I ’ve field many questions about the clawfoot vat from my pop post onmaking a no - shot garden , so I thought I would partake in the process of how I repurposed mine into an outdoor plantation owner — though there was n’t much to it .
The vintage shape - iron bathtub was already in the yard when I moved into my sign . It was prop up on a mint of Stone ( between 6 to 12 inches eminent , as the country was sloped underneath it ) under the fond tint of a mature feijoa tree , and as you may see in these images , it sit more or less askew to promote drainage through the original drain hole .
Unless you knew about the careen , you ’d never mark it just walking by the tubful in actual life .
What about drainage?
This bathtub plantation owner hold up in my onetime garden in Southern California . In a clime like that , which incur little annual rain , drainage was n’t a major concern . ( Though the tub did go through several storms over the years , bring a few inch of pelting each time , and the tub check up well with no waterlogging thanks to good soil — more on that below . )
If you live in a very showery mood , it might be a wise idea to drill a few more holes in the bottom to help with ascendant aeration .
I do n’t advocate tally stones , styrofoam , pot shards , or any of the other fillers people often turn to for corporation drainage .
This is a long - resist horticulture myth that resist to pall , despite simple physics proving that so - call drain materials do the complete opposite of what they ’re intended .
Why ?
Because water does not move easily from fine textured stuff ( soil ) to coarser textured stuff ( say , stones ) . As the piddle dribble through the soil and reaches the stones , it will stop and start to pond in between the layers ( in effect , “ back filling ” the pot ) until the territory is fully saturate .
Only then will it start to drain — a slow process that keeps the roots sit in soggy soil far longer than it usually would if the whole pot were filled with soil . Rather than assisting with drainage , the gemstone restrict it .
The only way to ensure right drainage is to fill your pot ( or in this case , your bathtub ) with well run out potting soil ( not garden dirt , which is much too dense ) and check that the drain hole is unobstructed .
When you water , stay your finger in the land and water only if the first duet column inch feel dry . ( Moderate watering also promote the plant roots to hit deeply into the dirt and uprise stronger , rather than appease near the surface where they be given to be weak . )
The best type of soil for a bathtub planter
call back of a bathtub plantation owner as a giant container or grow bottom . It needs loose , well - enfeeble grease , ideally something you make ( such as a no - dig garden or a lasagna garden ) , or something you buy .
Bagged soil works well in this instance , as long as it ’s mark for utilisation in containers or rear beds — avoid straight “ garden stain ” or “ top grease , ” as those are typically made for mixing into your native dirt and tend to be denser to retain moisture .
If the grease seems too heavy , you may unify in a few bucketful of compost orperlite for more aeration .
With ano - dig garden bedlike the one I make for the bathtub , the layers decomposed into soft , aerated soil so compaction was never an issue . When I topped off the bottom each time of year , I merely used well rotted compost , potting soil , promote bed soil ( which is basically a potting dirt ) , or a mix .
In the fall , you may also plantfava beans or another cover crop(likeAustrian wintertime pea plant ) in the clawfoot tubful and “ chop and dip ” at the destruction of the season , just as you would for a normal garden bed .
Bonus: it’s the perfect height for harvesting
One of the thing I love most about the bathtub plantation owner ( besides its quirky artistic ) was not having to bend or kneel to harvest .
On its pole of stones , the vat number up just below my hips , place all the industrial plant at perfect foot summit .
I could also spray compost tea onto the underside of the leave while standing and inspect the industrial plant more easily for pests — pocket-sized benefits that my back and knees end up thanking me for ( and one of my mainlazy horticulture principles ) .
View the Web Story onhow to wrick a pes cavus bathtub into a planter .
This Emily Price Post updated from an clause that originally come along on March 13 , 2014 .
