How to Build a Rustic Log Cabin Planter Box

After many hours of clearing brush and cleaning up the acreage, I found myself with many many pine logs on my hands. Since we were in needed of a garden area, I decided to build a log cabin planter box with all these pine logs. This post will show you how to build a very rustic easy log cabin planter box.

Step 1. Collect & Debark Logs:

Gather all the straight logs you can. I’ve found that pine and cedar logs on our property are the straightest and easiest to debark. The cedar also has some natural decay resistance so that works great for a planter. This is my progress collection of logs.

As you can see in the photo, I cut the logs to size as needed with a small chain saw. This one is a DeWalt electric chainsaw that is great for beginners. It was my very first chainsaw that used it for about 6 months before feeling comfortable enough to use a gas-powered chain. Be sure to wear safety gear any time you saw. That noise-reducing and shielding helmet has worked great. I also wear a pair of protective chaps and gloves.

Here I am removing bark from a cedar log. I found that it’s easiest to use a hatchet to get under the bark and then use your hands to pry it off. Some types of pine are easiest to debark when they’re green or freshly cut. If you don’t catch get to the log while it’s green, it make take a season or two for the bark to really loosen and separate from the log.

Gather more logs than you think you’ll need. Some just won’t be right length or thickness as you start building, so you want options. Some might not be that easy to debark. So the more log options, the better. Here is my growing pile of debarked pine logs.

Step 2. Prep Planter Base:

Let me remind you that this is a rustic build! Here is the basic layout of the log cabin planter box. As you can see it will be U-shaped raised planter or garden bed for easy plant access.

I leveled out the ground for the planter base before laying the ground logs. You could stake these in place. But I simply butted them against the dug earth and connected the corners together with toe nailed exterior screws and my DeWalt cordless drill.

Step 3. Vertical Corner Supports:

Fair warning: It’s going to look a bit janky before it gets better. Lol. It’s not fancy, but it will get the job done. To build up the walls, I grabbed some scrap 2×6 redwood boards and attached them to the base logs at each corner with exterior wood screws. Now we have vertical corner supports to connect and support the horizonal logs as we build the walls.

Step 4. Build Log Cabin Planter Walls:

Next, it’s time to build up the walls. Simply stack the logs and screw them to the corner 2x6s and/or to each other. Cut the logs to size as needed. Here is a progress photo. Have faith, it gets better.

This is the quick and dirty way to build up the walls. If you wanted a true log cabin build, you’d need notch out the ends of the logs so that they overlap and join each other. I didn’t have time for that!

Progress photo for the side.

The walls are complete! Looking more put together now. You can see I started filling in the planter with yard waste. Before that I laid down a layer of rusty chicken wire the prior owners had left to keep voles and rats from burrowing underneath. It is tough to see the rusty wire in the photos though.

Step 5. Add Fencing and a Door:

We’ve found of the hard way that growing any type of garden here needs to be protected from the whole range of wildlife here. We have rats, voles, moles, birds, and deer that love to eat and burrow through whatever we grow. So, I decided to give this planter area more protection by fencing it in and adding a door.

Here are the vertical supports for the wire mesh fencing. I screwed the vertical posts to the log walls on the interior.

Next, I added a few more posts for the entry door and wrapped everything in wire mesh. The door was built out of pine logs and wrapped in mesh as well. Then I connected the door to the vertical with simple exterior hinges. Scroll down for finished photos.

Step 6. Add Soil & Plants to the Log Cabin Planter:

This is the completed log cabin planter! I filled the bottom layer with yard debris and the top with good quality soil for growing. You can see we have plants already started.

This is a close up of the door.

Plant progress. That’s some eggplant and some sugar snap peas.

The zucchini really thrives here!

Step 7. Enjoy Your Log Cabin Planter:

Here is a wider view of the log cabin planter. That’s my husband watering the new plants and our cat is running long the drive.