A planted wheelbarrow will give a cottage feel to any garden.
This one has deep sides for plenty of compost, and a working wheel so you can move it to wherever you want to place it in the garden.
Ready-made, real oak garden accessories can be expensive, but buying the timber yourself is cheaper. It lasts for years and its beautiful grain means that, apart from a lick of wood preservative, you don’t need to embellish it further.
Some timber merchants will cut the timber to the length you need.
Remember to look out for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) mark on the timber; this shows it’s from sustainable and well-managed forests.
You will need …
Materials
- 25mm by 175mm by 7.4m European oak
- 25mm by 88mm by 2m European oak
- 25mm by 100mm by 640mm European oak
- 6mm by 350mm by 750mm exterior plywood
- 25mm dowel
- 50mm stainless steel screws (pack of 100)
- Wood glue
Tools
- Drill
- Wood drill bits
- Flat wood bits
- Plane
- Hammer
- Jigsaw
- Set square
- Handsaw
- Screwdriver
Build technique
The end and sides
1) For the ends: Using the 175mm wide timber, cut two pieces 500mm in length and lay them one above the other. Pencil in the shape. The bottom is 400mm wide and the top is 500mm. Measure 263mm from the bottom – start the curve of the arch at this point. When drawing in the arch, use as much of the wood as possible. Repeat this process for the other end. For the sides: cut two pieces of 175mm timber to 700mm long, and two pieces of 88mm wide timber also 700mm long. Place one wide piece on top of one narrow piece, then glue and screw to the ends. Repeat on the other side.
The base
2) Cut a piece of 175mm timber to 700mm long. Place this centrally along the base between the ends and screw in place – it will act as a brace for the base of plywood. Insert the piece of plywood and position on top of the brace; glue in position. Drill three holes, equal distances apart, through both these layers to provide drainage.
The support frame and handles
3) Use the 175mm oak for the handles and frame. Cut out the handles making them 1m long, with shaped grips and wheel covers. Leave the upper surface square-edged as this will support the planter, but round off other edges with sandpaper. Cut out the legs using the 25mm by 100mm timber. They need to be 300mm long. Screw the legs to the insides of the handles. Ensure the back edge of each leg is 300mm from the handle tip. Now create two cross-bars using the 88mm timber. Fit one between the handles, just in front of the legs; fit the other behind the wheel. Because the frame narrows towards the wheel, the sides of the cross-bars will need to be angled. Screw into place.
The Wheel
4) Sketch a circle 175mm in diameter on the 175mm wood and cut out using a jigsaw. Drill a hole through the centre, slightly larger than the diameter of the dowelling. Next, use the drill to carefully create a 25mm diameter hole on the inside of each “wheel cover” for the dowelling to rest on. REMEMBER to drill only one third of the way through. Cut the dowelling so it’s long enough to pass through the wheel and sit in the holes created. Screw the dowelling in place through each wheel cover from the outside.
5) Attach the barrow to the frame by screwing through the supporting bars into the base.
The Finished Flower Barrow
A finished Flower Barrow to be proud of!
