DIY produce stand

It all started with potatoes — and having no place to put them.

We usually ended up sticking them in the cereal cabinet and the bag would fall behind the boxes and we’d end up with musty spuds growing sprouts. Ew.

So when I saw a great-looking produce stand online (OverTheBigMoon.com), I knew it was something we needed for the kitchen. A place for potatoes! Could it really be so simple? Maybe we could get the bananas off the counter, too.

Are you lacking cupboard space and need a new home for fruits and veggies?

Here’s what you need to make your very own produce stand:

• Two (2) 1 x 6 boards (10 ft. long) for the boxes
• One (1) 1 x 4 board (8 ft. long) for the sides
• Two (2) 10” pieces of a 2 x 4 for the base supports

The first step is to make your cuts …

• Cut your 1×6 boards into nine 18” pieces (the back, front and base of your boxes) and six 7” pieces (the ends of your boxes).
• Cut two 32” sections from your 1×4 board (you’ll have some wood leftover) to form the sides. Then cut the tops at angle (about 30 degrees) so your boxes will tilt slightly to display their contents. 
• Take your two 10” pieces of 2×4 and cut a 45-degree angle off each end to make pretty base supports. 

Once you’ve made your cuts, it’s time to assemble it!

Start by building your three boxes. Remember, each box has an 18” inch piece as the back, front and bottom — and the little 7” pieces made the ends. We pre-drilled the holes so the wood didn’t split, and then hammered in 2” nails. 

When you have three perfect wooden boxes, you’ll probably get really excited about future projects that could involve boxes. I mean, storage is always important, right? And they’re so sturdy!

Once I calmed down about the boxes, it was time to attach the sides to the base supports. Make sure you screw or nail the sides to the bases so that the angles are facing the right direction, because the very top box needs to line up with that angle. 

When you have your “legs,” grab one of the boxes and hold it, slightly tilted, so it matches up with the top of the angled side. Your box will be pitching forward slightly. Pre-drill your holes and screw or nail it in place, and then repeat on the other side. It will look like you have a strange sort of mailbox with two legs. 

Align your final two boxes by comparing the angle to the first box — eyeballing it is fine — and then secure them to the sides. You can hang them at any height, really, but we aimed to space ours equally. 

Take a minute to admire your stand, and then decide on a plan of action. Are you going to seal it and leave the wood natural? Stain it? Paint it? 

I was tempted to stain ours, but we already have a lot of wood happening on that level. So I painted it with leftover greyish-blue wall paint (CIL’s “Bear Run”) that we used on most of our main level, since I knew I wanted to put the produce stand against a greige wall. 

The morning after that single coat of blue, I roughed up the edges of the stand with a bit of sandpaper, wiped off the dust, and moved it into place. I loved it instantly. It kind of felt like a mini grocery store.

Our potatoes aren’t going to turn into science experiments in the cereal cupboard, and the bananas are no longer shoved between the coffee machine and the KitchenAid. Who knows, the kids might eat more apples now that they’re pre-washed and displayed at their level?

I wonder what else can go in there. Hmmm, I think I need to Google “What produce doesn’t need to be in the refrigerator?”