My plastic barrel container garden

[Woodwizard]

Our yard has limited flat ground, I came up with an idea to use cut in half plastic barrels there was an ad in the local paper selling them for 6.00 apiece most had soap in them when full.

I cut them in half ran drainage pipe across the bottom for good soil drainage to the bung hole. The hole is about 2.5 inches above the bottom of the barrel so it can retain some water but not water log.

Made frames from pressure treated wood and set them in the hardest part was filling them, I had a ton of good garden soil dropped off from a local farmer about a 100 feet away was the closest he could get his dump truck, with the hill and rocks a wheelbarrow was impractical.

So it went in by 5 gallon plastic buckets, 5 buckets per barrel half. I would do a few in the morning then in the evening when done in my shop, took about 4 days to do it all.

I used 7' tall poly deer fence and 3/4 electrical conduit for posts, had to add electric fence around the base later after being raided by woodchucks.

Last year I canned 98 quarts of tomato salsa a great addition to our cooking throughout the winter.

[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]

[2naSalit]

1. Nice job!

I like the way that's set up.

[MLAA]

2. Beautiful!

[SamKnause]

3. You did an excellent job !!!

[Kali]

4. I have seen metal drums cut longwise for animal feeders but for some reason

never thought of cutting plastic ones that way.

great idea. we probably don't get enough rain to make the shallower depth work (would need to water twice per day in June). I have cut those the other way to use for water troughs and they invariably start to taco in and need a brace across the top to kep the opening round, but dirt holds them OK. have used for planters too.

sometimes you can find those things pretty cheap or even free if you feel like cleaning them.

[Woodwizard]

6. watering

I water once a day, planning on running drip hose but have not gotten to it with the drain hole above the base it has reservoir capacity.

We vend at art shows and are gone a lot of weekends as long as I water until water is flowing out of the drain it will make the weekend even in a dry august. Once plants are established I put down newspaper and mulch, helps with water retention and no weeds to deal with.

[Kali]

7. I would have to rig up a gravity drip system, don't think my pump is trustworthy for

constant low pressure. but I like the idea for cheap planters. I have burmuda grass and rocks too, anywhere I would want to have a garden, and all the critters as well.

I have a few of those clay wine bottle moisture things in some porch house plants. that is another thought to try on a larger scale.

[Woodwizard]

8. The building uphill is my shop

My plan is to run gutter the 60 foot length and put a series of rain barrels for it to drain into, it can gravity feed to the garden, its just making time to do it all.

[Bayard]

5. Good job!

I've gone to raised beds too, after years of having huge vege gardens that were hard to care for.

[Phoenix61]

9. Awesome job! You've given me some good ideas. mt

[5X]

10. I could probably fit two or three pot plants in each barrel once spring arrives.

Good idea and I have two of those barrels, so four planters.

[JDC]

11. The drainage pipes are genius.

Also, what is up against the fence above the garden? Is that some way to reflect more sunlight down?

[Woodwizard]

12. Solar panel

It is a 20x8' hot water solar panel, its mounted on the south wall of my shop it heats my shop floor in the winter.

Water gets hot in it then circulates through pex tubing I laid it all out before pouring the concrete floor. It helps a lot. I have a woodstove and a pellet stove modified to burn all the sawdust, no fossil fuels heat it at all. The building is super insulated.

And I have a 9KW photovoltaic solar panel system on the roof another 1KW system on the ground so our electric is 85 percent solar for the house and shop combined, will be adding another 3kw soon to get to 100 percent.

It is a grid tied system our excess during the day goes back on the grid and we pull off the grid at night

[JDC]

13. I am going to do thermal in my next house.

Once my daughter is out of high school, my wife and I are selling our place and downsizing w/ more land. Thermal and solar will be a requirement.

Good job again.

[Woodwizard]

14. I did a thread on the panel with some building details.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127133350

[JDC]

15. Thank you. I marked it

I remember reading that when you posted it originally, now that you mention it, but had forgotten all about it. Thanks again.