DIY Plant Containers from Apartment Gardening

For years, I opted for homemade Christmas gifts for family and friends preferring the handcrafted to the purchased. This year marks the first year that I am actually purchasing most of the gifts for my family, however, and while I'm so excited for Christmas mornin I had a moment of regret whilst reading this article in the NYT.

"Bucketry" is a series of objects created by LA artist Matthias Merkel Hess and immediately reminded me of a DIY project from Apartment Gardening. His art is intense food for thought and is inspiring me to create something special for my apartment balcony. I hope it influences you as well. Send me pics if you make something!

Here is a little teaser excerpt from the "Salvaged Materials" section from the Chapter "Getting Grounded: Pots, Containers, Soil & Supplies". There are a LOT of other ideas in there! Happy DIY'ing.

Plastic milk crates: Much like the asparagus crates, plastic milk crates make easy planters. You will need to fill in the gaps with either a liner (like a gently used plastic shower liner with drain holes), Spanish moss, or some sort of fiber—coconut fiber or even hay. I like to spray paint my milk crates white—this gives them a very clean, modern look.