Strawberry tower/planter

I've been trying to figure out what to do with some of the strawberry plants that we currently have.  I've been using an upside-down basket in the backyard but I don't think it is getting enough light and water so those strawberry plants are struggling a bit.  The ones we have are just in the ground and the bugs and insects are getting to the fruits before we are!  So I finally decided to browse the internet for a few ideas.  Ohhh... one of these would be nice:

I don't think Bobby would have approved me buying one of these strawberry towers.  It looks too expensive!  Anyway, I saw a few tutorials on making some other strawberry towers and it seems that the leftover wood from our old fence will do just fine:

So far so good... here is the first tier:

My handy-dandy pink out-of-shape hammer is still doing the trick.  Ha ha! Making these notches was a bit tricky though as I don't have a proper table saw for it so I have to do double cuts on each side of the wood with my handheld electric handsaw:

And I don't have the proper tool to notch out the wood either once it is cut.  That's what the hammer and screwdriver is for.  I had to try and glue back some of the pieces that didn't break off properly.  Oops!

And after gluing, I didn't really have the proper/big enough clamp either, so I had to improvise.  Ha ha!

It's coming along!  I think 4 tiers is plenty:

Graham and Charlie didn't help too much with the electric saw but I am making them make-up their time by helping me paint the planks of wood:

Halfway there...

All done!  I had plenty of sample paint that I had picked up from a lady through the neighborhood App a while ago.  Worked our perfectly!

The next few days, it was finally time to put it all together.  This tower is going in the front yard since it seems that the strawberry plants over here are doing quite well:

I was going to incorporate a watering soaker hose with the existing sprinkler line and have it inside the tower but the connections did not fit properly.  And I really didn't feel like going into the store to get it, especially now that we are under the Safer-at-home order again (since Dec 2).  Let's just hope the sprinklers we have now will be sufficient in watering this tower.

Halfway there with 2 tiers... and using up a lot of soil!

By the time I got done, it was dark!  And actually, it was probably only around 5:30pm.  I really don't like this time of the year because it gets dark so early.  I suppose it would make a difference if I woke up a bit earlier.  Nah... ;-P

The next morning... Ta da!!! I'm finally able to see my new strawberry tower in the daylight!! I think it looks pretty good and rather cute actually.  The boys did great in choosing some nice colors and Bobby did well in picking some flowers too for the planter.  I only have about 5 strawberry plants in it as of now and I put some in opposite sides as I wasn't sure if the plants needed more light or less light - morning sun or afternoon sun.  Always so many factors involved when gardening:

It's not strawberry season right now but hopefully we'll have a few more when the time comes.  I don't normally take videos but thought it might give a better idea of how this strawberry planter looks :-)

I was just browsing online again trying to see how much one of these strawberry towers might be.  And look what I found - one just like the tower we just made!

$225 for a 5-tier strawberry tower.  Yikes!!!  I told Bobby about this and he said I should make about 5 more to sell.  Ha ha!  Well, the pieces of wood from the fence wasn't all that great so I hope it will last at least for a little while.  I think cedar is suppose to be the best for a planter like this, although reading the description of this planter, it is made out of pallet wood.  Hmmm...  33" x 33" is the largest size for the bottom tier. I think mine is only 24" x 24".  That's going to be a lot of soil!  I used an entire bag of it so I can't imagine how much more soil is needed for that bigger sized planter.  Well, either way, I am SUPER happy with finally making our own strawberry tower :-D

I need to think of the next home project soon since we have a 2-week holiday right now.  Well, actually I have 2 projects in mind but I am procrastinating because they are big projects.  Urgh... but I think it really needs to be done!  Please remind me to not gravitate towards older homes next time.  Everything seems to be falling apart!  Will keep you all posted! :-)