Turn old pallet into beautiful garden

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Fall is the perfect time to start planting, and a pallet garden is a unique way to make a garden bed, especially if you are limited on space and money.

Most stores give away pallets for free, including Buchanan's Native Plants in Houston.

"It's an excellent way to make a bed that can hold quite a few plants and save on the hardware," said Zach Buchanan with Buchanan's Native Plants.

Start with a clean pallet and remove any rusty nails or staples. If you plant food and are concerned about contamination, you can buy pallets for under $10. You can also look for pallets with HT stamped on them, which means it has not been treated with chemicals.

Cover your pallet with landscape fabric, which will also serve as a barrier for your plants.

"I cut it to size where it could go up on either side of the inside of the pallet. It was like wrapping a present from the inside out," Buchanan said.

Buchanan uses a mix of compost, perlite, and expanded shale to take away some of the weight of the soil and improve drainage, which is very important when using a pallet.

"My biggest advice for people growing vegetables - spend money on good soil," Buchanan said.

Once you've picked out a good soil, it's time to add the plants. We used a mix of leafy veggies, herbs, and some marigolds add a pop of color.

"It's kind of a deterrent for insects in your veggie garden," Buchanan said of our selections.

If you have space, you can lay your pallet garden flat. If not, you can stand it up vertically, although you may have to add some extra boards to help hold the garden together.

At $1-$3 per plant, you can easily make your own for about $20-$30.

"They sell boxes you can plant a raised garden in and those can run $200-$300," Buchanan said.

For a fraction of the price, you can follow these easy steps and create your own pallet garden!