Shoutout to the old pallet I turned into a raised bed frame

I needed a cheap way to make a raised bed for veggies but didn't want to spend a lot on lumber. I had an old shipping pallet sitting behind my shed for about a year. Last weekend, I took it apart carefully, pulled the nails, and used the best boards to build a simple 4 foot by 8 foot frame. It took me maybe three hours total and cost nothing but some new screws. The soil is holding up great so far. Has anyone else tried something like this with free materials they had lying around?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_laura27d ago

That pallet wood is often treated with chemicals you don't want near your food. I saw a chart once showing methyl bromide and other fungicides used on shipping lumber. It's not worth the risk for a vegetable garden, even if it saves you fifty bucks on wood. You're better off finding some untreated fence boards or just buying the right stuff.

john_lopez2mo ago

Wait you pulled all the nails out of a pallet? That's some next level patience right there, I would have given up after like five boards. Those things are built to survive a war.

-1

shane1702mo ago

Oh man, I feel that. It's honestly the worst part of any pallet project. My hands were killing me for days after, and I found like three different kinds of bent nails that just would not quit. You really do start to question all your life choices around board number six.

stella1112mo ago

My record is a single pallet with 87 nails. I had to switch between three different pry bars because they kept getting too hot to hold.