Rabbit-Proof
Barrel Planter
Our 8-by-22-foot deck looked
a little plain, so we decided to
add a planter. The soil box is
made from a thick plastic soap
barrel taken from the dumpster
of a company that washes buses
and trucks.
Materials:- 55-gallon plastic barrel
- Landscape fabric
- Assorted screws
- 4-by-4s
- Scrap 2-by-4s
- Three^3 ⁄ 8 -by-6-inch lag screws
- Scrap decking material
(^1) Cut the plastic barrel in half
with a reciprocating saw, and
then cut one end from each half
and slide them together, creating
a 6-inch overlap.
(^2) To create adequate drain-
age, drill holes in the bottom of
the barrel and cover each hole
with landscape fabric.
(^3) Build a frame from six du-
rable 4-by-4 posts, joined by two
pieces of scrap decking between
each of the posts. For the middle
posts, use a 2-by-4 to support
the middle of the soil box.
(^4) Attach the back three sup-
port posts to the deck using the
lag screws.
(^5) Hang the soil box inside the skeleton
frame with screws.
(^6) Hang spare pieces of decking around
the exterior of the frame like siding. Finally,
mount the lower piece of siding that faces
away from the house on hinges for easy clean-
up, or in case you need to send somebody
under the deck to fetch dropped keys.
Anyone with access to scrap wood, a few
power tools, and large plastic barrels could
make this sizable elevated vegetable garden
for next to nothing, and it protects from all
but the most athletic rabbits!
Seth and Cheryl Rundle
Wichita, Kansas
Freeze Extra Milk
Every year, dairy animals produce too much
milk, and then too little. In May and June,
you’ll be flooded with milk, but by January
or February you’ll be pining for those days of
plenty. Homesteaders have to be creative to
avoid a cycle of waste followed by deprivation.
On our homestead, we use several methods
of milk preservation and culinary planning to
balance out these extremes and ensure that
we never have to buy milk, even when our
animals aren’t producing.
It’s very easy to freeze excess milk. You
simply fill quart-sized containers with your
extra milk and chuck them into the freezer.
Besides saving milk money, this practice can
also help your energy bill: Freezers run most
efficiently when they’re full, yet by spring and
early summer, most will have been largely
emptied of the previous year’s stores, leav-
ing some temporary room for frozen milk. As
a secondary benefit, this approach can also
help buffer unforeseen shortages during the
grazing season.
Country Lore
Circle #14; see card pg 97
Spruce up your porch or deck with this attractive and
inexpensive planter made from salvaged materials.
p 83-90 Lore.indd 84 10/13/16 2:21 PM