Better Homes and Gardens Australia — December 2017

BUILDING IDEAS

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 4

STEP 7 STEP 8 STEP 9 STEP 10 STEP 11

RUSTIC BARREL PLANTERS

Make planters for next to nothing!

Gather your supplies

(makes 1 planter)

• Recycled 220L plastic drum


• 35cm planter trolley


• Recycled timber pallets

You’ll also need

Drill with 3 and 10mm drill bits; jigsaw;

25mm galvanised hex-head screws

for metal; tape measure; power saw;

metal strapping; 15mm galvanised

button head screws; polystyrene

(old fruit boxes); shadecloth; potting

mix; selected plants; mulch

For you to note

Check online trading sites like Gumtree

for pallets and plastic drums.

Here’s how

STEP 1 To remove top section of

drum, drill a 10mm hole at the desired

height for planter. Insert jigsaw

into hole and cut around drum.

STEP 2 With the drum upside

down, put the plant trolley on centre

of bottom. Drill through trolley

and into drum with 3mm bit.

STEP 3 Drill numerous drainage holes

around base of drum using 10mm bit.

STEP 4 Place drum on its side on

workbench and put plant trolley

back on base so holes in trolley and

drum align. With a helper to hold

drum and trolley, attach the trolley to

the drum, screwing from the inside

using 25mm screws for metal.

STEP 5 Remove slats from recycled

pallets and de-nail. Measure height

of drum from ground and add 25mm

to find minimum length of slats for

sides. Cut slats to random heights

with power saw, with the tallest about

50mm longer than the minimum.

STEP 6 Measure diameter of drum.

Randomly lay slats on bench so

combined width of slats match this

measurement. Align 1 end of slats.

STEP 7 Place metal strapping across

all slats towards 1 end. Screw through

holes in strapping into slats using

15mm button head screws. Use 2

screws per slat. Repeat to attach

strapping to slats towards other end.

STEP 8 Wrap joined slats around

side of drum, sitting them on an

offcut of slats to provide clearance

to ground. Screw through inside

of drum into slats to hold them.

Do a row of screws around top of

drum and also towards bottom.

STEP 9 For tall planters, fill bottom

half of drum with polystyrene

to reduce weight and amount

of potting mix required.

STEP 10 Put shadecloth on polystyrene

to hold soil and provide drainage.

STEP 11 Fill remainder of planter

with potting mix until it’s about

10cm below top of drum. Fill with

selected plants then mulch.

PROJECT

2

Photography Chris Jones, Brent Wilson; styling Vanessa Tidy (magazine), Jo Greenwood (TV); projects Greg Sparke, Vivien Kappos, Hannah St John, Kylie Sams; diagrams Lorenzo Lucia

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144 BHG DECEMBER 2017