Wine barrel planters are something that we also use sometimes for planting besides the ground pots. Why? Maybe for shape and interest, maybe to plant where you can’t otherwise. I have 5 wine barrel planters. I use them in my garden as well as on my patio where I have a Meyer lemon tree planted in a wine barrel. The patio location gets plenty of sun and is also protected in the winter months, so a wine barrel is perfect.
Why it is good to use wine barrel planters
Wine barrel planters give you options to plant where you otherwise wouldn’t. One of my wine barrels is on top of a French drain, so I don’t get tempted to dig into the rocks! One barrel is on top of a tree stump, where it would be impossible to plant otherwise. The others are situated to provide more shape and interest to the garden, as in the picture above of two barrels together.
How to use wine barrel planters?
We live in an area in California near the Amador County wine country where wine barrels are plentiful! Half barrels for planters can be found at some nearby retail stores for $40. We have sometimes bought full barrels and cut them in half (my husband’s job). His job also includes drilling holes in the bottom of the barrel (typically 4 1-inch holes spread out across the bottom. It is also advisable to put 3-4 screws or small nails spread around the circumference of the hoops and under them to hold them in place. The shrinking and swelling of the wood with water often causes the hoops to loosen and drop. Some people add rocks in the bottom to help drainage. I don’t use rocks because I’ve found if the roots interfere with drainage, the rocks don’t really help. I recommend raising the barrel slightly off the ground, so the bottom is not sitting on damp soil. Note the stone pieces under the barrel in the picture below. I use a mixture of potting soil and fir mulch to fill the planters. Think about how you will get water to the barrel so that hand-watering will not be necessary. The picture below shows a hole in the lower part of the barrel, and a black poly line connected to the drip irrigation system. I use ½” Netafim with in-line emitters in a circular loop inside the barrel. Note also in this picture the stone pieces under the barrel to keep it off the ground.
Useful tips
One last thing. When the planters are rotten and ready for retirement, you can turn the barrel hoops into garden art. I accumulate some barrel hoops from planters that have rotted, and also scavenge them from customers that have abandoned an old rotten planter. They are different sizes whether they are the bilge hoop, quarter hoop, or head hoop. You’ll need 5 hoops of approximately the same size. Mark each to drill a hole 180 degrees apart on each hoop. Then use a long screw to attach them. The long screw helps while maneuvering all 5 that may be the same or slightly different diameters.
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