The Sweet Tree Box is 36" x 36" square and vertically it is 17-1/2” to the bottom reveal, plus four or so more inches to virgin soil, call it: 22” high. More depth can be made available by digging a hole underneath it! The planter is:
An elevated container as lovely as the tree it nurtures.
Bottomless for root penetration into virgin soil.
Designed to be fabricated in a shop & assembled quickly in the yard.
Composed of fabricated parts of manageable sizes and weights.
Making material is frugal, available in local Home Centers, and combined in simple ways.
A custom Gravel Retainer and Footing Box is included for minimal digging and ease of assembly.
Color specification and selection process are included.
Backstory: There is a reason that Garden Centers put expensive ornamental trees in elevated containers; it makes them easier to work on and the foliage “shows” better. Planting soil can be mixed for the perfect growing medium, regardless of what is underfoot. I was recently reading about “bottomless planters” and realized that if you do not intend to pick up the container and relocate it (requiring moving gear), the planter would provide a less-constrained rooting environment and better-drained growing medium, without a bottom. In the beta location for our elevated tree bed, I simply could not dig a hole through root-bound soil next to a large tree stump. But a raised, bottomless planter was a great solution. Our surface mounted container lets the tree settle into a previously un-useable spot, sending tap roots into virgin soil when needed.
Our Sweet Boxes are made of parts that can be built in a shop, stained inside or outside, be transported in manageable chunks, and then be assembled quickly in the yard. Making Guides include drawings for building side panels separately, as well as for visualizing the completed product. In the Sweet Stump Box (another Etsy listing), a bottom panel is added to these familiar shapes. Unique to this product line is its attention to colored stain selection and application. Even though high-end Garden Centers tend to show weathered grey wood (roached and rotting mostly), pro property managers use fiberglass or concrete planter products. These of course cost a bundle. Our Sweet Box line blinks at this trend and makes the vessel as beautiful as the tree it holds, while remaining within the toolset of DIY gardeners. We have chosen a “sea foam green” and “coffee” wash on beta boxes to blend both plant and soil hues. But many gardeners will jump at the chance to put some popping colors on their containers. This Making Guide gives them a process to mock-up creative combinations without having to redo any of their hard work.
The downloaded Making Guide is for a 19 page color booklet with the following contents:
Tools For Building It
Materials List
Safety and Codes
Assembly Process (with fabrication photos)
Design Credits
Construction Drawings (2 scaled 11x17 foldouts)