A half-barrel planter is an attractive and effective container garden.
Half-barrel planters make an attractive container garden and are very effective in growing plants. Making a half-barrel planter from a whole barrel requires some time and effort. The oldest and most gnarled half-barrels offer a rustic appearance that contrasts well with fresh, bright colorful flowers or a shrub or small tree. New half-barrels that are freshly lacquered and polished with bright shining barrel hoops have a dignified appearance and a lot of character to add to the most refined garden. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Obtain a full-size wine or whiskey barrel available at garden centers and home-improvement stores. They may also be available from wineries or distilleries. It is important that the metal hoops tightly hold the barrel staves in place, beyond that there are several simple methods to make the barrel watertight.
2. Measure the barrel from top edge to bottom edge and place a thin chalk mark directly in the center of the barrel between the metal hoops. Continue measuring and marking the halfway mark every 12 inches around the circumference of the barrel.
3. Stand the barrel on end and wrap the string from a carpenter's chalk line marker, available at hardware stores, around the barrel and centered on the halfway marks previously made. Snap the line against the barrel and continue until a yellow chalk line is visible around the barrel centered on the halfway marks.
4. Lay the barrel on its side and have one responsible adult on each end to hold the barrel in place while a saber saw is used to saw the barrel in half along the yellow chalk mark.
5. Turn the two barrel halves, after cutting, upside down and use an electric drill to place six 1/2-inch holes in the bottom. Evenly space five of the holes around the circumference of the barrel bottom approximately 3 inches from the edge. Place the sixth hole in the center.
6. Use coarse sandpaper to smooth the edges where the barrel was cut in half.
7. Scrub the metal hoops on the barrel with a wire brush to remove rust and treat them with a lubricant.
8. Find the correct size plastic barrel liner at the garden center or home improvement store to render the half-barrel planter watertight. If the correct size is not available, line the half-barrel with plastic pond liner, fill it with water, smoothing the liner as you go. Staple the liner just below the top edge of the barrel approximately every 6 inches apart.
Tags: half-barrel planter, metal hoops, around barrel, around barrel centered, around circumference, around circumference barrel, barrel centered