Add some curb appeal to your home with this DIY cedar planter. These cedar planter box plans use a SnapFence frame that literally snaps together, making this a simple build even for new DIYers. If cedar isn’t your thing, you can easily customize the SnapFence frame with a different material.
This post is sponsored by SnapFence. All opinions are 100% mine.
I am always a sucker for a great planter or flower pot. I couldn’t snatch up a swan planter quick enough at a yard sale the other day even though the guy selling it made sure to point out how badly the paint was chipping. I’ve also been on the lookout for a donkey flower pot ever since I spotted the most adorable one at a yard sale, but sadly they weren’t for sale.
I also love a great planter box that can pull double duty as an address marker.
Isn’t this one great? This DIY cedar planter box was made using SnapFence components, which are rails and connections made of PVC that is built to withstand the elements and make outdoor building projects a whole lot easier.
How to Make a Cedar Planter Box with SnapFence
Affiliate links included.
The overall dimensions of the cedar planter box are 24″ high x 18″ deep x 36″ long.
Materials and Tools Needed:
Note: All the SnapFence products used to make this planter will soon be available to purchase as a set on their site, instead of individually. I’ll update with the link here when that happens!
- 6 – 20 1/2″ SnapFence Posts
- 4 – 14 /12″ SnapFence Rails
- 8 – 15 3/8″ SnapFence Rails
- 2 – Tees
- 4 – Four Way Tees
- 4 – Three Way Elbows
- 2 – Five Way Crosses
- 6 – SnapFence Ground Pilings (optional)
- Cement Board
- Rubber Mallet
- 10 Cedar Fence Pickets
- Clamps
- Liquid Nails Fuze It
- House Numbers (if desired)
- SnapFence Planter Box Assembly Instructions – click here to download.
Steps
Step 1: Assemble the SnapFence frame.
Use the instructions found here to assemble the SnapFence frame for the planter. Working from the bottom up, use a rubber mallet to secure all the rails into the connectors. The video below shows how easy it is to build the frame.
If you aren’t a video person, then you can use the photos below as a guide.
Literally, the instructions lay out exactly how to connect the frame. It took me less than 10 minutes to assemble the frame.
If you’re curious about how well the rails and connections truly stay snapped together, well I can assure you, they are pretty darn tight. In order for me to get both the video and photos of the process for you, I had to put the frame together, then take it apart and put it together all over again. (Yes, if I were a smart person, I would have stopped to take photos the first time around, but I forgot.) Anywho, I had to really bang on some of the rails and connections with my rubber mallet in order to get the frame broken down. This stuff is very well made and very secure when it’s put together.
Step 2: Attach the cement board.
Once you have your frame in place, use the included screws to attach the cement board (concrete board / backer board / whatever you want to call it) to the SnapFence frame.
Step 3: Finish the Planter Box.
At this point, you can choose to stucco the planter box, paint it or whatever else your little heart desires. I opted to clad mine with cedar planks.
You’ll want to start with the short sides of your planter box.
Place two uncut cedar planks along the bottom of each long side, flush against the cement board.
Measure the distance between the two planks and cut five cedar planks down to this size. For each cut, use a new cedar picket. Don’t cut again from the same picket. Instead, set these pickets aside and they will be long enough for the long sides of the cedar planter box.
Lay the planter box on the opposite short side you are working on.
Lay one of your cut cedar planks on the bottom of the short side. You want it to go past the cement board but not extend past the SnapFence PVC feet. Think of the cedar planks as “floating” just above the ground. Make sure there is roughly the same amount of plank hanging over on each side where the long side planks will eventually be placed.
Put Fuze It on the back of the cedar plank, then clamp into place.
Take the rest of your cut boards, apply Fuze It to each of those, then line them up and lay them out across the rest of the exposed cement board on this side, pressing each firmly in place as you go.
Once you have them all in place, place a few heavy objects on top to help the glue get a good bond with the cement board.
Step 4
After a few hours, repeat Step 3 on the other short side of the cedar planter box.
Step 5
After both short sides have been clad with cedar planks, use the same process to cover the long sides of the planter box with cedar. This time when measuring to cut the cedar planks, you’ll just measure from end to end of the cedar boards on either short side, rather than between them.
Attach house numbers to the front of the planter if you wish.
