make: strawberry planter

There are many existing strawberry planter options out there, both to buy and to make. A quick search on Pinterest will yield a find PVC, pyramid, tiered pots, and on ground options. However, they are likely to be at least two of the following:

• Cost more than $10
• Too heavy to hang onto a lattice fence
• Not cute
• Not patio friendly, i.e. needs to sit on soil
• Has bad irrigation or difficult to water
• Need to be constructed and require a trip to the hardware store

I don't believe you should spend large quantities of money to enjoy gardening nor make a weekend project just for a few cups of strawberries from the patio. So here's what I put together:

This planter consists of a trash basket from IKEA for ($5.99 CDN), burlap bag, and some binder clips (optional). In other words, it required minimal effort and it cost less than $10. Also, it's pretty freaking cute, isn't it?

This can be adapted to similar items like a small laundry hamper or IKEA's plastic bag dispenser. This DIY project doesn't even need a step-by-step tutorial because it's simple, but here it is anyway:

Sew or find a reusable cloth bag that would fit inside your container. I used burlap because it's what I had lying around, but anything porous or even leftover landscape fabric will do. Drill some holes at the bottom of your container. Put your fabric bag inside, keep in place using binder clips or clothes pins. Fill the bottom with soil*.

At this point, determine in which holes your strawberry plants will occupy. Cut a slit through the fabric at your selected areas. Fill with soil until you reach the first slit. Insert the strawberry roots, hold in place, and continue to fill with soil. Pat down the soil to ensure stability. Do same with the remaining spots for strawberries. Hang it up, water thoroughly, and wait for strawberries.

*Because I'm hanging this planter, I added perlite to the soil to keep it light. Alternately, you can use packing foam peanuts or whatever you use to improve irrigation and weight.