Give An Old Tire New Life As A Stylish, Rolling Planter With This Clever DIY

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Old, worn-out tires are generally easy to come by. Between common mishaps like driving over a nail or simply the wear and tear of your daily commute to work, it's not uncommon that your car might require a replacement, leaving you with an old, discarded tire to dispose of yourself. However, there are more options for upcycling discarded tires besides simply making a trip to the dump or allowing it to sit around your yard, creating a messy display. Some crafty DIY enthusiasts have found creative ways to repurpose tires in their backyards and gardens. One popular option to breathe new life into an old tire is to turn it into a clever rolling planter box. When purchased new from popular home or garden retailers, a rolling planter box can cost you hundreds of dollars. However, this DIY utilizes mainly recycled materials like old tires and scrap pieces of wood leftover from other projects. Without the need to purchase costly materials, this project can not only save you money in the long run, but it can also clear up backyard clutter by recycling unused material. 

To begin this DIY, you will need around 20 to 25 standard 4-inch-wide planks of wood (the height depends on the height you'd like for your planter), a drill, screws, a tire, potting soil, a set of four casters (like the Ashgoob swivel plate casters),and a plant to call the planter home. If your scrap wood is not already uniform in size, then you might also need a saw to ensure the planks are even. This project can easily be accomplished solo. Here is how you can create your own DIY rolling planter with the spare tires you have lying around at home. 

To begin, you'll want to gather your materials and clear your workspace, so you have plenty of room to move around and knock out this DIY. Measure the outer circumference of the tire to determine how many wood planks you will need to cover the entire perimeter. You should also procure some additional wood to form a sturdy base for your planter. Once all of your wood is measured and trimmed to size (if you're not handy with a saw, a home improvement store can usually do this for you), drill the base wood onto the bottom of the tire, being sure to cover the hole, and drill the planks vertically around the outer edge of the tire, to resemble a barrel-style slatted wood planter.

Finally, flip the planter upside down and drill in your set of four wheels and hardware into the bottom planks, making sure that they're evenly spaced. These will need to be able to carry the weight of your plant. Treat all of the boards with a wood sealer that's plant-safe, like Hope's Tung Oil, and once it dries, you are ready to fill your tire planter with soil and a plant of your choice.

If you used a standard-size car tire, then the planter box should be wide enough and deep enough to accommodate both big and small outdoor or patio plants. The rolling design of the planter box makes it a suitable and functional option for a wide array of plants, since you can easily transport it based on the plant's individual and seasonal needs. You can look to some of the best plants to grow in container gardens to draw inspiration for which plants will grow well in your tire planter. Popular plants like hostas, trailing petunias, geraniums, sedum, herbs, and strawberries are all stylish options that thrive in tire planters, where their compact or shallow root systems benefit from the container's defined growing space. Be sure to research your plant's drainage needs to determine if you may need to drill small or large drainage holes in the base of your planter.

The tire planter can also be decorated and styled to better suit your personal taste and the overall aesthetics of your yard or garden. You can use a non-toxic or plant-safe paint to decorate the outer boards of the planter and give them a charming pop of color or use items like decorative rocks or vibrant aquarium gravel for extra drainage and a stylish touch. The planter would look nice when styled on a patio or welcoming front porch, or it can look right at home next to other potted plants or trees in your backyard garden. Whatever route you decide to go with your decor, the tire planter is a versatile and inexpensive way to turn trash into treasure.