How to Build a Wagon Planter

Twenty years from now, this wagon could be a planter.

Using a child's wagon as a planter makes a quaint if not winsome addition to your landscaping or front step. The wheels add the ability to move the plants. Drainage is key in using containers for plants, and if the wagon does not have some rusted-out spots, you may have to provide a few holes for the water to drain through. Since the wagon is higher than the ground, it will add a nice dimension to plants growing beneath it.

Things You'll Need

• Drill
• 1/4-inch drill bit
• Landscaping cloth
• Scissors
• Potting soil
• Humus
• Perlite

Instructions

1. Drill holes in the base of the wagon every 6 inches with a 1/4-inch drill bit made for drilling out metal. Make the holes at the lowest part of the wagon's floor so water doesn't pool after a rain.

2. Lay a section of landscaping cloth or weed mat over the floor of the wagon, covering the holes and preventing the soil from washing out. Cut it to fit with scissors.

3. Fill the wagon with 6 to 8 inches of potting soil mixed with equal parts of humus and perlite. Tamp it down gently.

4. Water the wagon planter to settle the soil and add more if necessary so there is a base of at least 6 inches of soil.

5. Plant flowers or vegetables in the wagon planter and water immediately to settle the soil around the roots of the plants.

6. Water the plants in the wagon daily since it is a shallow planting container and will dry out faster than the surrounding soil.

Tips & Warnings

• Nice project for handicapped persons

References

• Cornell University: Easy Things to Make ... to Make Things Easy: Doreen Brenner Greenstein, Ph.D.: 1995
• Iowa State University, University Extension: Reiman Gardens: Creating Raised Bed