Turning Crates Into Planters

[@lawrencelawrence3920]

Wendi one technique I learned from container gardening that will retain the moisture in the soil, minimize watering and save on expensive soil and mulch. It is to layer the container with straw and soil, two inches of straw then 2 inches of soil then two inches of straw then two inches of soil and do that until the container is full. Your watering requirements will be reduced, the straw will break down and provide wonderful soil by the end of the season. It works well for me. I have not seen that method in any gardening videos, it might be a good subject for one of your videos. Also bark mulch is decorative as a top layer but it takes a long time to break down, I prefer straw at a top cover, it's not as pretty but it breaks down faster.

[@CeCe-yo3el]

Good idea, I will try that

[@jborrego2406]

Thank u

[@KatieKamala]

Did you read, "One Straw Revolution" ?

[@response207]

what kind of climate do you live in, will it work in a subtropical zone with little rain? and at times 30 degrees Celsius.

[@matthewscharf8163]

Awesome idea!!!

[@joanies6778]

When I make container plantings, I mix peat moss or coco coir in the soil to help retain moisture, too. Love those crates... they look like a bigger size.

[@wendiland]

those medium add a lot of moisture, great choice! bigger size? Might be slightly bigger than normal, but I'm petite. Haha!

[@leah387]

Me too! All the way around. Getting ready to get dark, get my soil from the hydroponic store and planting in crates as we speak. Obviously very late to get my daffodils and tulips in. I didn’t even think to use landscape fabric. I’ve been standing here trying to cut cardboard to size knowing that basically I’m making little houses for slugs and earwigs. Found your video and ran and got my fabric. Thank you! Grateful for the idea. Have a wonderful season.

[@themisstra7708]

I tend to soak mine in their pots in a tub of water before I put them in the ground it helps with the root going into new soil also less shock

[@LearnToGrow1]

Looks great Wendi! 💕

[@gailsanders7737]

I make grow bags to fit inside the milk crates I have and it works great!

[@sari-sarigardens5441]

Hey Wendi, I'm always glad to see you making due with your small space. Hope the newer growing space/containers work out for you!

[@wendiland]

It has been taking off really well, thank you! Will make an update video on it. :)

[@michalbarkai3736]

Can i use fabric reusable bags as fabric? The only thing ive seen in my country is plastic..

[@wendiland]

Yes! As long as fabric is breathable would work! Have fun with it!

[@joannemuscat4591]

Enjoyed this

[@6teeth318-w5k]

What about the wall. It is now partly blocked from sunlight, in the bottom part, and you have introduced moisture against the crate and the wall, which will ,eventually, leak in through the wall. You need some isolation between the wall and crate, at least. Other than that, good idea.

[@lifeinamobilehome1766]

Great video!!!! Thanks for sharing!

[@tanishkasharma3032]

Hello dear your idea of use carton to grow vegetables is awesome please tell which fabric you use in carton happy gardening

[@theUrbanGardener]

Such excellent use of space, I want to try milk crates sometime too. Also love the variety. Way to grow Wendi!

[@wendiland]

Thanks Enoch! :) I love the crate size, perfect for small space.

[@KatieKamala]

Beautiful jobs with the plants and nice video.

[@markcarter917]

when i did that, i found that they tend to dry out faster than if i had the plants in the ground

[@lawrencelawrence3920]

Drying out soil, that is a problem with container gardening but the solution is to layer the container with straw and soil...2 inches of straw then 2 inches of soil then 2 inches of straw then 2 inches of soil until it is full. The straw will retain the moisture and slowly break down. It works very well for me and I seldom need to water the plant. At the end of the season you will have wonderfully mulched soil, the straw will have broken down.

[@tinhnguyen-demary2444]

Great idea!!!

[@rawfoodfire3146]

Wendi love your vedios so much.. you should do one on your store all the plants you sale that kinda thing.

[@muneeshorganicgarden]

Thanks for nice information

[@lizl.3116]

I tried doing this same technique last year but my garden fabric got mold so I stop using the fabric and used a plastic material and others with cardboard it worked better for me

[@ZE308AC]

Broadleaf plantain is the best thing for your health in my opinion.

[@momonomono]

Thank you for the inspiration, I took up gardening due to boredom from quarantine and found that I actually enjoy it very much. I have planted a lot of vegetables and herbs in individual containers, which is taking up a lot of space in my patio, and it didn't occur to me that I could use a crate! It has more space, soil, and I can plant my veggies together too. I found a wooden crate and some burlap that I put together and put my zucchini sprouts in. Question: will my rootbound plants be damaged if I accidentally tore some of the roots out?

[@debiegordon3787]

Love ur videos! 💚💚💚🌄🌄🌄Unf we don't have those great brands of soil in my area...

[@wendiland]

Do the best you can. Home Depot has some pretty decent selections now. Walmart has Pro Mix.

[@sumitramola9550]

Great Job Sis.. lnfact I am also doing the same. I am using 2 mm geo textile materical. Could you please suggest the fiber in mm units?

[@edacevedo7746]

Great idea with the milk crates. I would like to try it soon. Does the fabric air prune the roots?

[@chinatownboy3368]

I use cardboard boxes. Amazon sends them for free with purchases.

