My neighbor Lenny told me to use pallet wood for a raised garden bed - what a disaster

So Lenny swears by free pallets for everything, said just break em down and staple some landscape fabric inside. I spent a whole Saturday prying boards apart and nearly lost a fingernail. Built the bed, filled it with soil, and two weeks later the whole thing warped and split right down the middle. Has anyone else had a well-meaning neighbor give advice that totally backfired?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_kelly431mo ago

You know what, I used to be totally on Lenny's side about pallet wood being free and easy. But after my own bed did the EXACT same thing you described, I gotta admit he was wrong. That sun drying trick sounds good but most pallets are already too far gone by the time we get them.

evan_wilson181mo ago

Lenny's a genius honestly, pallet wood just needs to sit in the sun for a week or two before you build with it so all the moisture cooks out. You probably grabbed one that was still wet from sitting outside and it dried too fast in the garden bed.