DIY mdf hardboard conti planters

[jdlondon]

After looking at various options for planting on a balcony - pots, reusable growbags etc - I'm 90% opting towards making it out of mdf type materials - anyone done so and any advice?

The reason not wood is the weight basically. I'll be carrying it and even if I take the bus, to and fro is going to be difficult. Mdf types I can get cut to size and it's not easy, but it's doable!

Paint it for water and weather protection, no bottom but lining the insides and walls with plastic. Newspaper the bottom, topped with a mix of coir compost and normal multi.

Since I do go away quite often, I was thinking making it 50 cm deep to make the watering issue slightly easier - and I want to grow so many things that I don't want to limit my depth. I'll get one of those gravity drip bag/pipe things too eventually.

What do you think?

[Two_Sheds]

MDF? won't that just disintegrate when it gets wet? I'm still picking lumps of it out of my soil 4 years after I took the plot over

Marine ply would be better? (just guessing, I know NOTHING about DiY)

[Alison]

I'd have thought MDF would disintegrate too, somebody on our plot built a load of raised beds out of old wardrobes and a chest of drawers and they only lasted the season and had started to distort well before the end of that.

[dabsisme]

Two sheds you hit the nail there mate.....you only need to show mdf the water and....."puff".....and then there is the cost jdlondon.

Maybe look at big-ish pots/tubs/trugs no need to line them or paint so you will save money there mate....you mite be able to get one of the drip feed waters with what you save.

Hope that helps you make up your mind.

Big Dave.

[zazen999]

I'm 90% opting towards making it out of mdf type materials - anyone done so and any advice?

The reason not wood is the weight basically.

As the other girls have said - MDF will just disintegrate - it's just pulp really so not at all good for planters.

[jdlondon]

I thought I could paint it, or those plastic seal sprays - maybe even glue plastic sheets around it - no?

Reusable Growbags are definitely easier to carry *g* - but as space is limited, I was hoping to utilise as much as I could. However, if you wise ones say no, then I'll tick it off my list.

I suppose I could carry one plant of wood at a time, if I really don't want to go with bags/pots. Any wood suggestions then? Or will any old do?

ETA - marine ply? Googling it right now.

[Aberdeenplotter]

paint may well protect it from water initially but the slightest crack in the paint and you will have an awfully heavy armful of soaked MDF to carry to the tip. If you want to make planters use marine ply as suggested or perhaps do as I do and cut up some decking boards and use them

[jdlondon]

use marine ply as suggested or perhaps do as I do and cut up some decking boards and use them

Decking wood would still be pretty heavy, won't it? Looking for marine ply, came across wood cladding - and with this, I can leave gaps between each to allow for vertical planting too, like for strawberrys and such. The daikon did quite well to when I planted them on the sides of an upright growbag.

And I've bought cladding before, so I know they're very light. Painting them should make it alright, shouldn't it?

I also came across something called OSB exterior sheet, at B&Q, who only seem to sell ply in bulk. And maybe painting the OSB would be enough precaution?

[salome2001]

OSB is just big chipboard, useful for floors of sheds, or under roof, but definitely not for something you will get wet.
What you want is deep planters for a balcony, correct? I truly think your best bet is vegetable/ potato planter bags like this
Wilko Grow Bag Potato Giant 169ltr | Grow Bags | | Scarves from Wilkinson Plus
and get an online garden seller to deliver the hundreds of litres of compost you're going to need

[salome2001]

or for something a little more unusual you could give this a go

Vegetable Gardening | Growing A Greener World

[jdlondon]

or for something a little more unusual you could give this a go

Vegetable Gardening | Growing A Greener World

I've done that! *g* - altered for long veg ie daikon. The problem with that though is the shallowness means a helluva lot of watering attention.

Never been to Wilkos but I am definitely going to try it since so many get good value stuff there, nearest is Tooting for me, about 4 miles, so their growbag is definitely an option if I tip that way.

As for weight of wood, I'm only concerned about carrying it home, since once the containers are made, they'll be permanent. All along two walls.

[zazen999]

What does *g* mean?

You'd be better off using bags for life than mdf...

[jdlondon]

What does *g* mean?

You'd be better off using bags for life than mdf...

*g* - grin; *G* - big grin; *EG* - evil grin ..... I thought it was pretty accepted netspeak but maybe it's only so in writerwebs where I spend 90% of my webtime.

Bags do seem to be the popular rec, but now that the cladding came to mind with the vertical possibilities, I'm gonna mull that over first.

[Dynamo]

I thought I could paint it, or those plastic seal sprays - maybe even glue plastic sheets around it - no?

I made the mistake of making the lids of my home made compost bins out of MDF. I gave them a couple of coats of paint, but I wish I hadn't bothered with the stuff at all. Spend a bit more on plywood or something if its going to be outdoors.

[jdlondon]

MDF definitely out, plywood possible, but I'm edging towards the cladding now cuz it comes in handy packs and I can play around with it instead of getting exact measurements cut instore.

By the way, everyone, thanks for talking with me about this. You're like a handy thinktank