I’m looking for practical (not aesthetic) advice here. I’m doing a little work on my patio, have an old tub that’s taking up space in my garage, and I’m thinking of making it into a king-sized window box.
My idea is to grab some lumber and build an enclosure for it on the south wall of the house. I have a huge deck that could stand some greenery, and the trim needs repair and repainting, so I should be able to make it fit in as well as a bathtub can be expected to fit in on a sundeck.
I was thinking of fixing a hose to the existing drain hole, screening it off with plastic mesh, filling the bottom of the tub with a layer of lava rock, putting some soil over that, and either filling it up with herbs and veggies or maybe something more colourful.
I have two concerns: Will this drain properly? (ie; not too slowly or too quickly, and is it okay to have it drain to one side instead of evenly?) Also, there is a quarter-sized spot where the enamel is chipped – is a tiny bit of oxidation liable to cause problems?
Yes, I know that Martha wouldn’t approve, but I think it might be kind of funny, so long as anything planted in it can actually thrive.
Any more experienced folks have any advice for me? Particularly with regard to what material to use for drainage and how deep to make that layer?
I have an old claw footed bathtub in my back yard that I use for a veggie bed or flower bed, or play sand for the kids. It’s been so versatile over the years.
I love my tub and better yet was it was a curb side special. Claw footed bathtubs are at least $100 in the paper. They are popular for watering your cattle.
Since it is so deep, I filled it with rocks on the bottom (rocks are a natural resource around here.) probably one layer. Then a good chunk of sand ( probably 30%) and the rest is a mix of regular dirt and compost. I probably plugged the drain below, but it’s been 10 years, so I cannot tell you. Water has never made it that far, as far as I can tell.
The top part is compost . The place where the backflow thingie is is where I lose most of my water during rain or enthusiastic waterings from my children. The problem with this drainage is that is leaks the good dirt out onto the white rocks that are beneath it that are weed control/landscaping and then a weed will end up growing there.
Most summers I just duct tape an old butter lid over the hole that is there. I even have the faucets on it, which make it most fun too. I would love to figure out an attachment to have a shower on it so I could run water through that, but Mr. Ujest views this with a cynical eye. ( I also would love to add a sink and a toilet to the display to totally cheese up the back yard with whimsical …ahhh…yard art. Apparently, this would be lower class than a battalion of Gnomes. BAH!)
You can grow anything in your tub. Tomatos would be most excellent. Herbs as well. My favorite are Sunflowers (the six-8 ft tall kind.) and pumpkins at the same time. When the sunflowers die off in September is when the pumpkins ( usually two) take off in growing. I try to do a theme every year: herbs. Tomatoes. Pumpkins. Wild Flowers.
This year I think our theme will be a Magical Garden. Making it look like a little village with roads and buildings we make out of natural things like sticks, twigs, rocks and just plant a bunch of fun colorful flowers in there. Make it a play area for the kids. They love this thing as much as I do.
Just make sure where ever you put it that you love where it is, because you will never ever want to move it again.
Have loads of fun with it!
Jeez, what kind of hillbillies are you people? Everyone knows what you do with an old tub is bury it upright and put a madonna in it. Have you no class? Flower, phhffaa.
If it’s done right, it could be very cool. I know you already thought of this, but be sure you’re CERTAIN of where you want it, as it will weigh about 10K lbs. after it’s full of dirt and drainage gravel.
I love ideas like this. It can make such an impact on your yard. I’d put some climbing vines and that sort of thing in it to add more dimension.
The owner of a popular cafe near my house bought ten or twelve bathtubs from a motel that was being demolished. He has them scattered around his outdoor dining area as flower beds and the effect is great.
I once visited a tropical fish farm that had at least fifty old bathtubs that were in use as tanks for small fish.
And, as someone mentioned, they are great watering tanks for your horses.
Shirley, how deep should the rock layer be? And thanks for the sand tip. Never would have thought of that. :smack:
(Speaking of watering horses, when I was a kid we kept our horses in a couple of guesthouses that had been converted to stables by knocking out an exterieror wall in each of them. The plumbing still worked, so the bathtubs were ready-made troughs.)
And thanks ftg.
I wish I’d thought of this a bit earlier, it’s going to a rush.
Now, have we told you about all the wonderful lawn-enhancing uses for old tractor tires? Painted white, they’re particularly fetching. Nothing draws attention to a nice $2 Home Depot azalea like a white tire around it!
You would be wise to have a structural engineer check your sundeck first to make sure it will be able to handle the weight of the tub once it’s filled with soil. (Especially if this is a second-story deck!)
You might consider using a soiless, peat-based potting mix (such as Pro-mix) rather than ordinary garden soil or compost. It is more expensive, but it willl weigh less than a soil-based mixture.
Have fun with the tub! I’m sure it will make a wonderful planter.
