Earlier this year I purchased a wooden compost bin from a shop clearance. I bought it with the intention of using it as a raised vegetable planter. It cost a fraction of that of a much smaller garden planter so I thought I'd give it a go (I'll let you know how long it lasts!).
I had a rhubarb plant which desperately needed planting out and some strawberry plants which had multiplied during the summer.
The thing about the compost bin is that it is made from much softer wood than your average garden planters so I knew it would need to be protected if it was going to last a few years.
I picked a good spot, slightly sheltered but with sun for part of the day. I used some old paving slabs to make a solid base and built the planter on top of this. To weatherproof the wood I painted it inside and out with garden paint and then lined the sides and bottom with some weed control landscape fabric. I used a staple gun to keep it in place.
I didn't want to fill the entire depth of the planter with compost so I used old (clean) plastic bottles and plastic plant pots to fill the bottom (recycle/upcycle folks). I then covered these with another layer of weed control landscape fabric and stapled into place.
Finally, I added the compost to the planter and planted what I had ready. Doesn't look much but more planting to come in the Spring. Once the plants were in I topped the compost with a layer of mulch (bark chippings). This should help to retain moisture in the compost and protect against the coming cold weather.
Ta Dah!
Garden planter complete and all that for under a tenner.
Comments
Post a Comment