Planting in a barrel

[RWD3M]

Hi All,

I've just recieved a barrel into which I intend to plant hops (purely decorative by the way). I've never planted in a barrel before but I bet someone here has! So what prep should I do to the barrel? It is currently complete so obviously I'll need to cut an end out, anything else? Drainage

 

[Barlidge]

I just cut mine in half, drill some drainage holes and then bulked it out with polystyrene so as not to use excessive amounts of compost but that would depend on the rooting depth of your chosen plants.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Give it a good wash out.
Drill 8 to 10mm holes in the base and the side. No higher than 150mm.

Add 1/3 of drainage stones at the bottom, less if the plants have longer roots.

Fill with a good mositure retaining compost.

Plant and enjoy.

 

[Barking Mat]

Yep, drainage important.

What the above said.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If a wooden one, line the inside with plastic.

 

[Pete.]

Good for carrots apparently. The pest that usually attacks them lives less than a barrel's height off the floor so they navaer make it up high enough.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Don't forget to put holes in the liner too, no good drilling holes in the barrel but lining it with a bag.
Offcuts of DPC make good planter liners.

 

[Keith 66]

I made the mistake of planting some hops in our garden, they came from an abandoned farm & we suspect they are goldings.
All the books say you will not get a crop the first year, but we had a huge crop. Last year they got mildew but this year they went mad, you can almost see them growing. We had a huge crop. Trouble is they are taking over & i think i will have to get rid of them, I will be taking some roots for a holiday shortly & planting them down some wasteland on the club.

 

[RWD3M]

This is really helpful, thanks guys.

I'll be setting to at the weekend, hop plants due to arrive Monday

 

[Morrisman]

I put some in my back yard a few months ago. Beer barrels, cut in half, some big rocks on the bottom to pad them out and help drainage, and then some sort of compost top soil to fill them up.

One ended up with a load of empty beer cans in the bottom, to save wasting rocks.

It took quite a few bags of B&Q compost to till them, and it ain’t cheap. Then I added random bedding plants, found cheap in B&Q, and some Bee Bombs.