This plant box is designed to hold large potted plants such as you might care to winter over in your house or for large plants you intend setting outdoors. The lumber from an old packing case, which is usually knotty white pine, will serve very well for this job; other woods such as cypress, red wood, cedar, chestnut and fir are all excellent woods to use.

The size you make this plant box will depend upon the size of the plants you intend putting in this box. A good size, I have found, is 12" square and 18" high.

Method Of Procedure

Step No. 1: Cut out the lumber for the side pieces, using 7/8" thick material and make two opposite sides 13/4" shorter in length to allow for the thickness of the wood of the other sides.

Step No. 2: Use common wire nails at least 21/2" long, and securely nail up all corner joints.

Step No. 3: Cut out a bottom piece and nail this in place. It will be advisable to set this bottom on a strip about square that you have nailed to the sides, so as to give extra support to this section.

Step No. 4: Nail on strips of wood that are about 1/4"x11/4" in size (common lattice strips). Run the corner pieces first, then the top and bottom ones, and finally the diagonal pieces. Use 1" brads for this (nails with small heads) and countersink all heads to permit puttying.

Step No. 5: Paint both the outside and inside with three coats of oil paint, following the directions given on the can. A pleasing effect can be obtained by making this in a two-tone effect—that is to have the background a different color from the strips. Bore one hole in the center of the bottom of the box to allow for drainage to the soil; otherwise the soil will become sour.