Tater Boxes

Since we cut down Doug, the fir, we have a lot more sunny space to work with in the front yard, at least until the apple trees grow up a bit. I figured I'd try my hand at growing potatoes in pots. So, I bought eighteen industrial grade 5-gallon garden pots (they actually only hold 3.5 gallons, oddly). And, since this is a front-yard garden, aesthetics are important. I thought I could hide the black plastic with some nice cedar boxes, six to a box. The pots are just under 12 inches in diameter, and about 11 inches tall this giving me my rough dimensions. I would add a bit to the width to make room for soil to cover the drain holes as is done in this type of planting. My inside dimensions worked out to 16 inches wide, by 6 feet 2 inches long.

Pro Cal Pro-can #5s, made in the US of A of recycled materials.

The sides of the boxes are 5/4-inch cedar decking, which comes in 5-1/2 inch widths 8 feet in length. I was able to get one side and one end piece from each board. Since the boxes are two boards high, I would need a total of four boards for each box, or twelve boards for three boxes (ten bucks a pop). The corners would be made from 2" x 4"s and 2" x 2"s cut to 11 inches to match the height of the two 5-1.2 inch side boards, and a single 2" x 4" x 11" board in the middle of each box. Then, for a more finished look, I capped each box with a corner mitered 1" x 4" all the way around the top.

All of the pieces for all three boxes, sans 1" x 4" cedar finish top trim, cut to length.

Each end piece was predrilled and screwed with 3-1/8 inch all-weather screws.

The T-10 trim-head screws used in this project. Fantastic screws.

First box ready for corner pieces.

The corner pieces, pre-drilled and screwed together with 2-1/2" screws.

I attached the corner pieces two with 3-1/8 inch screws through the 2" x2"s top and bottom, into the side planking. Then, from the  inside using 2-1/2 inch screws at an angle through the side planking into the corner 2" x 4"s. This ensures a clean from on each box.

The center 2" x 4" is screw from the back (inside the box) using two 2-inch screws.

The finish top plate of 1" x 4" cedar required six pieces for the sides, and two for the six end pieces., mitered to fit nicely.

I first pre-drilled and screwed each corner using a 3-1/8 inch screw.

Finally, I pre-drilled and screwed each board around the perimeter approximately every ten inches.

The finished boxes waiting to be terraced into the front lawn. Check back soon for that post.