A milk crate garden is a great way to grow fresh fruits and veggies in very little space! They are super easy to make here’s how!
A couple of months ago when I went to the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show.
While I was there I knew that I’d be gardening differently this year so I took note of some great ideas that I came across.
One of my favorites was this milk crate garden.
Gardening in a milk crate is pretty much the same idea as square foot gardening. It’s kind of amazing what you can grow in these happy little plastic boxes. (for a great sq. ft. gardening guide head over here)
You also get the benefit of raised beds with no weeds, and without having to build anything.
It’s very very easy… and pretty awesome.
Here’s what you’ll need for your milk crate garden!
– A milk crate
– Landscaping fabric. Make sure you get the fabric, not the plastic-y kind. You’ll want it to be 36in wide.
– Potting soil- good quality soil, you want it nice and fluffy soil that will drain well.
– scissors
– seedlings
First lay out your fabric and set your milk crate on top to get a good measurement. You want to get about an inch overhang on each side.
Now do that again – you’ll have 2 pieces of the same size.
Next you want to tuck it into your milk crate leaving a little overhang on each side.
Now tuck your second piece in the opposite direction.
Help from a kitten makes everything go more smoothly.
When it’s all finished it will look like this. It’s ok if its imperfect.
Now carefully add in your dirt, pour it slowly so that your fabric doesn’t come loose and fall in. Once you have it all filled with potting soil tuck in your seedling.
Once you’re all finished you can arrange them however you want. The excess fabric can be trimmed if you want or you can leave it folded over the sides.
I’ve got broccoli, tomatoes, tomatillos, and green peppers planted in my milk crate garden. I’m excited to see how well they do this year!
I set up 8 crates but want to see how awesome this can be on a large-scale? Tom Colicchio (from Top Chef) sources his produce from this guy who is an Urban Milk Crate farmer, get some inspiration looking here.
Happy Gardening! Come back and let me know if the milk crate garden works for you!
Great idea! We are doing raised beds this year, hubby built me boxes, but I may do some milk crates too… Thanks!
That looks like a good idea for those who don’t have a yard for a garden!
It is, or if you don’t have a spot for anything permanent! Thanks for stopping by!
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! WooHoo! Hopping here from Freedom Friday was the best thing I’ve done today…so far! Blessings to you and yours.
Marie @ http://countedcrossstitchcafe.com & http://asatisfiedspirit.com
So glad you like it!! Your comment made my day!
You can use a staple gun to secure the fabric to the crate, making the system a little easier to handle. These are also great for a sunny deck or balcony!
Dear sirs,
We are a small Baptist church in Cheyenne, WY. Where do we find 200 to 300 of the crates for our garden? We are trying to grow enough food to feed the homeless here in Cheyenne.
I have bigger crates used for vegetables, I’m going to use those, I was wondering how I could utilize them I have so many. I wanted to start my raised bed this year but didn’t now I can. Thanks. To the church in chyanne I would check your local grocery stores at the produce department or if you have a wholesale produce market in your area, check with the vendors.
I started milk crating a few yrs ago while installing power & lighting on a job for a local restaurant. They had a huge set-up & grew all their own veggies as well as herbs & flowers for tabletops. All on the roof of a NYC building.