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DIY: Using Old Wine Barrels As Planters
Recycle, Reuse and Repurpose To Transform Old Half Wine Barrels into Garden Planters
Repurposing old half wine barrels as planters is a fantastic way to add charm and growing space to your garden. Ideal for smaller spaces or for rented homes where you don’t want anything permanent. You can also add wheels (like you’d get on a sofa) added to the base so they can be moved on a patio area.
These barrels are not only aesthetically pleasing but also provide such a rustic feature to your garden with ample space for a variety of plants. There always seems to be to people locally to us that sell them cut in half ready to use, look on Facebook market place, gumtree or your local selling groups.
PREPPING YOUR BARRELS
Preparing the Barrels: Drainage Holes and Stones
The first step in transforming your half wine barrel into a planter is ensuring proper drainage. Without adequate drainage, water can accumulate at the bottom, leading to root rot and other plant diseases.
Creating Drainage Holes
Tools Needed: Drill with a large bit (at least 1/2 inch)
Process: Drill several holes in the bottom. Aim for about 8-10 evenly spaced holes. You don’t want to make them too big so that the stones/soil just get stuck in there, so more smaller holes is preferable to less larger ones.
Adding a Layer of Stones
Materials Needed: Small rocks, gravel, or broken pottery pieces.
Process: Once the drainage holes are in place, fill the bottom with a layer of stones or gravel about 2-3 inches deep. This layer helps ensure that water can flow freely out of the holes, preventing water logging in the soil above.
We had some bags of stones we planned on using for another project, they were just cheap ones from the supermarket but check your local area, sometimes people are getting rid of driveway stones for free you can go get a few bags full of.
FILLING YOUR BARRELS
Filling Up: Utilising Hugelkultur To Save Money
Hugelkultur is a centuries old gardening technique that involves layering organic materials to create rich, self-sustaining planting beds. This method not only improves soil fertility but also reduces the need for frequent watering. Using hugelkultur in your wine barrel planters is a cost-effective and efficient way to fill up these barrels.
What is Hugelkultur?
Hugelkultur (pronounced hoo-gul-culture) translates to “mound culture” in German. It involves creating mounds of wood debris, organic matter, and soil, which decompose over time to enrich the planting bed. This technique mimics natural forest processes, where fallen trees and leaves decompose to create fertile soil.
Building a Hugelkultur Base in Your Barrel
Materials Needed: Twigs, leaves, grass clippings, compost.
Process:
Base Layer: Start by placing larger logs and branches at the bottom of the barrel, on top of the stone layer. These large pieces provide structure and create air pockets, promoting drainage.
Intermediate Layer: Add smaller branches, twigs, and coarse organic materials. This layer helps fill in gaps and continues the decomposition process. As the barrel are not huge like a garden bed would be, we started at this layer with smaller twigs which we cut up to fit in.
Top Layer: Finish with a layer of leaves, grass clippings, and a layer of compost around 6-8inches. This layer starts the immediate nutrient cycle, providing a nutrient-rich environment for your plants. (We didn’t have any leaves out grass clipping at hand for the one in the video below, but have saved some grass clippings to add in the others)
Benefits of Hugelkultur
Water Retention: As the organic material decomposes, it acts like a sponge, retaining moisture and reducing the need for frequent watering.
Nutrient-Rich Soil: Decomposing organic matter releases nutrients slowly over time, providing a constant food source for plants.
Cost Savings: Utilising materials from your garden, such as fallen branches and leaves, reduces the need to purchase a huge amount of soil.
PLANTING UP YOUR BARRELS
Adding Soil and Choosing Plants
Soil Mix: Use a high-quality potting mix that provides a balanced combination of nutrients, drainage, and aeration. We are using Caledonian Enhanced Topsoil a blend of 30% Green Goodness and 70% topsoil, a multi-purpose product for planting and landscaping. Ideal for creating raised beds, growing plants, vegetables, and flowers.
Filling the Barrel: Fill the barrel with soil, leaving about 3-4 inches of space from the top. This space allows room for planting and watering without overflowing.
Selecting Plants
Choosing the right plants for your wine barrel planter depends on several factors, including sunlight exposure, climate, and your gardening goals. Here are some suggestions for different types of plants:
Herbs and Vegetables
Herbs: Basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and mint thrive in wine barrel planters. They are easy to grow and provide fresh flavours for your kitchen.
Vegetables: Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, and kale, as well as root vegetables like carrots and radishes, are well-suited for containers.
Flowers
Annuals: Marigolds, petunias, and pansies add vibrant colour and attract pollinators to your garden.
Perennials: Lavender, echinacea, and salvia provide long-lasting blooms and are generally low-maintenance.
Small Shrubs and Perennials
Dwarf Shrubs: Dwarf varieties of shrubs like boxwood or hydrangea can add structure and interest to your planters.
Perennials: Hostas, ferns, and ornamental grasses can create lush, green displays year after year.
Or like us add a variety of different plants and herbs in depending on location in the garden. We have 6 to plant up all placed in the food forest area. This one (in the videos below) we want to be filled with lemon balm so we can propagate it in pots around the garden. We plan on adding oca, potatoes, mint, and more herbs in the others to add height and interest to the area and using them for plants we want to grow in this area but don’t want to spread and take over the areas.
Turning old half wine barrels into garden planters is a sustainable and aesthetically pleasing way to enhance your garden. By ensuring proper drainage, utilising the principles of hugelkultur, and carefully selecting the right soil and plants, you can create thriving mini gardens that are both beautiful and productive.
You Tube Video: How To Fill Up Half Wine Barrel Planters
Video Reel: Planting Up Our New Barrel Planters
Happy Gardening!
Katrina & Clayton and family live in East Ayrshire and share their daily life in the garden on instagram. They practice permaculture principles in the garden, reducing & repurposing waste whenever they can. Katrina shows how home educating in nature has helped Clayton thrive.
Clayton Completed The 2 Grow and Learn Courses with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. He is Autistic, Non Verbal & has been Home Educated since 2018. Katrina & Peter hold their PDC & PDC PRO Permaculture Design Course from Oregon State University
They featured on BBC Beechgrove Gardens Ep23 2022 and returned in 2023 for an update,Katrina & Clayton are also columnists for ScotlandGrows Magazine, Guest Blog for Caledonian Horticulture as well as working with Gardeners’ World Magazine and many other brands.
They are also Author of the new Children’s Book Series: Clayton’s Garden Journey: Stories of Autism and Gardening. Topics on Growing, Harvesting, Sowing & Composting and 108 Page Weather and Seasons Weekly Gardening Record Book available on Amazon and Kindle. Listen in on their Guest Podcasts to learn more about them.
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Author of the new children’s book series: Clayton’s Garden Journey: Stories of Autism and Gardening and Sowing, Growing, Weather and Seasons Weekly Gardening Record Book available on Amazon and Kindle
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