Growing vegetables and flowers in planter boxes not only allows us to create our own garden in space constrained homes but also allows to choose any location for them. Recycling or reusing old materials as planter boxes minimizes landfills. Rather than throwing away the materials/ containers, a little creativity and interest can give us economical and useful planters right at home.
If you are looking forward to creating a cheap and useful container for planting purpose then try using a wine crate. Transforming old wine crates into planters not only adds style to your container garden but also encourages reuse. We generally end up with empty crates after a party at home. So just take some spare time out of your busy schedule and transfer these into beautiful planters. Let us see how to make a planting box from recycled or reused materials.
Difficulty Level:
Easy
Time required:
1 Hour
Resources require:
- Drill machine
- Peat moss for mixing into soil
- Potting soil/ garden loam
- Perlite
- Seedlings/ plants
- Water-soluble fertilizer
- Wine crate
Estimated Cost:
Purchase cost would include fertilizers, perlite, plants/ seeds and peat moss. The wine crate, if not available at home can be procured from friends, neighbors or relatives. You can also get them from second-hand stores or vendors.
Instructions:
1. Identify a place and keep all the things handy.
2. Take a crate and with the help of drill machine make drainage holes in the bottom of the crate. Make holes with a space of 2 to 4 inches apart in all directions. By making a hole not only would you allow good drainage for the water that you would add to your plants, but will also prevent the bottom of the crate from rotting.
3. Next is the soil preparation. Take equal parts of moist peat moss, potting soil/ garden loam, perlite (amorphous volcanic glass that has relatively high water content) and mix them well. This would be the potting mixture for the container.
4. Now fill the wine crates with the potting mixture. Keep the potting mixture level to three fourths of the height of the crate.
5. Take your plants/ seeds and position the seedlings into the soil. Fill in and around the roots with some fresh soil. Keep the soil level up to 1 to 2 inches below the rim of the wine crate. This would give room for watering.
6. Using your hands gently firm the soil down around the seedlings. This, in turn, secures the plants and also removes air pockets, if any.
7. Once you are done with the planting, water thoroughly. Stop once the water runs and comes out freely through the bottom of the crate. This provides moisture to the plants/ seeds for their growth.
8. With somebodyâs help, carry the crates and place them in an area that receives proper sunlight during day time. If your plants require partial or low shades then choose your location accordingly.
9. Start applying fertilizer (water-soluble) which is specially designed for vegetables/ flowering plants. Keep the gap of 14 days between each application every seven to 14 days. Generally plants that grow in containers require more amount of fertilizers than those growing on the ground. This is because the fertilizers and its nutrients get leached out through the holes made at the bottom of the container while watering.
10. Water your plants only when the soil looks and feels dry to touch. During summers, water the plants everyday because the evaporation rate is higher during this period.
11. You can also think about placing the crates in shelves as shown in the picture. This method allows you to save space and good if you want to grow plants from seeds. For the shelves, look out for old racks or shelves in your home and if you have then just paint it and use.
Frequently asked questions:
1: Why do we add peat moss and perlite to the mixing soil?
Answer: Peat moss and perlite addition lightens the soil and thereby promotes good drainage and aeration for the growing plants.
Quick tips:
Before proceeding with the planting, wipe the entire box with a tack cloth dipped in mineral spirits and let it dry for a few minutes.
Things to watch out for:
1. Do not add plain garden soil for planting as they are loose and would wash away while watering.
2. Place the plants in sun as per their light requirement.
