We gardeners are always on the hunt for the perfect pots for our beloved plants. The hunt heats up in the spring as our excitement is reborn. Big pots are my favorite. No matter the size of the gardening space, a big pot always works. It has drama and the scale is attention-getting. But they’re spendy! Not only is making your own containers thrifty, it’s fun and satisfying. Here are a few examples of DIY pots that are easy to do.

DIY Painted Terra Cotta Pot

This DIY painted terra cotta pot is an easy project and is quite durable if done right. Sealing the inside with waterproofing is the secret.

Seal the inside of the pot. This is what keeps it from absorbing moisture which results in water getting under the exterior paint, causing it to bubble and peel. Thompson Water Seal in a spray can, found in the paint section of hardware stores, works well and is convenient – follow the instructions on the can. You will seal parts of the outside of the pot later.

Tape off a straight line about an inch below the rim of the pot and conceal the rim with newspaper, folding it over the top edge. I tape an inch below the rim to give a little more of an unexpected look. Taping a straight line on a curve is challenging. “Piece in” sections of tape where needed to continue a straight edge.  Do the best you can – it will look good even if it is not perfectly straight.

Spray paint the outside of the pot. Use a high gloss spray paint to simulate a glazed pot. I recommend taking your terra cotta pot to the paint store and holding up the cans next to the pot until you find a color that strikes your fancy. Lime green, lemon yellow, poppy orange and teal blue are trendy choices that have a “wow factor.” Terra cotta is quite porous so you may need a whole can to cover a large pot. The pot in the example is 16-inches in diameter and used an entire can. You do not need a special paint. Follow the painting instructions on the can. You can also brush on the paint if you prefer.

Seal the exposed parts of the pot. Spray the rim and bottom of the pot with the water sealant and do not worry if you overspray onto the painted portion a bit. If you have an option to purchase varying finishes of water sealant, use a matte or satin finish, and not a gloss, to maintain a contrast between the terra cotta and the high gloss color.

Allow to dry and plant. Allow your pot to dry at least 24 hours before planting. Fill with your favorites and enjoy. Empty and bring your painted pot indoors for the winter to extend its life.

Concrete pot
Care to up your DIY game a little? Working with cement is the perfect way to use everyday items to make a pot of any size you wish. It’s a little messy, but the result is worth it. There are endless ways to form cement pots. You basically just need to create a mold, fill it, and let it cure or dry. Using two plastic pots, one inside the other, is an easy and inexpensive way to do this.

Supplies: Two plastic garden pots, one smaller so that when placed inside the larger pot, there is a one to three-inch gap to form a wall. The bigger the pot, the larger the gap you want. In my example, I used a 16 and a 20-inch pot and had a 2 1/2-inch gap. Concrete mix (any ready-to-use variety will work); Vegetable oil to lubricate the side of the pot. You can also use cooking spray; Sand (enough to fill the inside pot); Small cube of wood, about 1×1-inches and 1 to 3” tall depending on the size of your pot. This is what forms the drainage hole. Rubber gloves (cement is hard on your skin). A dust mask to wear when working with the dry mix.

Mix the concrete according to the directions on the package, adding a bit more water than directed to reach the consistency of melted ice cream. Fill the bottom of the large pot with about two to three-inches of cement mix and place the cube of wood in the center so that its top extends above the cement, but only a little. Allow the cement to sit for about 5 minutes to set up just a bit. Place the smaller pot on the layer of new cement and fill with sand, adjusting the pot so that a relatively even gap is all around. Slowly pour cement in the gap, working your way around the pot until it has reached the top. You want the pot to dry relatively slowly. Cover it loosely with plastic and allow to set out of the sun for about five days to fully cure.

Turn the pot over on an old blanket or cushion. You may be lucky and the concrete form will instantly release from the larger pot when overturned. If it sticks, tap with a rubber mallet and lift and gently drop on the ground until it does. Removing the interior pot can be a little trickier. Test and see if it will slide out. If not, slice the plastic, vertically, several times around the inside of the pot with a box cutter to help it release. Duct tape the cuts to reuse the pot. Paint the inside of your pot with concrete sealer and allow to dry.

