Planter Box

My girlfriend was first getting into gardening and planting around mid 2022, but due to restrictions of our rental property at the time (don't rent!!) we were unable to use the backyard to sow anything substantial. So, I decided to make a simple raised planter box so she would have something to work with before our escape from California. I actually didn't mockup the design for this bed myself, I followed a pretty helpful Youtube video for a first time project. [link]

I made a few slight modifications to the video above, most of which should be easy to handle yourself as long as you keep consistent measurements. I nearly doubled the width of the bed, while roughly halving the depth. The length was measured to fit a pretty distinct section of our back porch.

During this time I didn't have any dedicated workbench, so to accomplish a decently sized project using the tools my Dad passed onto me and the table left in our backyard was a success in my book. I was surprised we kept the budget roughly under $200, considering we found lower-quality products for around that price online.

The gourds came in well but ultimately weren't able to be cultivatd after we left on a vacation and they died from the heat. Unfortunately I didn't configure any automatic water systems (so we figured it was going to happen- future project!), but we were able to at least compost the results. As a proof-of-concept planting it has prepared us for using the bed more frequently in the future, just as it has prepared me for more carpentry projects going forward.