Rain Gutter Planters

Remember my idea to put herbs in rain gutters? Well....it is finally a reality! The plan slightly changed from my original map, because I didn't end up using my seeds. But, here it is!

Here is what the space looked like before. Select areas of our patio gets 6-8 hours of morning sun. That's why I chose this spot for the herbs. (When originally, I had planned for them to hang on the fence...I decided that they wouldn't get enough sun there.)

 We used:

• 2 (10') metal rain gutters
• 12 end caps (make sure to get left and right)\
• chain (cut to size at the store...the guy did look at Adrian a little crazy when he asked for 10 pieces cut at 33 inches)
• nuts, bolts, and hooks (that's not too specific because Adrian took care of that part)
• hacksaw
• drill
• metal cutters (is that what those are called? pictured below)

First we measured out the space and decided how many planters we wanted. Since the rain gutters only come in 10 feet long, we just decided to cut them into thirds...as to not waste any. The cool thing about this project is that they aren't permanent. You can take a row down and move them around if you want to. (I ended up eliminating the two rows at the bottom to give me more room to get to my veggie planter.)

Adrian started by cutting them to size. He used a combination of a hack saw (which was a little short for the job), and metal cutters. 

Be careful not to cut yourself! Like his Woody bandaid??? Don't worry, I cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide and put some ointment on it too.

Once they were cut to size, he drilled holes in the bottom for drainage.

He also drilled holes in the sides where the chain will attach. See how the rain gutters fit perfectly sitting on my fence? Maybe I will put the extra two there.

And, put on the end caps.

 I didn't get good pictures of the next steps, but he attached a hook at the bottom of each gutter, strung the chain through that hook, and then attached the chain on the sides.

We used Kellog's Patio Plus Potting Soil to fill them. It's all natural and organic, and doesn't need to be mixed. It has added organic nutrients...worm castings, kelp meal, bat guano (???), and chicken manure.

 I planted the herbs to day, and I can't wait to cook with them!