Sweet Potato Box

Over the weekend,

we took a trip to our local landfill to pick up some of the free mulch

that is offered by our county.

It was used to create a pathway to the garden.

We were able to bring home a few pallets as well.

This is something I always look for,

as they can be used for so many things.

It's important to use only pallets marked "HT" (heat-treated),

when building things for the garden.

This ensures that no chemicals have been infused into the wood.

With just a few tools and some screws,

we were able to make a bin for planting our sweet potatoes.

The idea is based on one of the great projects found on

Old World Garden Farms.

They have so many fantastic building ideas

using repurposed items like pallets.

Our version is a bit bigger, so all of our sweet potatoes

will go into this one crate.

Big K and I sawed the pallets in half lengthwise,

to form the two long sides of the crate.

This sawzall does a great job,

but a jigsaw could also be used.

The sawzall cuts right through nails  

like buttah,

making the dismantling of pallets a breeze .

We also removed the boards from the other side of each piece,

to be used for the shorter sides of the crate.

No waste!

The removed pieces were cut in half,

 and it was time to assemble the crate.

The shorter boards were simply screwed onto the short ends.

We used 2-inch wood screws and placed four on each board.

The top and bottom of the crate are left open,

and we'll add straw to the bottom to help keep the soil in place.

It turned out better than I expected
and I am so grateful to have had a helper on this project.
I'm already thinking about other things to make with the pallet wood.
One idea is a walkway down to the garden.

This weekend we will plant our homegrown sweet potato slips.
Let the growing begin!