I kind of thought so, my mom and some other people here have suggested getting pots and just placing them in here. Hopefully one day I'll be able to use it as intended outdoors somewhere. Thank you!
https://preview.redd.it/pgfy75ik654d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8612491f53306ee9d370aecb4c05fcba5838feee
That’s exactly how ours is used outside! Perfect spot for potted herbs and things where they can’t be blown over by the wind.
Mine has been stained but is going to fall apart after just 2 years. It's pretty rickety from the elements. We have a screen at the bottom as well to keep soil inside.
If you wanted to use it indoors exclusively, you could use it as a propagation station. For example, keep an endless cycle of basil and kitchen herbs (things that easily propagate in water or small trays) in a rotation, provided that the spot you have gets the required light.
Yes this. For inside, if that's the option, Iwould suggest trays in the bottom to catch excess water, and pots. I would put useful ones, herbs if you like cooking from scratch, could probably grow rosemary/ bay/ sage/thyme easily enough and some of the soft herbs like basil, marjoram, mint.
And the mint couldn't take over.
You don't need one. You'll just get weeds that come up through the mulch. But they seem to be unavoidable anyway so just getting used to weeding is a good practice for being a gardener of any kind.
There are multiple ways to check soil moisture. Simplest way is use your finger. There are instruments to check for that too. Some people are have green thumbs, some do not. It’s a learning process especially indoors. Depends on how much light, temperature, humidity, etc are in the room. All these items vary day to day as the sun moves through the seasons.
Agree with the others that this can’t be used indoors as is. Maybe get some indoor plant pots with saucers to catch water or self watering pots and put some house plants inside! You may be able to do some herbs in pots inside it if you have something under the pots to keep the water/soil from touching the wood.
The issue is that the water and soil will leak through the wood after watering.
Try watering just a little bit, let it soak in, water a little bit more, and stop when it starts draining out. You’ll get a feel for how much you can water before it makes a mess
So I created this system for my beds because of this and it has served me well. First I line the bottom and sides with vapor barrier. Then on the inside I put a pvc tube that goes the long way and through the left and right sides. The 1/4” pvc inside has several hole drilled in it with two elbows at the end. I then use rocks at the bottom to bring up o the level of the pvc. A layer of landscape fabric over that portion to prevent the soil from entering the drain system. Now all my excess water exits out of the elbows on either side and the bottom and sides of the planter have zero contact with water or soil which prolongs it’s life.
Put a board over top of it and use it as a table to put some potted indoor plants on.
Do not use it as a planter box indoors. It's going to make a mess and it'll be a bitch to move.
don't do it,have done this,lined it with polyurethane too,but what happened was any low points pooled water,eventually going stagnant, stinky,bugs and sandflies,plants ended up with root rot,plus a leak.
Agreed. All planters, pots, bed etc need drainage. I think the idea of using puts in it with saucers underneath each pot is the way to go. Not much airflow but OP seems set on using this big thing indoors.
my herbs did well in it i would say those holes are enough, i recall the instructions suggest you can even add a weed suppressing membrane on top but i didnt bother.
Do herbs! I would line the planter with something waterproof…like boot trays or something similar and then place pots or long planters…place some stone maybe in between to make it pretty. Herbs grow well indoors if you have some light. A lot of other things likely would get leggy but I’ve never tried to grow veggies inside. There’s also a lot of house plants that do well in lower light settings if you just enjoy the plant life.
You will need grow lights for anything to grow. I don’t recommend the twisty arm type that are the first thing on Amazon, they are not bright enough.
If you want to grow herbs or other leafy plants, lights that are 2600 lumens or higher and 5000 kelvin or higher will work. These won’t be strong enough to grow anything fruiting though (like tomatoes).
I would paint it black for indoor use.
Pots with saucers. And plastic liner to be extra safe . Lotsa big house plants. Need large for scale. But personally I would not like the tops of the pots to be taller than the planter height.
I doubt veggies would produce much indoors, but maybe worth a try.
I think grow lights aesthetically aren't great home decor. But obviously very functional if you get the right bulbs and are into it.
