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It is very difficult to make a wooden wine barrel. Instead, to make your wooden wine barrel planter, start by purchasing a wine barrel. If you are lucky enough to live by any wineries, visit those first and ask them whether they sell old barrels. Chances are, they'll be happy to give you a few. Otherwise, visit your local hardware or garden center. Once spring arrives, you can usually find wooden wine barrel planters for sale in these places.
If you can't find an authentic, wooden-with-metal bands wine barrel, consider one of the plastic alternatives. They are sturdier than the real thing and will not rot out like the wooden ones eventually do. The plastic ones have the added advantage of being water-tight, so they lend themselves well to water gardens. -
The most popular look for wooden wine barrel planters are half-barrels. To create a half-barrel, simply use a wood saw to cut the barrel in half, in-between the two metal bands. If you are purchasing a whole barrel from a hardware store, consider asking the store to cut the barrel for you. The other benefit of doing this is that you get two planters for the price of one. In fact, placing a half-barrel planter on either side of your front door is a popular and beautiful way to welcome spring to your home.
Next, line your barrel with a waterproof liner. This is not a necessary step, but doing so will greatly increase the life of your barrel and also discourage mold and mildew from growing. Just make sure you try not to trap water between the liner and the barrel itself when you water the barrel. You can buy liners for half and whole wooden wine barrel planters at the link in the Resources section below. -
Wine barrels make excellent planters for annuals. If you use annuals, you can change the look of your barrel depending on the season. Start by lining the bottom of the barrel with gravel or rocks. Then, add a good topsoil, bringing it to about two inches below the lip of the barrel. Mix a fertilizer in with the top soil, or purchase soil that already has fertilizer added.
Next, plant the plants of your choice. Be sure to consider where the barrel will be located. The best location will have at least partial sun, but not full sun, which can dry out the barrel too quickly. Consider planting fall bulbs for early spring flowers such as tulips and daffodils. Surround those spring flowers with annuals such as primroses and pansies. Add geraniums in the summer, and mums in early fall. Note that once filled with soil, your barrel will be extremely hard to move, so choose your location wisely.
