Free Garden Planter Ideas From Around A Farm
Forget generic looking, shop-bought plant pots, if you have access to a farm yard, there is a plethora of thing and implements you can use to plant thing in.
I recently wrote a whole post on repurposing old tyres so obviously they will be on the list but from old toilets to sinks, anything is fair game on the farm.
I always have my eye out looking for things to use as planters and the beauty of this post is you don’t have to actually live on a farm to enjoy these ideas. Thrift shops and reclamation yards are full of farm-related treasure so you can even bring a feeling of farm to the city if you wish.
Here are some planter ideas from around the farm.
1. Old wellies or boots. At our farm, wellies get so worn out, there is no chance of hand me downs so they go straight from the foot to the workshop where I drill holes in the bottom, fill with compost and plant with bulbs or bedding plants. Due to the fact they are water proof, they hold moisture really well and the children love seeing there old footwear with flowers flowing out.
2. Watering Cans. I bought a metal watering can from a junk yard and I loved it. Unfortunately it got run over and I admit it was quite heavy so I drilled some holes in the bottom, filled it with compost and hand trailing plants coming out. It looked lovely.
3. Tyres. For more ideas about tyres, you can check out my Ideas For Repurposing Old Tyres but they make great planter.
4. Churns. I do have a bit of a milk churn problem but they look fantastic with flowers in them. I found it quite easy to find plant pots which fitted in the top and then have flowers or plants trailing down them. I think they would look lovely outside any house.
5. Tins. After visiting Tatton Flower Show this year, I was inspired to look at all things lying around. Old metal tins make great planters. You just have to drill holes for drainage and a couple at the top for string if you want to hang the up. You could also use a metal S hanger to do it. Either paint them or leave them. Wither way, they definitely add a bit of rust charm to your garden or patio.
6. Feed bags. We get feed bags all the time at the farm. Either woven ones or plastic. I tend to use the woven ones to line raised beds as the water can get through but the plastic ones can easily be rolled down and used for growing veg in-especially potatoes.
7. Barrells. There is a bar near the farm which uses wooden barrels as tables in its outdoor area and they look amazing. You could easily saw the top off or lay it on its side and have plants growing out of a cut out area. They really do look effective and add height too.
8. Old furniture. From chests of draws with the draws pulled out to seatless chairs, don’t throw away old furniture. Use it to plant things in it or on it.
9. Crates. Apple crates, wooden boxes, vintage crates. They are plentiful around farmyards and look great planted up with trailing flowers or herbs. I’ve even planted a few bulbs in mine.
10. Troughs. Animal food or water troughs are the epitome of farm yard planting. I absolutely love them and I am on the look out for one we used to bath sheep’s feet in as I haven’t seen it for ages and I know it would make the perfect pit in my garden.
11. Pallets. I recently made a herb garden out of an old pallet. It looked really good but they can dry out really quickly so make sure you water it a lot.
12. Cart wheels.This is my ultimate farmyard planter goal. I have had my eye out for one for ages and am yet to find the right one. I bought one off eBay and, as there was no sense of perspective, when I arrived to get it, it had been taken off an old wheelbarrow. I was secretly gutted but I did laugh.
13. Wheel barrows. Now, we have quite a few old wheelbarrows lying about and I often look at them and think they would look great as planters. I think this one os next on my list.
Emma I love finding things to plant in, I have two crates with flowers in and planted succulents in a deep tray. I think i’m going to try a chair in spring. I would love to do an open chest of drawers planted up but I think the hub will think i’ve gone crackers Love your farm finds. x