How to Build A Rolling Stand For Your 2-Tower ZipGrow™ Farm Wall™

While the ZipGrow™ Farm Wall™ has been designed to be mounted (onto a fence or wall), some people would rather have it freestanding or mobile. In this case, a couple of wheels and a platform could really come in handy. That way you can roll it outdoors when the weather is nice, indoors when it’s not, and move it around when you have company, to clean the floors, etc.

While some of us may be thinking, “Easy! I’ll whip up a stand in an hour and we’ll be ready to roll!” (pun intended), others are thinking, “Building a rolling stand is going to take hours. I don’t even know where to start.”

If you’re one of the latter, don’t worry! We have prepared a tutorial for you.

The rolling stand is made of two parts: a base (basically a platform with wheels), and an upright (a vertical stand that holds the top gutter).

Building the base

Wood for the frame of the base:

(2) 2X4’s, 20.5 inches

(2) 2X4’s, 17 inches

(1) 1X4, 21 inches

Wood for the top of the base:

(6) 1X4 laths, 25 inches with square edges

(2) 1X4 laths, 25 inches (on the short side) with a 45 degree miter on them

(2) 1X4 laths, 22 inches (on the short side) also with a 45 degree miter

(2) 2X4’s, 22 inches

Step 1: Build and reinforce the frame

Build the frame for your base using the 4 miter pieces and the two 22-inch 2X4’s. Reinforce the base by attaching one 17-inch block to a 24-inch block so that it sit neatly inside the frame, then attach it 5.25 inches back from the edge of the frame.

Step 2: Top the frame

Use the 6 laths to top the frame.

Step 3: Mount the wheels

Mount wheels on the bottom (optional). You will have to use the other 17-inch block to mount wheels if you are using non-fixed wheels (make the cart easier to turn and move) since they take up a lot of room.

Building the upright

Wood for the upright:

For a 5-foot ZipGrow™  Farm Wall™:

(2) 2X4’s, 66 inches

(2) 2X4’s, 19 inches

Step 1: Mount the cross-pieces to the length pieces

Mount the cross pieces flush with the bottom of the two length pieces. (So that the 4” side of the 17-inch piece flushes with the 2” side of the 66-inch piece.) The two length pieces should hit the cross pieces at the 2.5 inches and 12.5 inches marks (screws will sit at 3.25 inches and 13.25 inches).

Step 2: Mount the upright to the base

Mount the upright to the base. The side with more overhang will line up with the pump-side of the Farm Wall.

*You’re going to position your uprights behind the two tower slots in the Farm Wall gutter and secure them with screws.

Turn the base over (don’t turn it when you flip it) and mark 5.75 and 15.75 inches on your 1X4 block. Pre-drill two pairs of holes (using a smaller drill bit) all the way through the 1X4, the 2X4, and the 1X4 on top. (3 inches total)

Use a larger drill bit to drill through the 1X4 into the 2X4. The holes will mark where you will line up the uprights with the base.

In addition, pre-drill holes for three screws to secure the 19 inch block and add some extra stability.

 Have a helper help you hold the uprights steady and level while you drill screws through the base into the uprights.

Tips:

  • Pre-drill your holes. This will keep your wood (esp. the 1X4 ) from splitting.
  • Counter-sink  your screws to give your stand an extra clean look.
  • We also stained the wood to make it look nice in a home or as a display.
  • Use clamps to make sure that your holes line up.
  • Once you’ve started growing, be sure to give your plants enough light! That usually means 1-3 T5 light rods per tower or 1 high quality LED light bar per tower.

CONCLUSION

In this tutorial you got a step-by-step on building your own wooden rolling stand for your vertical garden. Enjoy showing off your new rolling garden, and be sure to show the stand off on social media. We’d love to see your twist on it, so tag us @ZipGrowInc.

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