Wooden planters 29 April 2020 at 7:17PM edited 29 April 2020 at 7:17PM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 5 replies 303 views

Ganga

Can anybody tell me how they have overcome the problem of wooden planters rotting away from the moisture in the soil/ compost ? I know you can buy expensive ones which have a plastic box /insert but a lot of the ones I have looked at do not have these fitted.
I bought a lovely raised planter from Aldi three years ago and lines it myself with some nylon type material that was recommended for garden use ,the type of stuff you put under decorative gravel etc. but it fell to bits as the wood rotted, any help greatfully appreciated

sheramber

Line them with old .plastic compost bags. 
Make some holes in the bottom for drainage and set the planters up on a  feet  or bricks to raise them off the ground so that the base can dry out.

twopenny

Tough plastic sacks sold for garden waste will work too. Staple them to the wood but be sure to make holes in the bottom to let surplus water out.

Also do these planters have a slatted bottom to let water drain out. Otherwise it will soak the bottom and wick up the sides.

-taff

Wood will eventually rot no matter what you do to it, and thin untreated wood will rot faster. If you want something that rots less, you need good thick treated wood and/or as above, thick plastic.

It's pretty true that you pay for quality  so the quality of an Aldi planter v one made with better treated wood is going to show in the length of time it lasts.

If you can handle a saw and a screwdriver or drill, make one yourself to the same specs using something like ols scaffold planks and you'll probably enjoy that one a while lot longer.

sheramber

Old whisky barrels cut in half make good planters

robatwork

I lined mine with black bags. 
Then after deciding not to use them I upturned them and they are nice "natural" little coffee tables on the decking now!