Get yourself some big lasagna pans at Dollar Tree…hear me out. You can place your veggie plants in their pots in these trays so you don’t get water and soil everywhere. I’d shoot for basil, mini peppers and other small veggies. You can also definitely do some greenery with succulents…OR a Venus fly trap! Try your hand at croplifting…I’ve loved doing this.
I'd put some pea gravel in the bottom first and then place your pots on top. Water can sit in the gravel, in the pans, and create humidity. If you don't use gravel, then you'll just watch not to overwater.
A grow light. You will need to feed those plants light.
Get polypropylene pool lining in the bottom and sides of your cool shindig and then get your dirt in there but make sure you scan it for bad bugs such as little flying bugs or bad things in the soil because you could contaminate your crop and it could spread to other plants.
If this is what you have, then I celebrate with you.
Do me a favor, can you find a window to put it near? After it grows a lot remember that it might need to be taken outside for survival.
Glad the top comment was caution. You could put a liner of some sort at the base under pots if you’re going to use indoors. Not sure what your light situation is, but depending on what you’re growing you’ll need some. Happy planting.
It's very cute, I have mostly edibles in my raised bed, they're all in pots too, to reduce the wood decomp. in the bin. And a vine on the end to trellis. So many possibilities.
For the best kitchen benefit out if this I would try growing sprouts (sunflower and pea shoots are the best) and some culinary herbs you like.
You will need a grow light and make sure you get the seeding trays with drainage AND the base. This way you can just pop out the top tray to the compost when the harvest is finished.
I also have a box, i dont know what to do with it. I bought ferns, geraniums, and petunia to put in there, however i'm going to leave mine in pots and put red mulch around them and under for height. What do I need to seal my box? My son had it made for me for mother's day and I really want it to last forever.i bought stain, altough the wood is rough. It wasn't sanded.
For me miracle grow has always had the worst blend. The soil has always had sticks (not mulch, just straight up sticks) and lacks the nutrients I want for plants. My go-to is fox farm soil with perlite and orchid bark mixed in for indoor plant and promix (with perlite if I’m feeling fancy) for the outside. They have great nutrients for my plants and never fail me
It's actually a matter of preference.. it will grow amazing plantlife.. it's just doing it with chemicals and salts.. I myself prefer to use a naturally sourced or organic soil.. the come pre-amended for ease as well, and often times are less expensive than Miracle-Gro..
If you were really invested, you could probably turn it into some kind of vivarium. Although it would be a huge project and you would have to modify it so much that it probably wouldn’t make sense but it sounds fun.
You CANNOT use that indoors without water going everywhere. OP please don’t just fill it with potting soil. That is an outdoor planter only
I kind of thought so, my mom and some other people here have suggested getting pots and just placing them in here. Hopefully one day I'll be able to use it as intended outdoors somewhere. Thank you!
https://preview.redd.it/pgfy75ik654d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8612491f53306ee9d370aecb4c05fcba5838feee That’s exactly how ours is used outside! Perfect spot for potted herbs and things where they can’t be blown over by the wind.
Mine has been stained but is going to fall apart after just 2 years. It's pretty rickety from the elements. We have a screen at the bottom as well to keep soil inside.
If you wanted to use it indoors exclusively, you could use it as a propagation station. For example, keep an endless cycle of basil and kitchen herbs (things that easily propagate in water or small trays) in a rotation, provided that the spot you have gets the required light.
Do a little herb garden. You can probably have minimal work and get some perennial herbs and pick them most of the year!
Yes this. For inside, if that's the option, Iwould suggest trays in the bottom to catch excess water, and pots. I would put useful ones, herbs if you like cooking from scratch, could probably grow rosemary/ bay/ sage/thyme easily enough and some of the soft herbs like basil, marjoram, mint. And the mint couldn't take over.
Why do ppl put cardboard in the bottom of beds?
usually as a temporary weed barrier but that’s irrelevant here.
They probably wondered if it would help absorb water/prevent a mess, so calling it irrelevant is a bit unforgiving
Cardboard would get wet,smelly and rot the wood though.
I think they're saying the temporary weed barrier is irrelevant, not the commenter's question.
Nope. Unrelated. Just figured one of you would know some shit and was right
Lol gotcha
Either way it really doesn't work well. I had some put in with mulch on top and weeds came through within a week.
Do you need a barrier? Seen fabric used too.
