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Enhance your landscape with garden planter boxes

No matter how small or big your yard, it doesn't take much to add beautiful garden planters to your landscape. Best of all, planter boxes can be built to fit.

First, find a place the gets plenty of sun and ties into your existing landscape. By "tying in," you'll want new garden boxes to add to the overall feel of your landscape. Building material selection also plays an important role in the esthetics of the project, so look at other landscape features and meld your boxes into the existing style and design.

Garden planter boxes are usually built of wood or stacked masonry block. Look at the setting of your proposed boxes, the style and color of your home's exterior and then determine if wood or block looks best.

Once you've determined the best material, you're ready to begin. If you choose wood, Cedar is the best choice. Pick 2" x 12" inch for basic boxes that work well for most garden vegetable plants. Closest to home, Jacksonville Lumber Company stocks 2" x 12" cedar in 16' lengths for $1.40/ft and will cut any lengths for you at no cost. For Jacksonville residents, they'll even deliver to your door for free!

Ideally, build your boxes 24" high with one 2" x 12" on top of another for the sake of better root growth. This creates a better environment for vegetables like tomato's and beans which have an extensive root systems. Other vegetables will do just fine if you decide to build a one tiered box. If you go with stacked masonry blocks, there are several good sources in the Rogue Valley that stock block such as Cascade Block on McAndrews. I find that most gardeners, especially organically-focused ones, choose wood over block.

A great advantage to garden boxes is being able to keep critters like gophers and moles out. Secure a grid of wire mesh on the bottom of all your planter when building – use a heavy duty staple gun, too. Don't skimp on the gauge of the wire – spend a few more cents and protect your crops from being gobbled by gophers.

For design ideas, you can Google "garden boxes," or visit Kay Faught at the Blue Door Garden Store here in Jacksonville. She carries a great book, "The Bountiful Container," with lots of plans and design options for container gardening.

Now for one of the most important parts - the right soil to fill your garden boxes. One of the best amenders I've discovered is Phoenix Organics', organic compost. It's a great blend of organic matter, loam and balanced acidity. This stuff is fairly ‘hot' and needs to be toned- down with other topsoil. Simply mix 1/3 organic compost to 2/3 topsoil for a good mix rate. If filling multiple boxes, consider calling Ground Control, Inc. – they will pick up your soil and then blow it into your boxes, saving your back and loads of wheelbarrow time!

Once your garden boxes are finished, they'll enhance your landscape and create a great place to grow a garden for years to come.