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A ladder planter grows five boxes of herbs or flowers in the footprint of one, and this design keeps the geometry honest with a single angle: the 2x6 rails lean at 15°, so every box-end and rail cut in the build is that same 15° setting. Lean it against a fence or wall, screw through the top into something solid if kids or wind are factors, and the vertical garden happens.
The part that LOOKS hard — the wedge-shaped box ends — has a genuinely easy method buried in step 3: cut the 2x6 end pieces with parallel 15° ends first, then simply cut the back off perpendicular to the top edge. Two straight cuts make the wedge. The source used a jigsaw and admits a circular saw was the right tool; either works if you start the cut from the top edge where there's more board to register against.
Build all five boxes identically, then the one discipline moment: mark the box positions on BOTH rails before attaching anything, measuring from the same end. Boxes attached by eye produce a ladder where every tier runs slightly downhill in a different direction. Pre-drill the 2x6 screw holes — the source found their stock hard enough to demand it.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Cedar fence picket, 5-1/2" x 72"Dog-eared is fine. Box fronts, backs, and bottoms. | 5 each |
| 2x6, 10 ftThe rails and all ten box ends. | 2 each |
| Exterior decking screws, #9 x 2-1/2"Boxes to rails — two per box end. | 20 each |
| Galvanized nails or staples, 1-1/4"Box assembly. | 100 each |
| Exterior wood glue | 4 oz |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Box ends2x6Both ends 15° off square, NOT parallel — then the back cut off perpendicular to the top (step 3's two-cut wedge). | 10 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 5 1/4" |
| Box fronts and backsCedar fence picket | 10 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 23 1/2" |
| Box bottomsCedar fence picketCut to fit your assembled boxes. | 5 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 20 1/2" |
| Rails2x6Both ends 15° off square, PARALLEL — the lean. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 68 3/8" |
Buy 7 boards at 8 ft.
3 boards
4 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Staple (or nail or screw) a front and back picket to each pair of 2x6 box ends — 1-1/4" galvanized fasteners and exterior glue. Five identical open-bottom troughs.
Measure each box's actual opening, cut the bottoms to fit, set them in from the top, and tack with a few staples. Loose-ish is fine — soil holds them down, and small gaps drain.
The box-end wedges: cut the 2x6 pieces with 15° ends first, then cut the back off PERPENDICULAR to the top 15° edge. That second straight cut is all the 'complex' shape is.
Use the circular saw and start the cut from the top edge, where there's more material to register the shoe against — the source's own lesson after doing it the slower jigsaw way.
Lay the two rails side by side and mark every box position across BOTH at once, measuring from the same end — this is the moment that decides whether the tiers come out level.
Mount the top box first, screwed from inside the box into the rails with the 2-1/2" decking screws, pre-drilled. The 2x6 stock is often hard enough to snap screws without pilots.
Work down the rails attaching the remaining four boxes at their marks, same inside-the-box screws.
Stand the ladder against its wall or fence — the 15° rail ends sit flat on the ground and flat against the wall. If children, dogs, or weather visit this spot, add a screw through the top of each rail into the fence. Fill with soil, plant the thirstiest things at the bottom (water cascades), and enjoy five gardens in one footprint.
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