DIY Kids Flower Bed #ryobimade

So when Ryobi offered an opportunity to collaborate and let me do some DIY projects around the house I jumped at the chance… and when I say jumped I mean… kind of like Super Bowl style when you knock someone out. I was so excited. I may have cried.

Why Jess? I hear you ask. Well, all you have to do is open our garage or even Laundry to see the wall packed with Ryobi ONE+ tools and equipment. I’m a very well established customer already. The fact that they have a massive range of tools and home equipment that all uses the same batteries AND goes like an absolute champion… I was sold years ago. I swear by their vacuums too btw… best little suckers ever! It’s all backed with a 6 year warranty and they really are very easy to use and reliable as anything! (youcan find an extensive range at your local Bunnings, and the guys there are 100% in the know to help you with everything you need to find out about.)

So back to what we are doing… if you are like me, you like to change things up a bit. In the home and the garden. I am forever doing that (it drives Jim nuts sometimes) but change is as good as a holiday.

For this project, we took it to the garden. We are making a little portable flower bed for the girls, so they can water and look after their very own little garden bed.

With seasonal changes in style, taste, durability and of weather patterns, often garden beds (especially make of wood) can get moody or after some years rot away. This is a nifty little garden bedwhere you place in the potted plants still in the pot to reduce risk of ever having to worry about it getting all rotten on the bottom from wet soil and general weather related issues. It also allows you to interchange the pots and foliage as your tastes change and seasons pass.

For this project, we invested in the help of super grandma! She often comes over and gets the girls working in the garden and they just love it. So it’s a girl power project all the way. Grandma is also pretty wiz bang on the power tools, so if I was going to learn more skills then I wanted to learn them from her 🙌🏻 #tradetts

What you will need:

Ryobi ONE+ tools:

Ryobi ONE+ Drill & Drill B its

Ryobi ONE+ 50 Piece Mixed Drilling Set

Ryobi ONE+ Circular Saw

Ryobi ONE+ Multi T ool

Ryobi ONE+ Orbital Sander

Other

Merbau Timber Planks x 2 cut to size (we end two deep in all sides)

1 sharpie

Planter box ( plastic insert that you can interchange)

Caster wheels (optional)

Simples!

The wood we used was Merbau decking board …. which isbloody tough! If you struggle cutting them to size then the guys at Bunnings may be able to cut it for you. If you have the pot you are using in the planter then it’s the perfect indicator of size!

With 4 kids at home I got the guys at Bunnings to do a bit of pre-cutting for me and then did the small parts at home in the evening after the kids were in bed (I’m so sorry neighbours) using the Ryobi ONE+ Circular Saw.

Next up was lining up and drilling. This will take a bit of trial and error depending on the size you have chosen. I would suggest using another small piece of wood to brace the planks together so it lines up nicely. Mark it out and pre drill to make life easier. Using clamps is also ideal so you have no wobbles!

This part will take you the longest as you need to drill through 2 planks to join everything together. Using the Ryobi ONE+ Drill Kit to make holes deep enough then widening the head for the screws, will take time but once you are in the flow of it then you are cooking with gas!

Once everything is drilled and ready for screws, attach the sides forming an L shape and then you can balance the box on the ground to secure the rest (see picture)

The base is added in last. We added wheels for easy movement ( this may backfire if the kids decide to make a makeshift skateboard) but the wheels are easy as to remove.

I will admit… we made a few tiny mistakes so I stress pre drilling is key! And measurements 🤦🏼‍♀️ but not to worry….. The base was just a few centimetres too big. A good sand on both sides fixed that issue quickly! (The Ryobi ONE+ Orbital Sander will work perfectly to get rid ofthose extra mms)

After sanding back the base to create a snug fit and attaching the wheels (see pictures) all that was left to do was grab the Ryobi ONE+ Multi Tool out and do a quick sand back of the edges (this is my favourite tool to use !)

All the tools are so incredibly easy to use, you will be feeling like a professional in no time and by the end of the project, my confidence on them was through the roof. I was ready for the next project straight away!!

To find out more check out the website and socials for Ryobi and get yourself into your very own DIY project.