Vendor Spotlight: TKS Woodworks

​While living and working in Burlington, ON, Keith Small of TKS Woodworks decided to make a planter for his wife in his downtime during COVID. “He had woodworking experience from working in wood framing and doing odd jobs around the house,” his wife and business partner Tina explained. “So, he made me a planter. It wasn’t a big one, just a smaller one.” But later in the year during a barbeque at their house, a lot of people began to compliment the piece and mentioned it would be something they would buy. Tina and Keith decided to give it a shot and made a few more planters before listing them for sale on Facebook Marketplace. “We were both working our other jobs full time, Keith was framing, and I was working as a PSW, but once I posted them, that was that,” Tina said with a laugh. “Now we’ve run TKS Woodworks full time for two years as of February 2026.” 

After moving to St. Thomas around 2024, Tina and Keith continued to build wooden planters and boxes for their home. “I love gardening,” Tina said with a smile. “It’s funny, the first planter we did was for vegetables, but I’m more of a flower girl, I like the instant gratification. I’m not good at planting seeds and waiting.” Despite her love for flowers, the first planter box Keith made Tina used for cherry tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and some starter plants. Now, TKS Woodworks makes a variety of planter boxes, raised garden beds, hanging basket boxes, decorative wreaths, table centerpieces and more. “It’s teamwork,” Tina said when talking about how she and Keith make their boxes. “He cuts the wood and makes the boxes, and I help with assembly and making them pretty.”

“The main kind of wood we use is red western cedar, but we have done spruce, and we take custom orders as well,” Tina explained. “All our vegetable boxes and raised planters are strictly red western cedar because it is rot resistant and mildew resistant. They can last a long time if you take care of them, but it is a softwood, so for the best long-term use I recommend people bring them inside during the winter.” Since these boxes are used to grow food, the wood is strictly not pressure treated, and stainless steel screws are used to put them together, but they do need some love and care each year to keep them at their best. “We can add a seal for an additional cost, or we are happy to explain the process to you,” said Tina. “The upkeep is pretty simple – just bring them inside during the winter [removing the soil first], give them a light sand, and then reseal it. But if you can’t bring them inside, we just recommend throwing a tarp overtop of it and making sure the legs are exposed a couple of inches, so they aren’t sitting in snow and water.” ​

TKS Woodworks make a variety of planter boxes, up to 6 feet by 2 feet, all handmade in their home shop. The planter boxes have drainage holes and also come with a liner, but Tina still recommends putting some hay, sticks, or stones between the bottom of the planter and the liner to help with drainage, so the soil doesn’t plug any holes. In addition to planter boxes, they also make smaller hanging basket boxes and herb boxes, which are also made with red western cedar. “For the hanging basket boxes we have done the legs with pressure treated wood since they usually stay outside all summer long, and their upkeep is similar to the vegetable planter boxes,” Tina said. “Just give them a light sand and then reapply some oil, let it sit and then wipe it off. The upkeep is easy, but it helps, especially depending on if they are out in the sun all day.” Tina also recommends turning the boxes around if they are facing the sun to let them have equal exposure on all sides and bringing them inside during the winter. With a variety of different sizes, as well as custom sizing, their boxes can fit different porches, backyards, condos, and balconies, allowing for easy growing. All their red western cedar comes from Ontario mills, allowing for thicker pieces of wood and higher quality end products.
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In the fall, Tina and Keith use the same cedar to make fall table centerpieces, like decorative boxes. “I make summer, fall, and Christmas decorative wreaths and Christmas table centerpieces, like wreath rings for candles, ball wreaths, and grapevine wreaths,” said Tina. “We are also experimenting with making some wine holders as well.” Regardless of the season, Tina says TKS Woodworks can make planters throughout the year. So if you want to get ahead on gardening pre-planning, know of someone who would love a planter as a present, or if you are moving houses, Tina and Keith are available to help get your plans going. 

TKS Woodworks can be found at the Horton Farmers’ Market seasonally and are typically at the market from May to early July, then back for a few dates in the fall during September and October. “We usually come more once the weather gets warmer and more people are out getting plants and planning their gardens, but we love being at Horton,” Tina said with a smile. “Keith and I used to go to markets all the time. We would love just walking around and looking, and we love to support local, so when we moved here, I asked around about markets. We started first with Briwood Farm Market with some of our planters and hanging basket boxes, and we hope to have some pop-ups there throughout the 2026 season as well.” In addition to Briwood and the Horton Farmers’ Market, Tina lists their boxes, wreaths, and centerpieces online through Facebook Marketplace - just search cedar vegetable boxes. 
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From market go-ers to market vendors, Tina and Keith love coming out to Horton and being a part of their community, both with fellow vendors and customers. “[The Horton Farmers’ Market] is more like a family, vendors look out for vendors, and they help each other out,” said Tina. “We also love to pickup our goodies when we are there - local veggies, almond croissants, we just love how friendly and welcoming it is.” And that energy goes both ways. Tina and Keith love to chat with people, something which reminds Tina of her days working as a PSW. “I’ve worked with the elderly for 25 years, and I find people gravitate towards me,” she said with a smile. “There’s a lot of people that just stop and talk to me, and you get to know each other and know the people who you see every week or month. Maybe they’ve lost their spouse and just want someone to talk to or they are out to get some socialization, and I enjoy that, it feels comfortable on my end. It’s that community feeling again. In Burlington and when selling online, you don’t get that as much.” Whether you have questions about their wood, the creation process, their liners, or just want to say hello, make sure you pop by TKS Woodworks, check out their planters, wreaths, and decor, and chat with Tina and Keith.  

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Paige Palmer, Marketing Assistant

Paige is a proud recent graduate of Western University's Media and Communications (MACS) program and King's University College's Thanatology program. Born and raised in Elgin County, Paige loves connecting with local people and businesses to tell their stories and promote their hard work. A previous St. Thomas Parks and Forestry summer student, Paige also loves exploring local parks and trails, and promoting the incredible work of the Parks and Forestry department, while capturing some beautiful pictures along the way. ​