Shop update #271 (1-11-23) Planter Box Made From Cedar Fence Pickets Update

Have you ever noticed that when you see something every day, it kinda becomes invisible?
In June of 2013, I built a planter box out of cedar fence pickets to fit the space next to my front door.

Over the last 9 1/2 years, my wife has grown several different plants in this box.  Most of them died.  About 5 years ago she found some plants that thrive in this box, in this location.  I have no idea what kind of plants they are but they’re still there and growing.  I walk by this box at least twice a day going to and coming home from work, and I stopped actually paying attention to them.
I actually stopped and took a look at the planter box this weekend and the actual box is holding up quite well.  The Spar Urethane finish has pretty much worn off but the plants are growing out of control.

I borrowed my wife’s gardening snips and trimmed everything back out of the way.  I am not a garden person so I’m pretty sure that I did a hack job on it but at least it’s not trying to attack me every time that I come home.

I got a lot of comments on this video on my YouTube channel saying that I didn’t make bottom the “right” way and that it would fail within a couple of years.  I poked it with a screwdriver and it still seems pretty solid.  My original hope was that this planter box would last at least 3 or 4 years and we are going on almost 10 years now so I am very pleased with it’s performance.  The bottom on the right side seems to be bowing a little bit but that is where the bulk of the large plant is.  It will be interesting to see when/if it fails.

I pinched a nerve in my left shoulder a few weeks back and it has been making my left arm hurt in different spots so that is why I have been playing with the laser engraver a lot more.  Depending on the weather this weekend, I am hoping to start refinishing the garden gate that I made in 2021.