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A cedar planter box with a built-in wooden tomato cage rising off its corners — two fence pickets, three furring strips, one afternoon.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box sides, long Cut each picket: 18 | 18 | 17 | 17. Pickets are nominally 5/8" thick. | 4 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 18" | Cedar fence picket | ☐ |
| Box sides, short | 4 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 17" | Cedar fence picket | ☐ |
| Cage uprights Two 8-ft 1x2s each yield: 40 | 40 | 15-1/2. | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 40" | 1x2 furring | ☐ |
| Cage rungs The third 1x2 yields six; the other two come from the upright boards' offcuts. | 8 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 15 1/2" | 1x2 furring | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar fence picket, 5-1/2" x 72" (Cedar) All eight box sides come from these two pickets — see the cutting layout in the cut list. | 2 each | ☐ |
| 1x2 furring strip, 8 ft Cage uprights and rungs. | 3 each | ☐ |
| Exterior screws, #8 x 1-5/8", self-tapping, star drive One 50-pack does one planter. | 50 each | ☐ |
| Landscape fabric or plastic liner pot Line the box or drop a pot in — bare soil against the pickets shortens their life. | 1 each | ☐ |
Overall cost: $. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Speed Square, Tape Measure. Materials: Cedar fence picket, 5-1/2" x 72", 1x2 furring strip, 8 ft, Exterior screws, #8 x 1-5/8", self-tapping, star drive
Attach two 17" pickets across two 40" uprights, two screws per joint — one picket at the bottom of the uprights, one above it. Build two identical panels.
Check each panel is square before the second screws go in: the picket-to-picket distance at the top of the uprights should also be 17", and the bottom edges should line up. These two panels set the geometry of everything after.
Tools: Drill / Driver. Materials: Cedar fence picket, 5-1/2" x 72", Exterior screws, #8 x 1-5/8", self-tapping, star drive
Stand the two panels up and screw the 18" pickets across the outside, into the uprights, forming the box. The longer pickets overlap the ends of the shorter ones — that overlap is what hides the end grain on two faces.
Tools: Drill / Driver. Materials: 1x2 furring strip, 8 ft, Exterior screws, #8 x 1-5/8", self-tapping, star drive
Screw the first set of 15-1/2" rungs between the uprights on the open sides, fastening into the insides of the uprights. These tie the four corners into a cage instead of four sticks.
Tools: Drill / Driver. Materials: 1x2 furring strip, 8 ft, Exterior screws, #8 x 1-5/8", self-tapping, star drive, Landscape fabric or plastic liner pot
Add the remaining rungs, spacing them so a hand with a tomato in it fits between levels — the cage is for the plant, but you're the one reaching through it all summer.
Drop a plastic pot inside or staple landscape fabric to line the box, add soil and a seedling, and park it where the plant gets sun. The cage will disappear under foliage by July, which is the whole idea.