Plastic bottles filled with compost and grit and plants can make a fabulous eye catching display.
The idea of growing in plastic drinks bottles came into the fore after a project that was pioneered in South America.
Honduras is one of the world’s poorest countries, with a burgeoning population where many people live in informal settlements along with high crime rates. But in 2009 four of these settlements were chosen to take part in a project to set up some space to grow food. The project has been highly successful using low cost technologies and some unusual methods i.e. growing in plastic bottles and cartons, in an area where there was a lack of water and poor soil quality. But in a small container soil quality is more easily enhanced and small amounts of water are all that’s needed to irrigate. Families are now able to grow radish, lettuce and herbs, cucumbers and many other food crops.
Incredible Education made a fabulous display of marigolds, growing in the ubiquitous 4 pint milk cartons, to create a wall of flowers attached a raised bed. They were originally created for the RHS Tatton show back in 2015 but are now housed back at the Incredible Education Centre in Salford. What a brilliant idea, as the marigolds, which are a great companion plant will deter aphids and attract bees for pollination.
Here’s a step by step guide to making your own display of plastic bottle planters:
- Using a 2ltr milk bottle, first wash the bottle with warm water to remove any milk residue
- Now with the bottle so the carrying handle is facing down carefully, with a sharp craft knife or scissors, cut a hole in the topside of the bottle measuring approximately 12cm x 4cm
- Next, pierce the holes that for the suspending string to pass through the bottle – two holes in the top, one at either end of the bottle and two further holes underneath. It is important that the top and bottom holes line up so that the string passes directly through the bottle.
- Using 5 bottles per run you will also need 10 pieces of wood which act as spacers for the bottles – thread similarly to a tent guy rope. These can later be slid up and down to adjust
- So from the top bottle it goes – Bottle – Spacer – Bottle – Spacer and so on – This is quite a useful activity for young children to problem solve. And adults!
- Once you have the strung up bottle these can then be tied to the frame
- Carefully fill up the bottle with a mix of soil and compost as this will help with water retention – there is no need for any further drainage holes (or gravel) as the holes that the string pass through will allow for adequate drainage
- Plant selection isn’t critical, just experiment with what you want to grow, but as the container is small no growing Great Oaks!
- We have grown herbs, as they are drought tolerant, however we have also successfully grown lettuce, marigolds, strawberry etc.
- Watering is required regularly but will be dependent on your local weather.
A Mark II version of this could include a drip fed watering system, we added this to our vertical planter by running an old hose pipe thorough each bottle, it weaved its way back and forwards in a loop. Then as the hose runs through the bottle drill a series of holes (5 or 6). Block of the end of the hose as it passes through the last and bottom bottle. The top end then needs a water vessel, we used the new style Beer Keg barrels, created a wooden platform to sit it on. Fill the vessel and watch the water weave its way around the hose and into the bottles.
