How to Make a Wheelbarrow Garden Planter
So one fine morning you take a step inside your garden. Something’s not right at all. You take a look at the old wheelbarrow that stood still in your garden. It’s rusted and broken and you no longer need it.
The wheelbarrow just doesn’t blend in with the green aura of your garden anymore. Just as you’re about to throw the junk inside the garbage, an innovative idea pops inside your head.
You say to yourself ‘Hey, what if I use it as a planter?’ That’s more like it. You don’t have to put your wheelbarrow in the garbage. You can plant flowers and get amazing decor out of it.
Don’t worry, no one’s going to make a joke out of you. Ask your neighbors, you’ll probably see a lot of them is turning their wheelbarrow into a planter.
You don’t know how to make wheelbarrow garden planters, do you? Well, you can take a tour with me then. I’ll let you know everything you need.
So, without further chit-chat, let’s dive in.
Tools You’ll Need to Make a Wheelbarrow Garden Planter
Hold on there cowboy, since it’s more like a DYI project thingy, you need to know what tools you should use to make your wheelbarrow garden planter.
- A powerful power drill.
- A drill bit that’s around ¾ inch will do.
- You’ll need scissors for some cutting job.
- A nice and durable wire mesh screen will come pretty handy.
- Don’t forget potting soils. You’ll need it for planting your plants.
- For all your digging work, a heavy-duty garden trowel is a must.
- To conserve the soil, you’ll need to use mulch.
- Lastly, you’ll need plants.
Wheelbarrow Planter Instructions
- Flip your wheelbarrow in such a way that the wheels face up. Afterward, you’ll need to use your power drill for drilling holes inside the bottom of your wheelbarrow.
Make sure the holes you’re making are sharply ¾-inch deep. Each hole needs to have at least 3 to 6 inches gaps between each other while maintaining a grid pattern.
It doesn’t matter if the wheelbarrow-bottom is showing you any sign of rust. You’ll need to make these drainage holes no matter what. - Remember I’ve told you that you’ll find the wire mesh screen handy? Well, now you’ll be needing it. Cut the wire mesh in such a way that it takes the shape of a window screen. It should be able to fit the wheelbarrow’s bottom.
If the soil falls out through the holes you just made, you won’t be able to grow plants, can you? To make sure the soil doesn’t fall at all through the holes you just made, you’ll need to put the screen on the bottom of your wheelbarrow and line it.
The wire mesh will have holes as well but you have to ensure that the holes are so small that the soil can’t pass through it. - Done with everything I talked about above? Cool, now, let your wheelbarrow rest for a while. All you need to do is keep it somewhere safe inside your garden. Or you can keep it on the place you want it to be permanent as your decor.
Basically, the planter can be used as a focal point that will catch everyone’s eye. So it’s better for you if you keep it in the center of your flower bed.
For a different decor-touch, you can keep in your patio as well, no problem. Sometimes, people tend to place their wheelbarrow planters at the end of their driveways. So, if you choose that option, no one’s stopping you. Go for it. - It’s time to get to work then. While making sure the potting swell is drained well, you’ll need to fill your wheelbarrow with the potting soil to about 1 inch starting all the way from the top.
You can use your own blend if you want or a bagged mix can be an easy-pick. If you use an organic-ingredients mixture, it will work as the best alternative as well. - Pick your own choice, whether of flowers or crops. Usually, people love to plant flowers on wheelbarrows to turn it into a decorative wheelbarrow for flowers.
However, no matter what you plant, let it be flowers or crops, make sure you follow the space guidelines. Do not mix different plants with each other. - Finally, take the mulch and make about 2-3 layers around the plants. This will help a lot when it comes to weed suppression. Also, the moisture inside the soil will be retained.
You can try using organic mulch if you want. There are wood cheeps and shredded bark which are the perfect catalysts.
If you want to go inorganic, you can try using lava rock or pea gravel. However, bear in mind that if you want your mulch to get decomposed over time, you should go for the organic mulches.
Besides, they take care of your soil moisture as well.
Do You Know?
You can make an outdoor wheelbarrow planter out of wood, plastic or metal as well. If you think the current look of your wheelbarrow is not matching your taste at all, you can do some painting job on it. It will add more beauty to the looks of your garden while blending in with everything.
Some paintings have got anti-rust and anti-corrosion features. If you use them on your metal wheelbarrow, you’ll be able to use them for years.
As for the wooden wheelbarrow for gardening, I prefer not taking it close to water. If you take good care, the wooden ones will survive all the beatings as well.
Wrapping Up!
Well, that was pretty much it on how to make a wheelbarrow garden planter. As you’ve gone through it, you’ll never know how shimmering beauty your wheelbarrow planter will offer you until you try it.
To be honest, maybe you will feel the idea is a bit weird in the first place. But as you get to work with it, you’ll realize that this thing’s going to work for real.
After months, when your flowers will start to grow, you’ll know that making a wheelbarrow garden planter and planting plants on it is the best decision you’ve probably ever taken.
