How to Make a Tall Planter | Build the Perfect Vertical Garden Box

A tall planter is simply a vertical wooden box with an interior shelf cut to hold your pot, built with exterior-grade lumber and basic power tools in an afternoon.

Store-bought tall planters cost a fortune for what amounts to pine boards and pocket screws. Building your own lets you match the height and width to your patio pots—and you can add a self-watering reservoir for less than the price of a single ceramic pot. The three methods below cover everything from a $10 picket planter to a heavy-duty self-watering setup that feeds plants for weeks.

What You’ll Need

The materials depend on which design you pick, but every tall planter shares the same core ingredients: exterior-grade lumber, outdoor-rated fasteners, and a sealant that handles weather. Standard heights run 35–37 inches with widths between 13 and 16 inches to fit 1–5 gallon pots.

• Lumber: Furring strips (1×2), cedar fence pickets, 4×4 posts, or 3/4″ exterior plywood for shelves.
• Tools: Pocket hole jig, brad nailer, jig saw, drill with 3/8″ bit and hole saw, level, speed square.
• Fasteners: 1 1/4″ pocket screws, 1″ brad nails, outdoor screws.
• Finish: Thompson’s Water Seal or exterior-grade polyurethane; black spray paint for PVC fill tubes.

Method A: Standard Tall Wooden Planter

This is the simplest build—four furring-strip sides with a cut plywood shelf inserted at the right height. Total cost runs about $10 for the basic version using fence pickets or $50–$80 if you use 4×4 posts for a heavier frame.

1. Drill pocket holes at both ends of 1×2 furring strips cut to 16.25″ (for 1-gallon pots) or 13.75″ (for 3–5 gallon pots).
2. Build two side frames by attaching the short strips to the bottom of two 35″ strips using 1 1/4″ pocket screws. Repeat for the other side.
3. Join the sides and attach the remaining short strips to the bottom of all four 35″ strips to create the foundation.
4. Add the plant support shelf: repeat the joining process at 8″ from the top (1-gallon pots) or 12″ (3–5 gallon pots).
5. Secure five short furring strips to the support frame with a brad nailer, spaced evenly.
6. Drill 1″ from top and bottom and 1″ from sides on all planks (roughly 160 holes total), then attach them with outdoor screws.
7. Center your pot upside-down on 3/4″ plywood, trace the circle, and cut with a jig saw. Attach this shelf top with brad nails.
8. Coat everything with Thompson’s Water Seal before placing the pot.

Method B: Self-Watering Tall Planter

This design uses a sealed lower reservoir and a perforated fill tube so roots can drink from below—ideal for outdoor spaces where daily watering isn’t possible. Expect about 3–5 hours of build time.

1. Seal the reservoir bottom drain holes with a rubber stopper. Test for leaks with water before proceeding.
2. Cut a 4″ perforated drain pipe to the height from the bottom to the shelf. Wrap it with a mesh pipe sock to prevent soil from washing into the reservoir.
3. Cut a hole in the exterior plywood shelf to fit the pipe. Feed the sock-wrapped pipe through, set the shelf, and seal around it with silicone.
4. Drill a hole for a 1″ PVC fill tube. Cut the tube to the planter’s height, paint the top edge black to hide it, insert it through the shelf, and seal with silicone.
5. Compact soil in the column first, add water to settle it, then insert plants and fill the remaining space with soil.
6. Water through the top fill tube until it flows out the weep hole.

If you’re comparing build plans and ready to buy, check our roundup of the best 36-inch tall planters for pre-made options that skip the sawdust.

Method C: Tapered Fence Picket Planter

This one looks like a modern tapered pot but costs a fraction of the price. The angled sides give it a professional, clean silhouette.

1. Cut four 1×2s to 22″. Mark a 5° angle on the cedar picket tops.
2. Nail the 1×2s to the picket tops with 1″ brad nails, ensuring the nails don’t push through the front of the pickets.
3. Glue and nail 1×3s to the 1×2 frames. Add screws to the top and bottom rows for extra rigidity.
4. Measure roughly 17″ of soil depth and secure the base with 1 1/4″ screws driven into the corners.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Three things trip up first-time builders. First, when drilling drainage holes in plastic nursery pots, use minimal pressure—too much force cracks the plastic. Second, in self-watering designs, skipping the mesh pipe sock lets soil erode into the reservoir and clog the system. Third, nails longer than 1″ can penetrate thin cedar pickets from the inside, weakening the front face. Use screws on any weight-bearing joint; brad nails and glue only work for decorative trim.