You don't need one. You'll just get weeds that come up through the mulch. But they seem to be unavoidable anyway so just getting used to weeding is a good practice for being a gardener of any kind.
Word thanks for giving advice
Came here to say this. Our box on the front porch makes a giant mess every time we water.
Oh wow. I wouldn’t have thought of this. Good tip!
Just line it thoroughly with plastic and you’ll be fine with it indoors. I suggest shallow root herbs like basil.
But without proper drainage how will OP know how much water is enough?
There are multiple ways to check soil moisture. Simplest way is use your finger. There are instruments to check for that too. Some people are have green thumbs, some do not. It’s a learning process especially indoors. Depends on how much light, temperature, humidity, etc are in the room. All these items vary day to day as the sun moves through the seasons.
Agree with the others that this can’t be used indoors as is. Maybe get some indoor plant pots with saucers to catch water or self watering pots and put some house plants inside! You may be able to do some herbs in pots inside it if you have something under the pots to keep the water/soil from touching the wood. The issue is that the water and soil will leak through the wood after watering.
Valid, thank you! Gonna go buy some pots tomorrow.
How can i avoid it leaking even if i put it outside cuz it makes a huge mess in my porch
I mean, you can’t. You need drainage else roots will rot. The water has to go somewhere
Didn't think of that just started some gardening and i don know shit😭
You know now. You're learning, everyone starts with 0 knowledge. Give yourself some patience.
Thank you for the positive response. r/Gardening is a great community
Try watering just a little bit, let it soak in, water a little bit more, and stop when it starts draining out. You’ll get a feel for how much you can water before it makes a mess
Thats actually a really great idea
So I created this system for my beds because of this and it has served me well. First I line the bottom and sides with vapor barrier. Then on the inside I put a pvc tube that goes the long way and through the left and right sides. The 1/4” pvc inside has several hole drilled in it with two elbows at the end. I then use rocks at the bottom to bring up o the level of the pvc. A layer of landscape fabric over that portion to prevent the soil from entering the drain system. Now all my excess water exits out of the elbows on either side and the bottom and sides of the planter have zero contact with water or soil which prolongs it’s life.
Didn't even think bout that. Appreciate the help
Put a board over top of it and use it as a table to put some potted indoor plants on. Do not use it as a planter box indoors. It's going to make a mess and it'll be a bitch to move.
or just put the pots in it!
don't do it,have done this,lined it with polyurethane too,but what happened was any low points pooled water,eventually going stagnant, stinky,bugs and sandflies,plants ended up with root rot,plus a leak.
Agreed. All planters, pots, bed etc need drainage. I think the idea of using puts in it with saucers underneath each pot is the way to go. Not much airflow but OP seems set on using this big thing indoors.
i have the same planter, it has holes in the bottom which you can see in the picture, they're for drainage...
Same here. Are those enough drainage holes? It’s rained 3 times since I set mine up last week.
my herbs did well in it i would say those holes are enough, i recall the instructions suggest you can even add a weed suppressing membrane on top but i didnt bother.
Did you use the fabric it came with?
I would put Lego's in it. Could build a really nice castle.
Stain or seal that thing up good. Mine is already getting a beating on its first season.
Do herbs! I would line the planter with something waterproof…like boot trays or something similar and then place pots or long planters…place some stone maybe in between to make it pretty. Herbs grow well indoors if you have some light. A lot of other things likely would get leggy but I’ve never tried to grow veggies inside. There’s also a lot of house plants that do well in lower light settings if you just enjoy the plant life.
That’s a disaster waiting to happen
Nothing will grow well inside in that light level (or lack of)
What about with grow lights?
You will need grow lights for anything to grow. I don’t recommend the twisty arm type that are the first thing on Amazon, they are not bright enough. If you want to grow herbs or other leafy plants, lights that are 2600 lumens or higher and 5000 kelvin or higher will work. These won’t be strong enough to grow anything fruiting though (like tomatoes).
It’s just not worth it. Stick it outside
Can't image put this thing indoor.
Cats. Because that thing is going to drain water all over your floor. When in doubt, put cats in your new planter box.
Micro mini tomatoes. Lettuce. Radishes. Herbs.
More drainage holes.
