2X4's that I recently salvaged from the pallet made up entirely of 2X4's and put together with Torx screws. I made a couple of 2X4 foot frames with that wood and used some old chicken wire I had from previous projects...

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Turned out to be quite a job using that old chicken wire. I had to stretch it out with one hand while stapling it with the other. If I had used brand new chicken wire, it would have gone much easier. But I did not want to go to town to buy new chicken wire for just a couple of small frames. So, I used what I had and got it done.

Here is a picture of the raised beds with the protective toppers on them....

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That chicken wire topper should protect the young seeds and plants long enough to establish themselves. After that, I don't think they will get dug out by whatever has been digging in the raised beds.

I might make a few more of those chicken wire protective toppers. It is nice that I can use a couple of those 2X4 foot toppers and use them to protect my standard sized 4X4 foot raised bed if I need it.

By me the squirrels. But also mice. Depends on size

 

[Smokerbill]

The raised bed riser I slapped together for my potato crop is working out well. I've been packing dried leaves around the vines as they grow. I would've preferred to hill them up with dirt, but I don't have any garden soil to spare.

 

[Molpet]

The raised bed riser I slapped together for my potato crop is working out well. I've been packing dried leaves around the vines as they grow. I would've preferred to hill them up with dirt, but I don't have any garden soil to spare.

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I put straw around the potato plants. After Halloween I post on my local FB page for pumpkin and bales. Sometimes people want to drop off others want me to pickup.

 

[gtaus]

The raised bed riser I slapped together for my potato crop is working out well.

Yeah, I liked that raised bed riser idea. I'm going to borrow that concept if I need extra soil depth on my raised beds that have normally 6-8 inches of topsoil. I have been thinking about using a riser like that to grow some daikon radish in a raised bed. Those radishes can get quite long. Maybe something small, just a foot or two square would be enough on top of a normal raised bed.

 

[gtaus]

By me the squirrels. But also mice. Depends on size

I'm thinking it is squirrels digging in the raised bed. I don't see many mice around here, but there are some. I just don't understand what the squirrels are looking for in those raised beds because it is nothing but topsoil and compost in that top layer. Nothing has been planted yet.

Anyways, I got my peas ready to plant in the beds tomorrow. I found one pack of sugar peas with edible pods and three packs of peas that you have to shell the peas from the pods. I'm going to use them all up because the seeds are a few years old. What grows will be good enough for me.

 

[Smokerbill]

I have been thinking about using a riser like that to grow some daikon radish in a raised bed. Those radishes can get quite long. Maybe something small, just a foot or two square would be enough on top of a normal raised bed.

I can't grow radishes in my garden because of root maggot infestation, so I'm growing daikon in a bucket.

I filled it with a new bag of potting soil, and keep it covered with floating row cover, secured with a bungee cord, only removing it to water the bucket. It seems to be working out nicely. I keep it on the south facing front porch, so it gets plenty of sunshine.

 

[Galaxy_rules]

That's an interesting thought. I suppose almost all my pallet projects are somehow related to pullet projects - this being a Backyard Chicken forum. Would love to hear about any pallet projects you might have going on, pullet related or not!

Great! I might show some later.

 

[Smokerbill]

I used some pallet cutoffs today for a project. I set up a fence about 7 feet away from the east side of my raised bed garden. The waste line running to the septic drain field is somewhere near where the north corner of the fence is so I couldn't drive a T-post in the ground there.

I attached a pair of pallet cutoffs together at a right angle, positioned them on their sides to use it as support for the chicken wire panels. I nailed the panel frames to the pallets.

Those panels were previously attached directly to the raised beds, and had to be removed for me to access the plants. Real PITA!

I drove in T-posts where I felt it was safe and attached a few of the chicken wire panels to them. The "gate" is simply a flat section of remesh, attached to one T-post with loops of wire that act as hinges. The other side uses a sturdy bungee cord as the "latch".

There's room to roll my wheelbarrow into the space when the remesh "door" is opened up. I think the setup is going to work out well.

Now I can let the vines of the butternut squash I planted grow over the side of the raised bed onto the ground. The vines will have plenty of room to spread out this summer.

It's chicken proof now, and once I string some ropes up above the new fence it should deter deer too.

 

[gtaus]

Those panels were previously attached directly to the raised beds, and had to be removed for me to access the plants. Real PITA!

I am having a hard time visualizing those panels attached to your raised bed in such a manner that you have to remove them to access the plants. Sounds like a major PITA to me as well.

The "gate" is simply a flat section of remesh, attached to one T-post with loops of wire that act as hinges.

Wire works. I have also used zip ties more recently. In fact, I try to replace wire with zip ties just about anywhere and everywhere I can.

The other side uses a sturdy bungee cord as the "latch".

One of my favorite tricks as well. Glad to hear I'm not the only one. Works fine for the chickens.

Now I can let the vines of the butternut squash I planted grow over the side of the raised bed onto the ground. The vines will have plenty of room to spread out this summer.

Dear Wife and I love the butternut squash. I have a small number of butternut squash starts ready to transplant as well. The only problem I have is locating them in a place where they can spread out without causing too many other problmes. I tried growing butternut squash in my lakeside garden one year and they overgrew almost everything. I had lots of butternut squash, but not so much of anything else! So, I am thinking of planting them out in the middle of the backyard this year and just mow around them as they spread out over the summer.

 

[Sally PB]

I tried growing butternut squash in my lakeside garden one year and they overgrew almost everything. I had lots of butternut squash, but not so much of anything else! So, I am thinking of planting them out in the middle of the backyard this year and just mow around them as they spread out over the summer.

The sprawl was one of the things I liked about Bnut squash. It covered a lot of area. I had less and less weeding as the summer went on.