Create A Custom Harvest Basket For Your Growing Crops With TikTok's Easy DIY

Carrying all your fruits and vegetables from your garden inside and washing them can be a hassle. Luckily, with TikTok's simple DIY woodworking project, you can craft your own harvest basket. These baskets, also called garden hods, allow you to gather your produce and wash it off without all the fuss, as most of the basket is made from hardware cloth, a metal mesh.

In a TikTok video, @plantedinthegarden shows how to quickly and easily construct your harvest basket using a little woodworking. For this project, you'll need scrap wood, plywood or wood boards, hardware cloth, a dowel rod, a staple gun, and a drill. You will also need a saw to cut your wood to the correct shape and sandpaper to smooth it. While retailers sell these baskets for upwards of $50, making one yourself could help you save some money. You may also choose to stain or paint the wood to give your garden hod a unique look. This DIY gardening tool from TikTok will save you time while harvesting your herbs, vegetables, and fruits and will make an adorable addition to your gardening supplies.

To begin making your harvest basket, decide what size you'd like it to be. When you know your desired length, cut two planks of wood about ¾ inch thick and several inches wide. These will function as the sides of your basket. You will also need two wider, curved pieces for your ends. You can make these by tracing with a paint can on rectangular pieces of wood, providing a perfectly curved line to follow with your saw. On the corners of your end pieces, cut out 90-degree angle notches that are the same width as your side pieces. This will allow your side and end pieces to fit together seamlessly. 

You may also consider making your end pieces shaped like paddles, which will also create the anchor for your handle. If you do not choose this method, you'll need to make two holders for your handle. Use a ½ inch thick board that is about the same length as the basket's height will be for each, cutting one end of each to make them curved. On the rounded ends of the handle holders, cut out a circle the diameter of your dowel rod. If you made paddle end pieces, they will also need circular holes in the thin ends. Finally, your dowel rod, which will act as the handle, can be cut to fit flush between the holders.

Now that you have all your pieces staple your hardware cloth to the edges of your side boards. If the staples don't go in all the way, use a hammer to secure them tightly. Once it's attached, you'll need to bend the mesh to form your basket's shape. Try laying one plank on a sturdy surface like a table and folding the mesh downward, away from the board, and repeat on the other side. Place wood glue on the notches of your end pieces and line them up with the side pieces, drilling them in place. When your end pieces are secure, staple the mesh to them as well.

When the base of your basket is formed, you can create the handles. Drill one post for the handles to the middle of each board on the sides if your end pieces are not already shaped to anchor your handles. You could also place the holders on the wider ends for a longer handle. Now, you can secure the dowel rod between them, cutting it down if necessary and using wood glue to keep it firmly in place. With this adorable custom basket, you can easily gather, wash, and transport the vegetables you love to grow in your garden.