I made these planters out of plastic olive tubs, hoping to grow greens out of the holes in the sides. I also planted tomatoes in the top hole. The greens have never worked terribly well except for this one rocket plant that comes back beautifully every year.
Do you think the holes are fine to leave as-is or am I drying out the soil? The barrels are filled with healthy soil and have covered the holes with mulch fyi.
Would love to hear someones opinion, thank you!
by Dear-Concentrate9825
6 Comments
What soil/medium is in the tub? Is it just the holes or is it filled with soil all the way through? Mulch doesn’t sound like a great medium
Plants can’t grow well in mulch. You need to fill your barrel with good soil full of nutrients, fungi, good bacteria and enzymes. It should be loose but able to hold just the right amount of water but not too much. Otherwise, your barrels are a good idea for small spaces.
I’d suggest using a 50/50 mix of potting soil and perlite or vermiculite, whichever is cheaper and more readily available. Id recommend dumping whatever medium is currently in the barrels and replace with the 50/50 mix mentioned above. You can use this soil mix multiple times before it becomes unusable.
You can adapt the Kratky method of hydroponics to use with these barrels. If you look up Kratky hydroponics you’ll find the nutrient solution used in conjunction with the barrels.
I would just grow the greens separately
I made one of these a few years back, this picture doesn’t show it all that well but I put a pvc pipe down the middle of the barrel to help with watering and composting. Drill lots of small holes all over the pvc pipe, wide enough for worms to get through. Fill with compost and water directly into it. This will get the water closer to the roots, feed the plants and keep your worms happy. Don’t over water and make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of the barrel or it will quickly become water logged. When the plants are still very small its worth watering from the outside too as the roots will struggle to get the central water. Lifting it off the ground also helps with drainage and pest control.
https://preview.redd.it/uctxc8azyrsh1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65ccd6621c6895f840334a74d2e630cdc97d9541
if you use a hot hair dryer at close range, you could bend the cuts into bigger holes by pulling them with some tool