Introduction: Whimsical Boot Planter

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About: I like sewing and crafts,and trying new things. I'm vegetarian and always looking for new recipes. My cat's name is Mirko and likes to be in the centre of things, so you will see him in several of my instruc…

This past April, I spent a couple of weeks vacationing on one of the Gulf Islands; it has become a yearly thing now.  I spent a lot of time on the beach so was glad that I had packed a long a pair of rubber boots. Well that was until I was standing by the water as a wave came rushing over my boots and icy cold water poured inside over my socks and toes.  It would seem that there were several large holes in those boots and it got worse as I continued to wear them. 

When I got back home I re-purposed them into a planter since the boots were beyond repair.  At first I was just going to put a plant in each boot and place them on either side of my balcony door, but then I got the idea to arranged the boots so that they looked like they were walking.  Ideally I would have liked to place them in a garden or on the lawn but since I live on the second floor I don't have a yard just a balcony, so I just put them in a large planter and added some grass seeds.

Step 1: What You Will Need

Material:
  • Old pair of rubber boots
  • Rocks and soil
  • A large planter bowl
  • A stake
  • Flowers
  • Grass seeds (wheat, oat, or standard  lawn grass)
  • Water
  • Screw and wing nut
Tools:
  • Trowel
  • Something sharp to poke holes with
  • Watering can
  • Duct tape if your boots need patching

Step 2: Get Boots Ready

Remove the insoles of the boots.  My pair also had a soft lining which also needed removing.  My boots had some holes on the sides and top (the reason why I'm re-purposing them) so I patched them up with tape from the inside.

Step 3: Prepare Boots

  • With a sharp implement poke holes in the bottom of the boot for drainage.
  • Arrange the boots to look like they are walking, hold them together and mark where the hole for the screw connecting them should go.
  • Make a hole in the boot where you marked and reinforce the hole with tape so that it doesn't tear.
  • Insert screw and tighten the wing nut.

Step 4: Stake, Rocks and Soil

  • Add soil to the large planter bowl
  • Push a stake through the heel of the boot that will stand fully on the ground and stick it into the soil of the large planter
  • Fill the bottom of the boots with rocks for drainage and stability
  • Fill the boots with soil (leaving room to add the plants)

Step 5: Plant

  • Add your plants
  • Sprinkle grass seeds over the surface of the large planter bowl and lightly scatter some soil over top of seeds
  • Water plants and seeds.
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