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Window Herb Planter[4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 2 planters
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
Two simple window-box planters for a sunny sill: a long one for a row of herbs and a short one for the kitchen windowsill or a balcony rail. Each box is a bottom, a front, a back and two ends, screwed together with exterior screws — no glue-up, no clamps. One 4ft pack makes both.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long bottom, front, back | 3 | Boards 1–3 | 42" × 4" × ¾" | 42" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Short bottom, front | 2 | Board 4 | 20" × 4" × ¾" | 20" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Short back | 1 | Board 5 | 20" × 4" × ¾" | 20" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Ends (grain vertical) | 4 | Boards 1–4, one each | 3¼" × 4" × ¾" | 2⅝" × 3½" × ⅞" |
Box: the ends sit on the bottom; the front and back cover the bottom's edges and the ends.
Fasteners: exterior #8 screws through the front and back into the bottom edge (every 6") and the ends (2 each), plus 1 screw up through the bottom into each end in an oversize hole. No glue.
Drainage: ½" holes every 6" along the bottom, with a liner or landscape fabric.
Finished size: Long planter S4S 42" L × 5½" D × 4" H · S2S 42" × 5¼" × 3½". Short planter 20" long, same section. Inside S4S 4" wide × 3¼" deep · S2S 3½" × 2⅝".
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- About 40 exterior #8 flat-head screws (coated deck or stainless): 1¼" (S4S) or 1½" (S2S)
- Plastic window-box liners, or landscape fabric and staples
- Potting mix and herbs
- Sandpaper 120 / 180
- Exterior penetrating oil
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- ½" drill bit
- Staple gun (for fabric)
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Sort the boards. Boards 1–3 make the long planter's bottom, front and back. Board 4 gives the short planter's bottom and front, and board 5 its back. Each of boards 1–4 also gives one end.
- 2 Cut the long parts. Square one end of boards 1–3 and crosscut each to 42". Cut an end piece 3¼" long from each leftover.
- 3 Cut the short parts. Crosscut board 4 into two 20" pieces and one 3¼" end. Crosscut board 5 to 20". The rest of board 5 is spare.
- 4 Drill the drainage holes. Drill ½" holes along the centre of each bottom, every 6" — 7 in the long bottom, 3 in the short one. Clamp a scrap underneath so the bit exits cleanly.
- 5 Sand. Sand the outside faces 120 → 180. Round over the top edges a little so they don't splinter.
- 6 Fit the ends to the bottom. Stand an end on each end of the bottom, flush with the ends and edges. The end's grain runs up and down. Drill an oversize ¼" hole up through the bottom under each end, pre-drill, and drive an exterior #8 × 1¼" screw into it.
- 7 Add the front and back. Hold the front against the bottom and ends, flush at the bottom and ends. Pre-drill and drive exterior #8 × 1¼" screws into the bottom edge every 6" and 2 into each end. Repeat for the back. Screws only — no glue on the ends, which cross the front's grain.
- 8 Finish. Apply exterior oil to the outside and the end grain, 2 coats. Leave the inside raw if you line it. Never use a film finish on the inside — it traps water.
- 9 Line and plant. Staple landscape fabric inside, or drop in a plastic liner with holes to match the bottom. Add potting mix and herbs. Set the planter on a tray or feet so it drains.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Sort the boards. Boards 1–3 make the long planter's bottom, front and back. Board 4 gives the short planter's bottom and front, and board 5 its back. Each of boards 1–4 also gives one end.
- 3 Cut the long parts. Square one end of boards 1–3 and crosscut each to 42". Cut an end piece 2⅝" long from each leftover.
- 4 Cut the short parts. Crosscut board 4 into two 20" pieces and one 2⅝" end. Crosscut board 5 to 20". The rest of board 5 is spare.
- 5 Drill the drainage holes. Drill ½" holes along the centre of each bottom, every 6" — 7 in the long bottom, 3 in the short one. Clamp a scrap underneath so the bit exits cleanly.
- 6 Sand. Sand the outside faces 120 → 180. Round over the top edges a little so they don't splinter.
- 7 Fit the ends to the bottom. Stand an end on each end of the bottom, flush with the ends and edges. The end's grain runs up and down. Drill an oversize ¼" hole up through the bottom under each end, pre-drill, and drive an exterior #8 × 1½" screw into it.
- 8 Add the front and back. Hold the front against the bottom and ends, flush at the bottom and ends. Pre-drill and drive exterior #8 × 1½" screws into the bottom edge every 6" and 2 into each end. Repeat for the back. Screws only — no glue on the ends, which cross the front's grain.
- 9 Finish. Apply exterior oil to the outside and the end grain, 2 coats. Leave the inside raw if you line it. Never use a film finish on the inside — it traps water.
- 10 Line and plant. Staple landscape fabric inside, or drop in a plastic liner with holes to match the bottom. Add potting mix and herbs. Set the planter on a tray or feet so it drains.
Why no glue? The ends stand with their grain vertical, so they cross the grain of the front and back. Wet and dry seasons make them move differently, and a glued joint would crack. Exterior screws hold it together and let it move.
Why stand the ends grain-up? It lets you cut each end straight off the board with no ripping. The front and back screws then bite into the long-grain edges of the ends, which hold screws far better than end grain.
Why a liner? Damp soil against bare wood all summer leads to rot. A liner or fabric keeps the soil off the wood and the drainage holes let water out.
Make It Yours
- Sill brackets: screw two steel shelf brackets under an outside sill and set the long planter on them. Screw the planter to the brackets.
- Feet: rip ½" strips from the spare on board 5 and screw them under the bottom so the planter drains and doesn't stain the sill.
- Labels: write the herb names on the front with a wood-burning pen or a paint marker.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Wear a dust mask when cutting and sanding, especially exotics (padauk, purpleheart, sapele).
- An outside window box is heavy when wet. Fix it to the sill or to brackets screwed into the wall framing, never just sitting on a ledge above a walkway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Yes. Use white oak, ash or hickory if it lives outdoors, exterior screws and exterior oil, and re-oil each spring. Bring it in for the winter to make it last.
Small herbs straight into potting mix, or 3½" nursery pots in the S4S box. The long planter holds 6–8 herbs, the short one 3–4.
Water drains out the bottom holes, so stand it on a long tray, or use a liner with no holes indoors and water lightly.
Planned offcuts: about 2" off boards 1–4 and about 27" off board 5 — enough for feet, plant markers or a small tray. All 5 boards go into the planters.
Yes, for one 20" planter. Boards 1–3 give the bottom, front and back, and board 4 gives the four ends. Board 5 is spare for feet or a small tray.
