Plastic bottles remain in every household after use. You don't have to throw them away; you can put them to good use. Let's consider creating beds from plastic bottles, their pros and cons, what types of beds can be made. What tools and materials are needed, the manufacturing sequence, how to design the beds. What advice do professionals give?
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of garden beds made from plastic containers:
- completely free, no need to spend money on material;
- plastic is resistant to moisture, sun, fungus, bacteria, and does not decompose in the ground;
- ease of arrangement, requires a minimum of additional materials;
- easy to repair and disassemble;
- a fence made of bottles will be a barrier to weeds;
- you can build beds of any configuration from bottles;
- the structure does not erode or crumble.
Disadvantages of bottle beds: fragility; sand is poured into bottles to give strength.
Types of beds
You can create various compositions from bottles. The simplest are ordinary rectangular beds, but you can also lay out flowerbeds of different shapes from bottles, which are difficult to create from other materials.
Fence made from buried bottles
The simplest structure can be built by digging bottles into the soil in a square or rectangle shape. To create simple beds, you should choose bottles of the same size and type. It is recommended to use 1.5-2 liter bottles.
Manufacturing procedure: in an area cleared of weeds, install pegs at the corners of the planned structure and connect them with a rope. Using a rope, dig trenches as wide as the bottle and at least 10 cm deep. Place the bottles in the trenches one next to the other so that they hold tightly.
Raised beds
A structure made from vertically placed bottles can save space in a small garden plot. Strawberries or small flowers are usually grown in such beds. As a support for the structure, you can use a building wall, a mesh fence, a shield made of wooden boards or something similar.
Raised beds can be built in another way; to construct them you will need a hot soldering gun. The top and bottom parts of the containers are cut off, the middle parts are connected and soldered together so that a long pipe is obtained. It is attached to a vertical support. A drainage pipe is inserted inside, through which watering will be carried out, and covered with soil. Then windows are cut out in the plastic at equal distances where the plants will grow.
Canopy made of plastic containers
From bottles you can make hanging flowerpots in which to plant annual flowers. You can place the pots upside down or upside down, pierce them at the top and on both sides and pull a wire or rope through them. Cut a large through window in the middle part of the containers, and poke several holes in the bottom for water drainage.
Pyramid structures
To build the ridges you will need a frame made of wooden beams in the shape of a pyramid. 5 liter bottles are installed on the structure, windows are cut out on one side, covered with soil and plants are planted.
Tools and materials
Plastic bottles are taken in 1.5-2 liters and 5 liters, depending on the purpose of the design. Containers must be prepared and washed to remove any remaining drinks. To pierce plastic you need a hot wire. To create beds - ropes and pegs, shovels and rakes.
How to make beds from plastic bottles with your own hands
There is nothing difficult in making beds from plastic containers. The variety of forms is limited only by the gardener’s imagination. Bottles can make ridges of simple or complex geometric shapes. One person can handle the creation of beds, the main thing is to properly prepare and install the containers.
Design ideas
Children love everything interesting, so for them you can make flower pots in the shape of cars, trains, or pigs from plastic containers. Cut a wide window on the side of the bottles and place it on the ground on the other side. To make it look like an animal or a cartoon car, you can make eyes from corks in the front of the containers, and wheels from flat bottoms.
Plastic bottles can be painted in several different colors to add beauty to the beds. Pour liquid paint into the middle of the containers, close with a stopper and shake. Open the cap and pour out the excess. Trim the containers, add colorful pebbles to the bottom, close the cap, and bury the bottles upside down.
Advice from professionals
Plants for growing in plastic containers must be selected so that they have enough space for nutrition and development. Usually these are small-sized early vegetables and flowers.
Be sure to make holes in the bottom of the containers so that remaining water can drain through them. The soil or substrate you need to choose is fertile, light and loose, without weed seeds.
Gardeners often make beds from plastic bottles on their plots.Finding material for a simple structure is not difficult. Plastic beds will not only be practical, but also an original decoration for your garden plot.
