Make Your Own Concrete Planter

At this time of year I love to get out in the garden and get it ready for summer. Indoors I will start off my seeds so that they are ready to go out once they are big enough and the frost has gone.

I have a lot of patio space as well which looks a lot prettier with pots and planters of colourful flowers, rather than bare flags. It is a quick and cheap way to cheer up the back yard.

An even cheaper way is to make your own planters. By using moulds of any desired shape or size you can create a unique planter or as many as you want.

Your planter can be any shape you wish. Have a look in your shed, cupboards or go to pound/thrift stores for moulds. Use plastic containers, jelly moulds, children's buckets or an old plant pot.

You will use it to fill with concrete and leave it to set.

What You Need

• Your mould
• Bag of concrete (from a DIY store)
• Smaller mould to create the space inside the planter
• Spray oil (such as WD-40)
• Paint or anything to decorate (glass beads, etc)

Finding the right mould can be trial and error, so make sure you use something you won't need afterwards.

Spray the inside of the mould with oil to lubricate. It is the same as greasing your cake pan before filling with batter. Without it, it will just stick.

Next mix up your concrete as instructed on the pack. Use a separate container to mix it up and make sure you have enough.

Get your small mould (which will create the hole in the planter) and put some oil on the outside of that too.

Put a layer of concrete in the main mould then sit the small mould inside the big one. You need to make a bottom for your planter.

Hold the small mould central in the main one and pour your concrete in around it. This can be a little messy, so do it outdoors and perhaps on newspaper or polythene. You may also need to wear your marigolds for this!

Even the surface at the top with a lollipop stick or something similar and place a rock in the small mould to keep it in place.

Then leave to set.

The fun part is getting your set planter out of its mould.

Once you know it is set, pull the middle mould out. With any luck it should come out easily. The more flexible it is the easier it is to prize out.

Then tip your planter upside down and give it a pat (as if you are making sand castles). The lubricated sides should help it to come out clean. Then you have created your planter!

What to do Next

You can make a decision to leave it as it is and perhaps make a few more. You could also decorate your pot.

I had some exterior paint, so I painted mine in pillar box red. I then added a few gems to it.

You could make a stencil and paint patterns onto your pot or use a sealant to add glass beads or anything decorative.

As soon as it is dry, add some good compost and your plant. Try small then as you become a pro make bigger ones, or add it with your other planters as I did.