He Skipped a Solid Wood Bottom for His Raised Planter and Used Three Layers Instead
Four posts and cedar sides give this raised planter its shape, yet the empty opening beneath the box leaves the most important part unfinished: a base that can support the soil above ground.
Homedit contributor Brittney Smart and her husband left that opening free of a solid wood panel, building the bottom from three components with separate jobs.
Hardware cloth spans the frame, six cedar boards support the mesh from below, and breathable landscape fabric holds the potting mix above it. Together, they form a base that keeps gaps between the wooden supports without leaving the soil exposed.
The Wood Frame Was Left Open Underneath
Cedar boards connect four redwood posts to create the planting box, leaving a large opening where a solid bottom could have gone. That opening becomes the starting point for the base rather than getting covered with more cedar.
Quarter-inch hardware cloth was chosen to span it. The wire mesh was cut longer than the opening so it could extend around the posts and attach to the sides instead of resting loose across the frame.
Hardware Cloth Became the First Layer
Sharp cut edges make gloves important while working with the mesh. Once measured, the hardware cloth was cut to length and positioned across the bottom.
Staples secure the mesh to the lower edges of the long side boards, while cuts around each post allow the extra wire to fold upward inside the planter.
Folding those sections around the posts keeps the mesh running across the bottom without leaving large openings at the corners. Extra wire is trimmed after the edges have been secured.
Wood Supports Strengthen the Bottom
Wire mesh alone isn’t the complete base. Six cedar boards cross underneath it, dividing the wide opening into smaller sections and adding support across the bottom.
Screws connect each support to the side boards, with the hardware cloth caught between the two. The result keeps the open construction while giving the mesh a wood structure beneath it.
One More Layer Goes in Before the Soil
Wood treatment protects the exposed cedar before the planter is filled and moved into use.
Breathable landscape fabric then lines the interior, covering the wire bottom and extending up the sides. The fabric creates a barrier between the loose potting mix and the openings in the hardware cloth.
At this stage, the planter looks as though it has a black fabric bottom from above. Underneath are the wire mesh and cedar supports that carry the base.
Soil Makes the Hidden Base Disappear
Potting mix fills about two-thirds of the box, covering the landscape fabric and hiding the layered bottom that took shape underneath.
Plants turn the cedar structure into a working raised bed, with the soil sitting well above ground level and no solid wood panel closing the bottom.
Once the soil and plants go in, the mesh, supports, and fabric disappear from view, leaving the cedar frame and raised garden above.
Would you try this open-bottom approach for a raised planter, or choose a solid wood base?