Strawberry planter

Keep the birds off with this protective strawberry planter – another nifty project from Resene.

Ways with wood with Mark Rayner – 45

Difficulty level: Challenging

You will need: six 1.2m treated fence palings, two stainless steel hinges and screws, 50mm galvanised nails, chicken wire, clamps, galvanised staples, hammer, paintbrush, paint stirrer, pencil, pva glue (exterior), sandpaper, saw, screwdriver, set square, tape measure and tin snips. Resene Waterborne Woodsman Penetrating Oil Stain tinted to Resene Totem Pole.

To get the look: Fill the planter with good quality potting mix and plant up with six or seven strawberry plants.

Other ideas: For a cool blue effect stain the planter with Resene Waterborne Woodsman tinted to Resene Pickled Bluewood.

Step 1 how to build a strawberry planter

Step one
Measure, mark and cut four of the fence palings in half, as shown. Smooth any rough edges with sandpaper.

Step two
On a flat surface, assemble to make two identical frames, as shown. Fix at each corner with galvanised nails and PVA glue. Ensure corners are at right angles using a set square. Allow glue to dry.

Step three
Measure and cut four 150mm lengths from one of the remaining fence palings and fix to one of the frames, as shown, using galvanised nails and PVA glue.

Step four
Stack one frame on top of the other. Cut two 70mm strips of fence paling to fit across the front and back of the box and two 50mm strips to fit along each side, smoothing any rough edges with sandpaper. Hold together with clamps, as shown, and fix together with nails and PVA to form the lid.