Merchants receive a variety of commodities in plastic 55-gallon drums, from pepperocinis to car wash detergent, and they often discard the drums after using the contents. People have thought of many creative uses for these drums, including making compost bins, rainwater collectors and even chairs. Turning one into a planter is one such use, and it isn't very difficult to do. You can either cut the barrel in half and give yourself a pair of oversized pots, or you can cut off the top, cut holes in the sides and use it to grow strawberries.
Making a Pair of Planting Pots
Find the midpoint between the top and bottom of the barrel with a tape measure. Make several marks around the perimeter of the barrel with a felt-tip pen, and then connect the marks with a line.
Turn the barrel on its side and drill a 1/2-inch hole on the line. Inset a jigsaw blade into the hole and cut around the perimeter, turning the barrel as you cut.
Separate the halves when you finish the cut and stand them upright. Sand the edges along which you cut with 120-grit sandpaper to dull them and remove plastic shards.
Drill five or six drainage holes in the bottom of each half with a 3/4-inch drill bit. The half of the barrel that was the top has a pouring spout. Make sure the cap is tightly screwed to the spout to prevent water from draining too quickly.
Making a Single Strawberry Pot
Drill a 1/2-inch hole in the top of the barrel along the edge. Insert a jigsaw blade into the hole and cut around the edge to remove the top.
Make two rows of equidistantly spaced marks around the perimeter of the barrel with a felt-tip pen. The marks should be about 10 inches apart, and those in the top row should be offset from those in the bottom. Separate the rows by 12 inches.
Drill a hole centered on each mark with a 3-inch hole saw and drill five or six drainage holes in the bottom of the barrel with a 3/4-inch drill bit. Sand the edges of all the holes, as well the top edge of the drum, with 120-grit sandpaper.
Fill the barrel with dirt to the first row of holes, then plant a strawberry so that it grows out of each hole. Continue to the second row of holes and do the same. Finally, fill the barrel and plant more strawberries at the top.
Things You Will Need
- Tape measure
- Felt-tip pen
- 1/2-inch drill bit
- 120-grit sandpaper
- 3/4-inch drill bit
- 3-inch hole saw
- To keep your strawberry planter watered, make a watering tube from 4-inch PVC pipe. It should be a little longer than the barrel. Drill 3/4-inch holes, spaced by four to six inches, around the perimeter of the tube. Set it in the middle of the barrel and fill it with sand before you put dirt in the barrel.
- Avoid using a barrel if you don't know what was in it. Plastic barrels are used to transport a variety of toxic chemicals that can leach into the plastic and contaminate your plants.
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