Everybody knows wellington boots are an amazing accessory for any wet day, but unfortunately we tend to find ourselves only wearing them a handful of times throughout the year. As a result of this, especially with the little ones, the next time you go to pop them on they’re too small. Well, if you find this to be the case then don’t worry, you can make yourself some welly planters! What better way to not only add a little fun to your garden, but to recycle too! Here’s a guide on how you can make your wellies into fun little plant pots and add a little extra colour to your garden.

Make your own DIY planter from recycled wellies!

Before you begin making your welly planters, there’s a few things you’ll need:

• Wellington Boots
• A Drill
• Compost
• Seeds
• Watering Can
• Stones or Pebbles
• Waterproof labels (if you wish to label your plants)

Now you have everything you need, you can get started. Make sure you wash your wellington boots with warm water and a little soap, just to give them a freshen up. Dry them off with an old tea towel and then you’re good to go. You can use new wellington boots if your current ones still fit, that’s up to you, but I’d recommend going rummaging at the carboot sale to pick up a used pair for pennies! Next, remove any insoles or liners that are inside the wellington boots, as we need as much space as we can get.

Hold the wellington from the bottom, sole facing upwards (and use a clamp on a workbench to hold it in place!) while you drill a few small holes around the edges of the boot and a couple on the sole. This will make sure that when you water your plants, the water drains out evenly and the compost will be able to breathe. Fill the bottom of the wellington with some stones or pebbles, this is to weigh the welly down so that if there are any blustery days, your new planter will be less likely to fall over. Also, having stones at the bottom will make it that little bit easier for the water to drain out, as there will be room between the compost and the holes.

Add compost to your wellington, be sure to press gently to ensure the compost goes right down into the toe of the boot. Depending on the size of the wellington, fill them up to about 1 or 2 inches from the top, if the welly is larger or taller, then stick to two inches from the top. Once you’ve done this you can add your seeds, be sure to press them deep into the compost, this way they will be fully covered and can start to grow comfortably, without any interruptions. Now give your wellies a nice splash of water, this will help begin the growing process.Choosing where to put your wellington boot plant pots is entirely up to you. I recommend placing them somewhere that receives a nice amount of sunlight, as this will help your plants grow quicker. Also, placing them somewhere that is easily accessible is important, as you’ll need to be able to water them daily and keep an eye on how they are growing. You could be adventurous and hang them on your fencing – this is also easily done. Find yourself some string or garden wiring then create a small hole in either side of the wellington. Feed the string or wiring through the holes and tie them around the fencing panel. Or if you don’t need a removable planter, you could simply drill the welly boots straight onto the fencing using screws.

image sourced from Zelfmaak Ideetjes.

What do you think of this quick and easy DIY idea? You could spruce up your garden over the Easter weekend with a few pairs of tiny wellies that the kids have grown out of. You could even get them to plant up their own old wellies with bulbs or, for instant satisfaction, you could plant pots of already-flowering daffodils or primulas for a really Spring-time burst of colour in the garden.