Cedar Planters with 2x2 Legs

Nail and glue three pickets to two 1x3 rails per panel, working from the inside face so the fasteners don't show. Leave an 1/8" gap between pickets — cedar pickets are wet off the rack and WILL move, and the gap is where that movement goes instead of into a bowed panel.

Don't chase perfection here. The pickets aren't perfect and the design knows it.

On the inside of every panel, drill two 1-1/2" pocket holes behind each 1x3 rail end. The screws will run through picket and rail into the legs — that stack is the whole joint, so drill at the rail ends where the material is.

Attach two opposite panels to the four legs with the 2-1/2" exterior pocket screws, panels flush to the leg faces per the diagram. Work on a flat surface so the legs all land level.

Add the remaining two panels the same way. Before the final screws go in, check the planter for square across the top opening and rack it true — pocket screws allow one round of adjustment, then they're committed.

You are not growing potatoes — don't fill the whole planter with dirt. Screw 1x2 cleats around the inside about 6" down from the rim (or deeper for bigger root balls), then lay 1x2 slats across them with drainage gaps.

Line with landscape fabric to keep soil off the cedar, plant, and set it somewhere it gets admired. Sand and break the top edges first — hands land on the rim every time someone waters it.