Now before you go and freak out and tell me not to use pallets because they are filled with toxic chemicals, I want you to know the pallets I am using are clean, and free of chemicals. If you are going to try this, make sure you are using CLEAN pallets. Not ones that have had chemicals stored on them or pallets that have been pressure treated.
Okay-
So last night The Girl and I transplanted a few our wooden pallets {from our previous pallet gardens} to the greenhouse.
After putting the pallets in place, we added potting soil, swept it into the groves of the pallet, and added water {in hindsight I should have moistened the soil first, but I was excited}.
Then we added our tiny Romaine and Butter Crunch lettuce seedlings we started from seed into the open spaces of the pallet and added a little more water.
And now all we have to do is wait about 45 days or so until we are able to harvest boatloads and boatloads of salad. Wahooo! I guess all that free salad dressing I’ve been able to score all summer will finally be put to good use.
Here is a picture of one of our earlier salad pallet gardens. Pretty neat-o if you ask me. So what do you think? Is this a clever way of growing lettuce in the greenhouse all winter long?
~Mavis
If you you’d like to give wood pallet gardening a try, here are a few more posts about gardening with wood pallets:
How to Plant a Flower Garden Using a Recycled Wood Pallet
How to Make a Recycled Pallet Vertical Garden
How to Plant a Garden Using Recycled Wood Pallets
Looking for some healthy dinner recipes? Check out Salad for Dinner: Complete Meals for All Seasons
*If you live in the Seattle / Tacoma area you can purchase brand spakin’ new {and clean} pallets from Girard Wood Products in Puyallup, Washington.
Sakura says
Wow, that’s really easy. I like the picture of the vertical pallet you have pictured on your sidebar of the blog. Great ideas for next year, and hopefully one day I’ll have a Greenhouse.
Laura says
Hmm… I just planted my pallet garden last weekend. I didn’t know anything about chemical treated. How can you tell??
–Laura
Mavis says
You want to look for a pallet that has this stamp http://www.flickr.com/photos/loridwilson/4763061338/ it means it is heat treated and not chemically treated. You can also read more info over here > http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/upcycled-wooden-pallets-green-158131
Laura says
Thank you!
Clancy says
Be sure your pallets are also termite free. A friend used untreated pallets & later found they had termites. The resulting damage to other structures was severe.
Mari the Kiwi says
I have been given about 12 pallet bases. Having recently moved house, I had to set up my vege gardens again soooo— I am using then as both horizontal and vertical gardens.
My Strawberries are in one flat on the ground like yours. It is excellent as it will prevent rot as the fruit do not touch the ground. Plus gives me somewhere to lean when picking them. I have small poles at either end and sides with an assortment of things tacked across them (broom handle, branches etc) so I can cover it with bird netting or frost cloth. It is outside in the sun and when there is no cover, my little dog can run over it with out causing harm. Plus Gertie the chook shows no interest in it at all.
One thing I did do tho, was fill the pallets about a week before planting them as the soil does settle in. I then added some more as I planted. They are doing well despite our lousy weather.
Plan on doing horizontal or vertical gardens for lettuce, radishes, peppers, chillis, small carrots, onions, peas, dwarf beans and beetroot. We will make some with deeper “troughs’ to accomodate the bigger vege. Means I can keep the vege garden for a year supply of spuds, parsnips, leeks, runner beans and runner peas, caulis, cabbage and pumpkins. (I only plant heritage/heirloom seeds)