DIY outdoor fabric pot

calicocalyx

Well-Known Member
For anyone wanting to build a custom bed or pot it can be fairly simple with just a trip to a hardware store.

you will need:
4 6ft t posts
17 ft of 2 ft.fencing
17 ft. of landscape fabric
baling wire (look near the concrete section of hardware store)
gorilla tape
plastic trellis (optional)
clear plastic sheet (optional)
2 10ft pvc pipes (optional)



Alright pound those t posts into a 4 x 4 ft square.

Run that fence around the t posts. cut lengths of baling wire to twist tie and fasten the fence to itself

Run the landscape fabric around the inside of the fence. cut lengths of baling wire and shape them into U shape and poke through the fabric and twist to secure to the fence. Overlap the ends of the fabric to prevent any soil spillage. Well lookey here, it's a big pot for your pot.

Attach the PVC to top of t posts with way too much gorilla tape (you could drill holes and wire them, or zip tie, etc....). Bend them to opposite corners making a X over the bed. Use way too much gorilla tape again to secure.

Now you have a frame work to attach the trellis for a scrog and/or hang vertically between posts for a cage. You also have a nice mini hoophouse tailored to an individual plant, ready to be covered for any end of season rains. Keep enough airflow without putting the canopy above the bottom edge of your plastic and this is a decent rain blocker that can buy some precious time right when you need it.

Of course you could change the ingredients and specs to whatever floats your boat. This is just a simple way to make your own custom fabric pots/beds. A note to make is that plants can extend far beyond 4 x 4 ft so the cover might not be adequate for end of season. Easy enough to pound t posts further out and attach the pvc to those for a bigger cover. Another tip is buy more material than you think you need so that overlapping edges, making mistakes, or changing plans won't mean another trip to the store. Happy Growing!
 

calicocalyx

Well-Known Member
I know, I'm looking but don't think I have any pics. I have actually built big beds in greenhouses like this so didn't need the covers. The beds were 40ft long and perfect for a little tractor to dump dirt in. Since then though I don't have a greenhouse and have a different technique for my outdoor so I'm actually not building these at the moment. Just wanted to share the basic idea, anyone can expand on it.
 

Lala54

Active Member
Love it! Yeh, too bad no pics but great idea. 4x4 pot would definately take up space in a greenhouse, though...unless you have a large geenhouse. I'd love to have a commercial sized greenhouse, heaven.
 

calicocalyx

Well-Known Member
Ha! Alright since everyone needs pics, I am going to build a fabric pot/bed just for this thread, and throw one of my extra outdoor plants in it. I actually haven't built a 4x4 "pot", they've all been long beds for greenhouses so this will be quick and easy.
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
I'm in the second row.

I'm building 4 raised beds this year. 2' tall with fabric sides. Imagine how happy I was to see your thread.
 

calicocalyx

Well-Known Member
I have seen them done with 1x2's and they work fine, but the fence and t post route seems to be better IMO. I actually have everything to throw one together and am deciding which plant will go into it. I'll use those metal t post clips for the fencing, since I have those, but I'll stick to the original instructions, basic idea is the same. I'm putting it over a tilled area in the garden for added bonus (white sage died and gave up a good spot). I'll have it by the end of the week!
 

calicocalyx

Well-Known Member
Alright here is the before photo of the pot. I'll be filling it with dirt and transplanting out in about 3 weeks. Note, the plant will most likely be too big to use the Tposts for the final trellis. We'll figure it out. Here is a shot of the plant to go into the pot, I may go out of this 7 gallon into a 15 since it's ready to up pot. This is a last minute decision or I would have put her into the final pot by now, with a light on.fabric pot.jpeg CBC #2.jpeg
 

vostok

Well-Known Member
Excellent ...now lets see you get your wives naked and filling that pot some ...just to make me home sick ....lol

good tutorial so far ...!
 
For anyone wanting to build a custom bed or pot it can be fairly simple with just a trip to a hardware store.

you will need:
4 6ft t posts
17 ft of 2 ft.fencing
17 ft. of landscape fabric
baling wire (look near the concrete section of hardware store)
gorilla tape
plastic trellis (optional)
clear plastic sheet (optional)
2 10ft pvc pipes (optional)



Alright pound those t posts into a 4 x 4 ft square.

Run that fence around the t posts. cut lengths of baling wire to twist tie and fasten the fence to itself

Run the landscape fabric around the inside of the fence. cut lengths of baling wire and shape them into U shape and poke through the fabric and twist to secure to the fence. Overlap the ends of the fabric to prevent any soil spillage. Well lookey here, it's a big pot for your pot.

Attach the PVC to top of t posts with way too much gorilla tape (you could drill holes and wire them, or zip tie, etc....). Bend them to opposite corners making a X over the bed. Use way too much gorilla tape again to secure.

Now you have a frame work to attach the trellis for a scrog and/or hang vertically between posts for a cage. You also have a nice mini hoophouse tailored to an individual plant, ready to be covered for any end of season rains. Keep enough airflow without putting the canopy above the bottom edge of your plastic and this is a decent rain blocker that can buy some precious time right when you need it.

Of course you could change the ingredients and specs to whatever floats your boat. This is just a simple way to make your own custom fabric pots/beds. A note to make is that plants can extend far beyond 4 x 4 ft so the cover might not be adequate for end of season. Easy enough to pound t posts further out and attach the pvc to those for a bigger cover. Another tip is buy more material than you think you need so that overlapping edges, making mistakes, or changing plans won't mean another trip to the store. Happy Growing!
WOW thanks for the info
 
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