P.E.I. gardener Karin Gagne cleverly crafted planter boxes for her deck rails. The extended side panels straddle the rails to keep the boxes from toppling in the wind. Karin filled them with five-inch plastic pots brimming with an easy to care for mix of colourful annual geraniums and lantana. We created a simplified version of Karin’s planter boxes.

Take a look at a larger image of the finished planter box.

You need:
Note: Lumber is listed in nominal dimensions.
4-foot length 1x8 pine, for sides
2-foot length 1x5 pine, for bottom
1-foot length 1x6 pine, for ends
1-1/2-inch finishing nails
Measuring tape
Framing square
Jigsaw or circular saw
Sandpaper
Wood glue
Hammer
Exterior-grade paint
Paintbrush
Downloadable diagram

Designer's note:
Planter shown is built for a standard 3-1/2-inch wide deck rail and is 24 inches long by 7-1/4 inches high by 6-1/2 inches wide.

Cut:
From 1x5:
• Bottom (A): 24 x 4-1/2 inches (1 inch wider than deck rail)

From 1x8:
• 2 sides (B): 24 x 7-1/4 inches

From 1x6:
• 2 ends (C): 5 x 5-1/2 inches

To make:
1. Using jigsaw, taper two end (C) pieces to measurements shown in Diagram 1.

2. To assemble planter box: Using glue and 1-1/2-inch finishing nails, glue then nail end pieces to bottom as shown in Diagram 3.

3. With top edges of side pieces and end pieces flush, and bottom edges of side pieces extending below bottom (see Diagram 2), glue then nail sides to end and bottom pieces.

4. Sand and paint as desired.

This story was originally titled "Deck Rail Planter Box" in the July 2011 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!

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