Celebrate nature’s bounty and make this easy DIY harvesting basket using pallet off cuts, chicken wire, a bicycle inner tube and some sisal rope. It’s just the right size (39 cm long, 15 cm high and 19 cm wide) and it’s perfect for harvesting, washing and carrying fresh, home grown veggies.

Harvesting basket

What you need

• 2  15 cm x 15 cm pallet off cuts (side pieces)
• 2  39 cm x 3 cm strips of wood
• 35.5 cm x 6 cm strip of wood (bottom of the basket)
• plastic coated chicken wire cut into a 39 cm x 45 cm piece
• 4 wood screws
• a thick sisal rope (about 1 meter)
• a bicycle tube inner
• A stapler gun and food safe wood stain

It literally took me less than an hour to make the basket. Cut the pallets according to the measurements given above. Make sure the pallet hasn’t been treated with any harmful chemicals. Seal the wood with a food safe wood stain (we used GripSeal, a locally produced water based sealer that comes in the most beautiful colors and it dries super fast)

Cut the wood pieces and stain

Cut the chicken wire and use a staple gun to attach the wire to the 39 cm strips of wood to form a basic frame. Attached the frame to the two side pieces with the wood screws.

Putting it all together

Staple the chicken wire around the outside edges of the side pieces to make the basket. Flip the basket over and staple the 35.5 cm piece to the bottom of the basket. Tie a knot on one end of the sisal rope and screw the knot into one side of the basket. Slip the bicycle inner tube over the sisal rope and then tie a knot at the other end. Screw this end to the other side of the basket. Sisal rope can be a bit harsh on your hands when you’r picking veggies so the inner tube gives some protection.

Screw the rope handle on to the sides of the basket

The basket is ready for harvesting. Now we can pick our veggies and wash them off all at the same time.

Celebrating nature’s bounty

Would love to hear what you think. Do you grow your own veggies? What do you use to harvest them?

P.S. You can use this handy converter to change the measurements from cm to inches