Fix 3 Common Issues with Planter Boxes

Plastic Shims will Help Your Planter Garden Look Beautiful

Spring planting season is a great time to build and fill planter boxes! Flowers are such a nice reminder of the rejuvenation of spring and summer. If you’re going to build your own planter boxes we have a tip for getting them squared up. We also explain how Wobble Wedges® can help with planter drainage. And how to use plastic shims to keep window boxes level and from scraping your siding. Here’s how to fix 3 common issues with planter boxes.

Fill Gaps When Building Your Own Planter Boxes

Most wood is warped, it’s just what it naturally wants to do. So when building your own planter boxes, you might discover that it’s harder to get them squared up than expected. If there’s a gap between two of the boards, you can always place a plastic shim in between to help them meet. Wood shims that you buy at the home improvement store aren’t treated. So they can rot and deteriorate when in contact with water outside. Wobble Wedge® plastic shims won’t rot, warp or be affected by water. This makes them a great option for outdoor projects, like building planter boxes. Use our plastic shims to fill gaps, and bring boards up to level, making it easy to get beautiful planters for your flowers and vegetables.

Lift Boxes for Drainage

It’s important for planter boxes to drain so that your plant’s roots aren’t sitting in water. If the planters are located on concrete or decking the bottoms might not be able to wick moisture away. An easy solution is to take two BigGap™ hard/rigid Wobble Wedge® plastic shims in a “flat stack” (see below image). Place the shims under each corner of the planter to lift it .48in off the ground. This will allow for the planter to drain and create air flow. If you’d like this solution to be permanent, you can screw the plastic shims to the bottom of the planter, creating feet that will stay in place. Place screws on either end of the plastic shims, using the pre-drilled holes to make it easy.

Two BigGap™ wedges stacked tapered end to wide end to make a flat stack

Level Under-window Planter Boxes and Protect Your Siding

If you have under-window planters they can sometimes lean away from the house too much, making the soil come pouring out when you water. Depending on how the boxes are attached to your house, you can wedge BigGap™ plastic shims between the house and the box to bring it up to level. The weight of the box can hold the plastic shims in place, or you can screw them into position. You can also use our plastic shims to keep the window box from rubbing against your siding. This works well if the window box is removable. Use some soft/flexible Wobble Wedge® plastic shims to act as a buffer. Place them between the box and the siding, and use the weight of the box to hold them in place. This is an easy solution to protect your house from scuff marks on the siding.

Plastic shims
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