Redneck Planter

Use what you have. If you have plants that have outgrown their starter pots and need more space? Do all you have is old cat litter buckets? As long as you don't care what the neighbors think, I've got the solution. Behold the redneck planter!

Simple enough you need a bucket and in this case I'm using an old cat litter bucket.

Get a sharp knife for cutting.

Not pictured are coffee filters, rocks, dirt and a plant.

First take the handle off of the bucket.

Next carefully cut off the top of the bucket. Most buckets have a rim so the buckets can be fitted together, so cut just under that.

Put the part cut off onto the lid for the bucket, and have it upside down. As long as it is a tight seal (which most cat litter buckets are) this will come in handy.

You need drain holes for the water to come out of the planter. Simple triangular holes cut at the bottom of the bucket let the water drain out.

The bottom of the bucket is tapered so it should fit into the upside down lid. There you go.

I put coffee filters in the bottom of the bucket to keep the dirt in. I add rocks to the bottom for a bit of drainage. Then there's dirt (FYI you can make a bucket composter by drilling holes in a bucket, filling it with food scraps, and then as long as your roll the bucket every day in a few weeks you get dirt). Add your plant, and there you go. The lid will hold the water so as the plant sucks up the water the reservoir that is the upside down lit will replenish the plant.

I've done this with pea plants, and they grew like crazy. I've got a tomato plant going in another one. I hate wasting things, and this seemed like a good way to do a container garden on my deck without having to buy any pots. If you don't care what people think, I say go for it.