Modern Fence Picket Planter (Multiple Sizes)

Screw each frame together — two legs, two rails, two 2-3/4" screws per joint. You need a frame at each end and one about every 24" of planter length, so the 72" bed takes four.

Build them identical and square. The cedar skin will faithfully reproduce whatever shape these frames are, so a racked frame here is a twisted planter later. Check each one against the first.

Bevel the long side pickets first — 45°, long point to long point, both bevels leaning the same direction. Stand the frames on a flat surface, space them evenly, and attach the pickets with glue and 1-5/8" screws, keeping the bevel points exactly at the frame corners.

You can pin the boards with galvanized brads to hold layout, but follow up with screws — brads alone won't survive years of wet soil pushing outward.

Measure between the long sides' bevel points and cut the end pickets to fit — measure your actual box, not the cut list, because picket thickness varies and the miters have to close. Attach the same way.

If a miter won't quite close, a few passes with a sanding block on the back of the joint sneaks it tight without changing the show face.

Rip pickets in half to about 2-1/2" wide (or use 1x3), miter the corners at 45°, and cap the rim. Cut to fit against the real box, sneaking up on each miter.

The trim covers the top edges of the cladding and the frame legs, and it's what your eye reads first — take your time on these four joints. Tack with nails, then screw.

Lay the floor pickets across the bottom rails and tack them down. Leave small gaps between boards — water has to drain or the floor rots first.

Planting directly? Line the box with landscape fabric and cut drainage holes. Using nursery containers, skip the liner entirely. Stain with a penetrating fence-grade stain, and move the planter to its final spot BEFORE filling — soil is heavier than you think.