New Life For An Old Barrel

Once upon a time before the big corporations provided everything for everyone, man utilized all the resources around them.

Here at the Life Beyond the City Homestead we believe by re-purposing, recycling, and reducing our carbon foot print we can make a difference in the world.  Our chicken coop is a living proof of what you can build out of recycled materials from your local habitat for humanity.  This process does take time and patience because you are collecting the materials over time instead of purchasing them all at once at your local hardware supply store.  It's amazing how everything falls into place, and the timing was perfect.  It's almost as if the community unconsciously knew what we want for as the design of our three story chicken mansion.  Thank you to those who've donated to the habitat for humanity.Ancient American Indians were a good example of living sustainability off the land.  For instance, instead of chopping down a new tree, they would take a dead tree and build a canoe out of it.  The list is endless as to the methods that we can utilized, to re-purpose what nature abundantly provides.

I came across a winery discarding old oak wine barrels.  My husband cut the barrels in half to make charming planter containers.  The barrels make a great plant container and adds a rustic charm to your garden or patio. These are perfect for a plant that needs a special kind of soil to grow in. I will be using them for my blueberries because of the high acid soil content needed for the blueberries to thrive.

When we unloaded the barrels from the vehicle and onto the driveway I couldn't help but to notice all the natural beauty it retained.  The rainbow color created by the rust made each barrel unique. The texture on the aged wood added an antique charm. I tried capturing it with the camera.

 

How To Turn A Wine Barrel Into A Charming Planter.

Materials Needed:

• Saw-Circular saw
• Marker- Felt pen is the best
• Measuring tape
• Wine Barrel
• Orbital Sander
• Sand paper- 120Grit
• Stain of Choice and/or clear polyurethane to preserve the outer shell
• 1 in. whole bit auger
• potting mix soil
• Plants

Easy Fun Five Steps

1. Use the tape measure and a felt tip marker to draw a line on the desired location to cut.  We cut the barrel in the middle to create two even planter containers.
2. Using a circular saw, cut using the marked line as your guide. 
   
   

   

   

   
   
3. Attach a 120 grit sandpaper to the orbital sander and sand along outer and inner cut areas. If you do not have access to an orbital sander, you may sand the cut area with 120 grit sand paper.
   
   

   

   

   

   
   
   
   
4. Stain the wine barrels with a color of your choice, or apply a clear polyurethane coat to preserve the outer shell.
5. Turn the half barrel upside down and drill 2 holes with a 1 inch bit auger for drainage. Add a potting mix soil and you're ready for planting!

Before adding the potting mix soil be sure to move the barrel to the desired location.  Once you've added the soil the container will be very heavy to move.

The barrels are versatile because you can add edible plants, dwarf citrus trees, ornamental plant with an obelisk in the center as a focal point.

I like to place my wine barrel on each side of a gate to add character to the entry way into the secret garden. Below is a couple of examples how they look with a solid stain and a clear polyurethane.

Wine Barrel planters add drama and mystery to a garden and/or patio. I hope this inspires you to add drama and mystery to your gardens.

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