A wood plant stand for your pots

Building this wood plant stand helps give the illusion of a larger pot. The instructions are for use with a 14” tall and round pot at its widest point – a common size and material at garden centers and other stores. The 2” cedar spindles (1 3/8” actual) used are adequate for a plastic, resin, foam product or ceramic pot. If you would like to use a heavier pot, like the cement pot, consider using a thicker spindle or post. If you reconfigure the design for a larger or smaller pot, keep the same scale by making the height of the pot one-third of the height of the pot and the plant stand combined. For example, in this design, the pot is 14” tall and the height with the stand is 21.” Make the width of the support beam the diameter of the pot.

Materials needed
2×2 cedar spindles, cut to the following: 4 – 17.5” lengths with a 45° cut at the end, 1 – 14” length, 2 – 6.25” lengths. The spindles can be cut with a cross-cut, jig or circular saw or even a hand saw. Most stores that sell wood will also cut it for you. (Note: cedar is naturally resistant to rot, which is why I chose it, but you can use other types of wood as well. Consider staining or sealing other woods with polyurethane).

4 – 2 ½” wood screws. 2 – 2” wood screws. T-bracket or brace (optional).

14” tall and garden pot with a 14” diameter, potting soil and plantings of your choice

Tools needed
Saw to cut spindles, if needed. Drill with a drill bit slightly thinner than the screws.

The construction of the plant stand is easy, but don’t hesitate to ask a more experienced craftsperson for help if needed. Basically, you are building an X-shaped support piece with the 14” and two 6 ¼” pieces – this is what the pot sits on. You then screw each of the longer spindles onto the ends of the X-shaped support, seven inches from the bottom of the spindles. Pre-drilling all the screws keeps the wood from splitting and helps the screws go more easily into the wood.

Step 1: Mark the center point on the 14” support piece and position each of the 6.25” pieces on either side at the center mark to create an X-shape. Pre-drill pilot holes, at a toe-nailed angle, through the shorter piece and into the longer piece. Screw a 2” screw at a toe-nail angle into the wood until tight and connecting the two pieces (see diagram). Repeat on the other side to finish the support piece. You can add extra support on the bottom with a T- bracket or brace, especially if you are using a heavier pot.

Step 2: Mark 5½” from the bottom on the inside of all four of the 17.5” spindles. This is where the bottom edge of the ends of the support “X” piece will be placed (see diagram). Position the spindle on an end of the support piece and pre-drill, then screw in a 2 ½” screw until tight, securing the two pieces together. Repeat with the remaining three spindles.

Fence picket planter

In essence, a rectangular box is built from 2×2” furring strips and faced with 6-inch pickets cut to length to make this planter. I used cedar pickets, but you can use any type you like. The furring strips create the frame and the pickets finish the look and solidify the structure. The opening is sized so that a square pot with a lip slips in and the rim rests on the planter to support the pot. The pickets are screwed into place using 1 ½” wood screws.

Directions:

Cut the 2×2” furring strips to four lengths of 34 ½ inches and eight lengths of 12 5/8 inches. The fence pickets are cut to ten 17” lengths and ten 15½ inch lengths. Note: If you work with wood, you know that lumber dimensions are never what they say and vary from type to type. For example, the 6” pickets I used were 5 3/4” wide and the 2×2” furring strips were 1 ½ x 1 ½”. The height of my planter was determined by the sum of the of 5 stacked pickets. The width of the planter was determined by the width of the pot, so that the bowl of it would fit within the opening, with the rim resting on the wood frame.

Build a box by screwing four of the 12 5/8” long furring strips between the ends of the four 36-inch-long furring strips to create a base. At this point it will be like a table without a top. Flip the piece and repeat the steps on the other end.

Two opposing sides of the planter will be covered with the 17” wide pickets and the other two sides with the 15 ½”. When attached, the 15 1/2” pickets will be the same width (or very close) as the sides of the box. Begin with the two sides using these. There is no true top or bottom until you insert the pot, so beginning on either end, place a picket, screw it into either side of the board with two screws at both corners, then repeat until the side is covered.

Continue onto the second side. On these two sides, the pickets will cover the ends of the pickets on the first two sides.

Complete the planter by inserting a square pot with a lip (I found mine at Home Depot) into the top of the planter and get to planting. Adjust the dimensions of the planter to fit any square or rectangular pot you find or customize to a particular space. I left the wood of my planter to weather naturally, but you can stain or paint as you like.

Minneapolis-based Eric Johnson blogs at gardendrama.wordpress.com.