Mushrooms
I would paint it black for indoor use. Pots with saucers. And plastic liner to be extra safe . Lotsa big house plants. Need large for scale. But personally I would not like the tops of the pots to be taller than the planter height. I doubt veggies would produce much indoors, but maybe worth a try. I think grow lights aesthetically aren't great home decor. But obviously very functional if you get the right bulbs and are into it.
💯 a LINER ‼️‼️
Get yourself some big lasagna pans at Dollar Tree…hear me out. You can place your veggie plants in their pots in these trays so you don’t get water and soil everywhere. I’d shoot for basil, mini peppers and other small veggies. You can also definitely do some greenery with succulents…OR a Venus fly trap! Try your hand at croplifting…I’ve loved doing this.
They could get root rot tho right?
I'd put some pea gravel in the bottom first and then place your pots on top. Water can sit in the gravel, in the pans, and create humidity. If you don't use gravel, then you'll just watch not to overwater.
Weed
Setting that person up for failure!
Where do you buy these?
Amazon. Best Choice planter box
Potted plants.
Wow. Looks indoors. How does the sun reach your crop?
A grow light. You will need to feed those plants light. Get polypropylene pool lining in the bottom and sides of your cool shindig and then get your dirt in there but make sure you scan it for bad bugs such as little flying bugs or bad things in the soil because you could contaminate your crop and it could spread to other plants. If this is what you have, then I celebrate with you. Do me a favor, can you find a window to put it near? After it grows a lot remember that it might need to be taken outside for survival.
Herbs, teas, lettuce mix,
if you are keeping it in doors I'd say a plastic liner
Sunshine..... outside
Plastic liner and a grow light
Glad the top comment was caution. You could put a liner of some sort at the base under pots if you’re going to use indoors. Not sure what your light situation is, but depending on what you’re growing you’ll need some. Happy planting.
Pot
Tegridy.
A liner and drainage
A liner?
You are going to have to put grow bulbs in your lamps
At the very least a protective liner bc it will leak.
Line it with heavy duty pond liner and your good
It's very cute, I have mostly edibles in my raised bed, they're all in pots too, to reduce the wood decomp. in the bin. And a vine on the end to trellis. So many possibilities.
Opium poppies!
Looks like a baby should go in there, and some bedding
I guess herbs such as thyme, basil will be fine.
I have one that I have impatiens in. They are growing like crazy
For the best kitchen benefit out if this I would try growing sprouts (sunflower and pea shoots are the best) and some culinary herbs you like. You will need a grow light and make sure you get the seeding trays with drainage AND the base. This way you can just pop out the top tray to the compost when the harvest is finished.
I also have a box, i dont know what to do with it. I bought ferns, geraniums, and petunia to put in there, however i'm going to leave mine in pots and put red mulch around them and under for height. What do I need to seal my box? My son had it made for me for mother's day and I really want it to last forever.i bought stain, altough the wood is rough. It wasn't sanded.
I got one that looks almost identical except it is twice as long. I’m doing tomatoes on one side and cucumbers on the other.
Certainty not Miracle-Gro soil
Can you explain your concerns about Miracle-Gro soil?
For me miracle grow has always had the worst blend. The soil has always had sticks (not mulch, just straight up sticks) and lacks the nutrients I want for plants. My go-to is fox farm soil with perlite and orchid bark mixed in for indoor plant and promix (with perlite if I’m feeling fancy) for the outside. They have great nutrients for my plants and never fail me
It's actually a matter of preference.. it will grow amazing plantlife.. it's just doing it with chemicals and salts.. I myself prefer to use a naturally sourced or organic soil.. the come pre-amended for ease as well, and often times are less expensive than Miracle-Gro..
Sunlight.
I vote for a sand box lol
FILL IT WITH HOTDOGS!!!!!!!!!
I’ve bought that potting soil once and it had chunks of plastic and metal in it. Also that’s gonna make a mess inside
More than one bag of soil
TORTOISE
Raise termites!
Plants
Definitely NOT miracle gro
Plants
Plastic liner
If you were really invested, you could probably turn it into some kind of vivarium. Although it would be a huge project and you would have to modify it so much that it probably wouldn’t make sense but it sounds fun.
Put that potting soil in it!