Fill with plants and enjoy! I opted to go with tall boxwoods for our planter. With big planter boxes like this, I like to always have something in them that will stay green all year long and then add in annuals as the seasons change. This cedar planter would also be great for planting bulbs in.
The kit also comes with post ground pilings that can be attached to the bottom connections and anchored into the ground. I opted to forgo those as after I got the entire thing put together it was pretty heavy as is – I couldn’t lift it by myself. I knew that filling it with dirt was only going to make it even heavier and keep it in place, so I didn’t think I needed those.
If the cedar look isn’t your thing, you can absolutely go another route! Just think of the SnapFence frame as your blank canvas. 😉 SnapFence also makes lots of other Snap n Build kits like pet enclosures, garden walls, fence kits and more. And yep, you just snap ’em together. 🙂
What would you cover a Snapfence planter with?
This is so cool! What a great idea. I’m wondering if I could do something like this to hide my trash and recycling bins….hmmm! Either way, I love this.
You absolutely could! That’s a great idea, Mary Beth!
Great planter and a perfect way to get your address out there and visible!! What an easy way to create the frame of the box. How deep is the box and what did you do for the bottom? Yeah, not a video person, so I just enjoyed your pictures!! If the whole thing is filled with dirt, that would be expensive and drainage would be questionable. So many questions only you can answer!!
The overall dimensions are 24″ high x 18″ deep x 36″ long. Meant to include that in the post and neglected to – sorry! I left the bottom open, but you could put a bottom in it and/or fill the planter halfway up with fillers (milk jugs, 2 liter plastic bottles, etc.) to keep from using so much dirt. I opted to fill the whole thing with dirt because with shrubs like this, I just feel like they need to have plenty of dirt to get a good root system. If I was just doing annuals in there though, I’d totally use fillers before putting dirt in there. 🙂
This turned out beautifully! I noticed that in one photo, there was no bottom to the planter. Did you use anything to cover the bottom, or was it left open? Also, did you use dirt to fill the entire box or did you use some kind of filler to take up most of the space before adding the dirt?
Thanks, Bets! No, I didn’t use anything to cover the bottom, just left it open and I didn’t use fillers either, but you absolutely could cover the bottom and/or use fillers so you didn’t have to use as much dirt. 🙂
I love this. I’m too a sucker for pots and planters.
Thanks, Rosemary! Yep, can’t get enough good planters in my life!
This is such a clever product!! I’ll be looking for it for our next outdoor DIY project – we have planters to build too! Love how you displayed the house numbers on it! 🙂
It really is a great product, Heather! Love how easy it is to work with!
That is so beautiful!!!!!!!!!
Thanks, Deborah!
Hi Jenna: Love the planter!! Buying a house soon & this will be my first project!! I have a question about Step 3. You said “Place two uncut cedar planks along the bottom of each long side, flush against the cement board.” but you don’t say what the length of each board is. The planks I looked at are 6 feet long. The box is not 6 feet long is it? So if I don’t cut them then is there shorter planks you can buy? Thank you so much for the project. God bless you & yours.
Hi Glenda! So glad to hear how much you like the planter! Me too! I was trying to be as clear as possible with that step, but still didn’t seem to find the right wordage! Sorry about that! So first off, the overall dimensions are 24″ high x 18″ deep x 36″ long. On Step 3, you are just placing those uncut pieces of cedar along the long edges in order to measure between them to get the length for the short edge piece of cedar. You aren’t actually attaching those pieces to the long sides, you’re just putting them there to get that one measurement for the short side. Does that make more sense, Glenda? The planks are 6 feet long, but the box isn’t that long. You’ll have to cut the boards, but not until after you do the short sides. Let me know if I’m still being unclear!
This is genius! I want one in the backyard. Going to do this in spring.
Thanks, Amy! We love how ours turned out!
I love this garden bed!!! I want to try it for tomatoes and peppers. Two questions: 1) Is it possible to customize the height for this bed? 2) Will I need to line the inside of it for growing vegetables? I’m excited to read your reply. Thanks
Hi Michelle! It would be great for vegetables! Yes, I do believe you could customize the height. You would just have to buy all the pieces separately. They make shorter vertical rails you could use and they also do custom size rails. As for lining the inside for vegetables, I don’t see why you would have to do that. Hope that helps!