PVC Planters!

[cstronks]

Has anybody ever tried to make PVC planting beds?! I have seen gardeners use PVC pipes to make vertical hanging planters, however I was looking at 6 inch diameter piping, and I figured I could slice it into two half circle beds. Holes could be drilled thru the bottom for drainage, and they could either be put on simple wooden stands or hung from somewhere. I just think it would be a nifty idea, and was hoping to plant strawberries and lettuce in them. Anybody down to try this with me?!?

 

[MossyoakLane]

I have seen similar things made from gutter material.....I don't see why the PVC pipe wouldn't work.

 

[happyclucker]

I have used pvc for 2 planters & they work well, These pipes were 8 inchs around like they use for drainage pipes & very thick, I spray painted them red & planted candytuff in them . so go for it!

 

[erinszoo]

I have gutter gardens for my strawberries that are basically the same thing. They work great for that. I would recommend adding a moisture control of some kind to your soil as they tend to dry out pretty fast.

 

[cstronks]

Interesting...I wonder if the gutter gardens are cheaper than the PVC... I was at Home Depot earlier and a 4in by 10 foot PVC pipe is only $6.95. I think it is definitely something worth trying. Thanks for the tips!

 

[erinszoo]

Gutters are pretty close to the same price, maybe a little cheaper but you can get two 10' lengths out of the pipe.

 

[wyoDreamer]

A 4" pipe is not going to give you much room for soil and roots. That is only 2" deep of soil if you cut it in half, and that is if you fill it all the way to the rim with soil and that is only at the very center of the cut pipe, The edges will be even shallower and down to nothing.

At least the gutter will provide more depth and is a square shpe, so that max depth is most of the width of the planter.
Another issue is how do you cut it in half ?

I would worry about stuff drying out too fast or even just falling out of it when the plants get bigger.

 

[erinszoo]

Good point on depth. I hadn't thought of that. We're already having to water the strawberries in the gutters a lot but they're growing and producing well. A 6" pipe might be better or you could look into doing a vertical garden with the 4" pipe.

 

[cstronks]

Both would probably work well. Maybe a good soil mix with extra peat would help better with watering, but I would just keep doing what you're doing if the plants are doing well. I would do a vertical, but I don't really have a good place to hang it from. Also, laying the PVC down in a channel allows me to use all 10' of piping. It would be really awkward to hang a 10 foot PVC pipe, or 3 three foot sections.