[@rickershomesteadahobbyfarm3291]

I’m doing something similar this year.

[@thisdj83]

What area in Southern California are you growing? I am in the Antelope valley and it's been ruff with heat and cold.

[@karronlaneNOLA]

thanks for the 411 :-)

[@shuaibdd8573]

Wht kind of fabric is tht

[@tuherbicinaplantshop7675]

Oh yeah! Not that crate challenge bs

[@sandy-rr1by]

what zone are you gardening in? just discovered your channel, very interesting. thank you!

[@farisasmith7109]

Love your videos. Do you not fill the crates with more dirt for a reason ? Ok. Sorry. Didn't get to the mulch portion of the video. Looks great. Can you please do a video on germinating carrots. Small seed germinating is harder. Thanks.

[@wendiland]

Farisa Smith I didn’t fill planter all the way to leave room for bark. I also wanted to avoid using so much soil since some plants have shallow roots. I wanted to try growing carrots, but never got around to...In So Cal we have mild winter so best time to sow carrot seeds is actually in fall or early winter. I noticed that usually the finer the seeds, the least you need to cover them. Just sprinkle potting soul loosely, very thin layer is enough. Too much soil can sometimes prevent seeds from sprouting.

[@shdwfax1024]

Thank you for this! I've been wanting to make raised beds but have no $ saved up right now. I have a few crates and some market vendors gave away theirs so I have tons now. All I need is landscape fabric, it's difficult to find here. Would burlap fabric work the same way?

[@wendiland]

Any material that is breathable would work. You just need to line it so soil won't fall out. You can even line it with plastic, but poke holes for drainage. Even though it's not ideal, but at least it'll get you start growing! :D

[@MrTodd2000]

Good video. Could you use a cheaper type of fabric ? I love hacks, lol.

[@evangelinehenderson1455]

Wendi,Thanks for sharing,,it's people like you that makes this world a better place to live in and worth living...❤🙏🏽

[@npt016]

What do you call that paper ?

[@wendiland]

weedguard

[@ayish174]

Do you have liquorice plant sis......

[@wendiland]

No I don’t, sure would be fun to grow it! I love chewing on the root.

[@leowvm6215]

👍👍👍

[@stephenantonicelli7069]

What do you put in bottom of your crates to hold water?

[@wendiland]

baking tray. Crate does not sit in it but stand right on edges. It does the job for me though. :)

[@jaybatemen4497]

Does anyone besides me cut the grass in front of their yard every couple of weeks, I never seem to have to buy anything But, gas and oil. The grass seems to grow all on it's own without going to home Depot.

[@Angela-rp9zg]

Please make sure to buy the crates from companies that make them for other purposes and not from the dairy companies as that is illegal. As someone who works in the dairy industry, and knows the laws concerning milk crates.... Milk crates are very expensive for dairy companies to make. Any of them, even damaged ones are recycled. It is also against the law to have them and use them for anything other then their intended purpose which is to transport dairy products. That is why there is a warning on the milk crates that say "Warning use by other than registered owner punishable by law." You also can look up the laws concerning milk crates. Any business that gives them away to the public, or any person ~stealing~ them from the grocery stores, is also breaking the law and the people that have them in their possession are in possession of private property that is not theirs, which is also illegal. The dairys that deliver the products in these crates ALSO PICK UP the empty ones that are STACKED OUTSIDE! Which is WHY they are stacked outside!! People that do these types of things are what causes the cost of milk and other dairy products to continually rise. Just FYI.

[@aberstein]

screw you and this dumb comment... the video was awesome and useful. I'm gonna make two planters tomorrow with a big smile on my face.

[@Angela-rp9zg]

I don't recall saying anything negative pertaining to the video, as it is a very good video and informative. However I simply stated the facts and referenced the law concerning milk crates. How ever and whatever you choose to do beyond this, is at your own risk and as far as that goes I could care less. 🙂

[@findthetruthdelion6630]

Please watch this channel regarding crate gardening kzbin.info/www/bejne/pX-2kn2tpsRoh5Y

[@KatieKamala]

Dairy farms are torture for the cows and everyone needs to drink almond or coconut milk. GO VEGAN and stop the suffering of animals and also disease in humans who do not need milk.

[@acerjuglans383]

You can buy new milk crates from places like Home Depot.

[@mealbla7097]

What u gonna do with your plantain

[@wendiland]

I juice them. :D

[@wendiland]

Can also put in soup.

[@Gowtham_Gk]

Awesome sister.. Long days no video..i think after long time.. you uploaded this video

[@USSHammerology]

I'm late!

[@missvegan1967]

As a first time gardener, this video was very informative and helpful.🙏🏽🪴☀️🌾🌼🌻

[@thaiduongpham7320]

Bạn là người Việt hả?

[@CanuckYuk]

When you recommend "check back alley of markets" for crates, you are inadvertently recommending theft. Those crates are re-used for further deliveries within the industries that pay for them.

[@colecionandopitaya4222]

Bom trabalho

[@jonny_mazerati9410]

Why is her into the sound of a dog being tortured !!???😳😳😱😱😱 @peta

[@wendiland]

what are you talking about?