10 Original Gardening Pots For A Creative Potted Garden
When thinking about gardening, most people think of outdoor spaces used to grow all types of vegetables. In many cases, those who don’t have a garden don’t even consider the idea of growing vegetables in pots, either on a balcony or indoors.
But if you think that your terrace is unsuitable for growing veggies, think again. The vast majority of the veggies not only grow in pots, they can actually thrive and surprise you with excellent yields.
And if you think that your available space is just too small, or if you would simply fancy the idea of growing your tomatoes or potatoes in unconventional containers, here are 10 original gardening pots for a creative potted garden.
1. Vertical Herb Garden
Everybody love herbs and they are really easy to grow in pots, either on a terrace or directly in your kitchen. But if space is a problem you can simply build a vertical garden using recycled materials.
All you’ll need is an old wooden board, maybe recycled from a shelf or pallet, a few plastic bottles, nails, hooks and a hammer.
You can use your imagination to build your vertical garden and create any pattern you like.
If you lack the ideas, cut the upper parts of the bottles and nail them to the wooden board in a vertical pattern with the neck and the cap of the bottles facing down, arranging, for example, five bottle halves one above the other.
Fill them with potting soil and plant your favorite herbs. Write the name of the herb directly on the board and hang the garden in your kitchen or balcony.
2. Recycle Your Tin Cans
Many foods come in tin cans and many people usually throw the cans away. However, tin cans make perfect pots for small vegetables and herbs, therefore next time you buy a canned soup, save the can for your plants.
Transforming the cans in jars is really simple. Wash away the label and paint the can in the colors of your choice. You can even paint the name of the future herbs or veggies on each can to keep your balcony or indoor garden organized.
To maintain your plants healthy, drill a few holes in the bottom of each can to ensure optimal drainage.
You can arrange your pots on a window sill or on a shelf on your balcony. Regarding the plants, in tin cans, you can grow all the herbs you like or veggies such as dwarf tomatoes or celery.
3. Flip Flop Herb Pots
A pair of used flip flops and two lightweight coffee mugs can easily be transformed into two original pots where you can grow mint and rosemary… or any other herbs you might prefer.
These DIY pots can be hung on a wall or on a wooden board to create a surprising vertical garden that will become the envy of your neighbors and friends.
Simply nail the flip flops to a wall or board, with the toe end facing down, and use the strips as support for your mugs. It is recommended to use lightweight mugs, preferably made of plastic. You can coordinate the colors of the mugs and flip flops or choose contrasting colors for a different effect.
For drainage purposes, fill the bottom of each mug with small river stones than fill the mugs with a good potting soil and sow the seeds. Soon, you’ll be able to cook delicious meals with your own organic herbs.
4. Transform A Sewage Pipe Into A Strawberry Tower
A sewage pipe, or any sufficiently wide PVC tube, as a matter of fact, can easily become a tower of delicious strawberries… or onions, or garlic, or of any herb you might want to grow.
If you would like to create this unusual type of vertical garden, you’ll only need a section of a 6-inch PVC pipe, ideally of about 5 feet tall.
With the help of a hole saw, cut holes at even distances throughout the length of the pipe, then place the pipe where you want to build your garden. Fill it up with a good potting soil and plant the seedlings of your preferred plants, such as strawberries, garlic or onions.
Wait for them to grow and in a few weeks, you’ll enjoy a prolific and original potted garden.
5. Use Old Colanders As Pots
In a creative world, why settle for the dull usual pots? You can use countless objects and recycle countless materials to create original gardening pots for your ind-oor or terrace garden.
One of these objects is the colander, especially the used ones, maybe affected by rust. You can paint the exterior surface of the colander in the colors of your choice, then coat the interior with coffee filters or to maintain the soil inside the pot.
Place the colander on a metal or enamel tray and fill it with a good potting soil, then plant any veggies or herbs you might want to grow.
Because colanders are usually pretty wide, you can grow multiple plants in them, including dwarf tomatoes or peppers, chili, and all types of herbs.
6. Grow Potatoes In An Old Shopping Bag
An old shopping bag made of raffia or canvas can be transformed into an original gardening pot ideal to grow potatoes.
You will need a fairly large bag for this purpose, and there is nothing special you should do about it. Just fill it up with a good mixture of potting soil and compost and sow your potatoes in the soil.
For better results and to increase the yield, you can sow the potatoes in rows. To do this, fill 1/3 of the bag with soil and sow two or three seed potatoes. Cover them with soil and sow other seed potatoes, fill with soil again, sow the last row of potatoes and cover with another layer of soil.
Sprouts will usually appear after a few weeks and you’ll be able to taste your first potatoes after a few months. For the best results, sow only seed potatoes.
7. Shoe Organizer As Vertical Garden
Even a simple object such as a canvas shoe organizer can become a creative vertical garden. For an even more original idea, you can use the upper shoe slots to create the pots of your vertical garden and the lower slots to keep your gardening items at hand.
Decide how many plants you want to grow and fill the right number of slots with a good potting soil, then simply sow the seeds of your favorite herbs.
On the lower slots, you can keep objects such as a gardening scissors or pruner, a small shovel or the packs of the seeds.
This type of vertical garden can be literally hung on any wall and it is ideal to grow herbs and sprouts, but also small edibles such as strawberries.
8. Transform Your Gardening Boots
Rubber gardening boots or rain boots are perfect for creating original gardening pots to enhance the design of your terrace or balcony.
The first step is to remove any interior lining or insoles from the boots you want to use, then drill a few holes into the soles, to ensure a proper drainage. Remember that rubber will not allow the water to evaporate, therefore this step is essential.
Fill the boots with a good potting soil and sow the veggies of your choice. You can use these planters for a wide variety of edibles, such as peppers and tomatoes, lettuce, onions or garlic, and even aromatic herbs.
To create an even more original potted garden, use both gardening boots and rubber shoes to create multiple pots.
9. Flowerbeds In A Chest Of Drawers
Do you secretly dream of growing your own vegetables but don’t have any outdoor space you can use? Do you have an old chest of drawers you need to get rid of?
Then you have everything to create an original potted garden on your terrace or balcony.
Open the drawers creating a ladder effect and fill each of them with good potting soil. Use the upper drawer for aromatic herbs and small edibles such as sprouts. On the second drawer, you could grow short vegetables such as lettuce, spinach or kale.
Use the bottom drawer for the taller veggies such as tomatoes and peppers, or use it to grow succulents for decorative purposes.
10. Grow Aromatic Herbs In A Pallet
Pallets and gardening are a perfect pair, and you can use them for multiple purposes, such as building raised beds, gardening tables, or even to make a vertical garden on your terrace.
For the latter purpose, mount a thin wooden board on one side of the pallet and on three of its edges. Fill the pallet with potting soil and mount it on your terrace’s wall.
Plant the seedlings of your favorite herbs in the lower spaces and use the upper part of the pallet as a planter for small edibles such as the strawberries.