Make It: Pocket Wall Garden

Brighten up your home this winter with a lovely splash of green, courtesy of this cute framed wall garden how-to from The Little Veggie Patch Co DIY Garden Projects, as featured in Issue 27 of Peppermint. This clever addition to your pad, porch or garden can also be made from salvaged or recycled timber. Roll up your sleeves and think inside the square!

You’ll need

Felt pocket wall garden unit (available at most nurseries).

Wooden dowel

Drill set

2 x 50mm (2in) bulge head

Screws

Measuring tape

4 x cyprus timber lengths: 3m x 70mm/19mm (9ft 10in x 2¾in/¾in)

Circular saw

25 x 40mm (1½in) timber screws

4 x 90° flat joining brackets

12 x 15mm (½in) timber screws

2 x large l-brackets

Organic potting mix

Favourite small-space plants

Instructions

Remove your pocket wall garden unit from the packaging and read the instructions. Units should come with all of the hardware needed to mount to a wall. If this is not the case, buy some additional screws and washers for mounting.

Fit your wooden dowel through the top. Drill a leader hole at each end of the dowel, as you don’t want to split the wood when you mount it to the wall.

Position your pocket garden where it will get plenty of sun. Use a couple of 50mm (2in) bulge head screws to mount the felt planter to the wall.

Measure the dimensions of the wall garden, bearing in mind that you want the frame to cover the edges. In this case, our felt pocket planter is 1.2m by 800mm (3ft 11in by 2ft 7 ½in). Then measure and cut the timber into two lengths of 1.2m (3ft 11in) and two widths of 800mm (2ft 7 ½in). This will make up the frame that sits behind the capping. Drill leader holes and join the frame together at the ends using 40mm (1 ½in) timber screws.

Double check the length of the frame. Depending on how it is joined it will be slightly larger than the felt planter – our frame is 1.2m (3ft 11in). Cut two 1.2m (3ft 11in) lengths and place them on the top and bottom of the frame as capping. Then measure the gap and cut your remaining two timber widths to size accordingly.

Attach four 90-degree brackets to connect each corner of the capping, using 15mm (½ in) timber screws. It will be a bit wobbly, but once mounted to the frame that won’t matter.

Place the capping over the frame (don’t fret if it overhangs a little bit), and secure it with 40mm (1½in) timber screws on each corner. Again, leader holes will prevent splitting here. Attach L-brackets at the top back corners of the frame. These will be used to hang it from the wall.

Fill the pocket wall garden with a high-quality organic potting mix, then plant it with your favourite small space varieties!

Mount the frame over the pocket garden using some 40mm (1½in) timber screws. As with all wall mounting systems, you need to make sure that you know what’s on the other side, ensuring you aren’t creating sharp hazards for your beloved neighbour.

This is an edited extract from The Little Veggie Patch Co DIY Projects by Mat Pember and Dillon Seitchik-Reaerdon, published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP$45.