This design is not my idea. I saw a picture on FaceBook and decided I would give it a try. I didn't see a list of items needed or instructions, just the picture. Also, it was written in Portuguese. I believe they used PVC pipe, PVC T's and PVC 90's. Upon my arrival at Home Depot with the list I made, I was very surprised to see how much these items cost, in the larger sizes. So, I stuck to my budget of $40 and made some decisions of changes to what I would buy and kept my cost down. I purchased a 4" x 24" of PVC. It was all ready cut so the size of length was determined for me. I then found these Y shaped pieces (there were pricey at $8.00, +\- a couple cents, each) I found a pot that would fit in the top of the PVC. I wanted a little flare at the top.The large pot was all ready on hand to mount the "structure" into. And, quite by surprise, I found a little fairy kit :-) Fairy not included but the kit was complete and cheep enough to stay in budget. I also bought some spray paint to "bring the little pot into a "rhythm" with colors. Below are the times I purchased.
Almost forgot, I bought some strawberries and a little Begonia. Time to assemble. I'm not allowed to use the chop saw, unsupervised. For some reason, my husband believes I will chop my fingers off and I didn't want to cut the PVC with a hand saw, laziness on my part, so my husband cut the 4"x24" pvc into 8" long sections. I then lightly - and lightly is a key word so as not to break the pvc, hammered my pieces together. I wish I would have gotten a picture of the face of the customer service rep. when he came to assist me in selecting my pipe. He just knew I had no clue what I was buying and asked if I needed help. I said no. He asked what plumbing project I was working on and I promptly said, A Strawberry Planter. Yes...lol. I wish I had had my camera. LOL. I didn't need glue as this won't be under pressure but I did lightly hammer the pieces together to make them good and snug. An 8" section at the bottom, A Y thing (I apologize.I have no clue what that piece is called), another 8" section, another Y and the last 8" section. Like so .....
And spray paint. I did this on a windy day.....and you'll see what happened when I walked away. Luckily it was almost dry...almost.... but I touched it up.
Then we take the planter and insert it in our pot, half filled with dirt and fill in around it to the top (leave a good 2" from the top of the dirt to the pot rim) and fill the entire "structure" with dirt. I stuck my hand in the bottom hole and pushed down and then when I got half way up I packed the dirt again and the same with the next side hole and so on until I reached the top.
And planted my strawberries in the 2 side sections and half of the back of the large pot. I have more strawberries coming, so the other half is "dirt in waiting". I ordered some Pineberries. They are native to Chili and not modified or a cross mixture. They are white berries with red seeds and the flavor is a mix of pineapple and strawberries. Try some. You'll love them. Anyway, back to the planter. After getting my strawberries planted, I dabbed a little silicone around the edges of the top - just for safety of the little pot. And put the pot on top with the little Begonia planted in it.
I dressed it all up with red mulch and made a little fairy village at the bottom. It's all about the magic and dirt in my world and how I can bring them both together.....grin......
Water with a watering can or a out of a bottle. If you use a hose the water pressure will be too strong. And the success for watering in the Y's is much better. The pot at the top has a hole in the bottom so that water will flow on down as well.
When the strawberries grow I will share an update. But for now, I like the outcome and have great anticipation of the berries that will be harvested for jam on my toast. If you make one, please share with me. I love seeing others creations! Thanks for dropping in to see the dirt I've been into. Enjoy the magic. It's everywhere ...... if you look!!
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