How To Use Whiskey Barrels To Give Your Garden A Fresh Look

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We love a garden hack that is as visually-appealing as it is functional, and we found the perfect intersection of those qualities when it comes to utilizing a whiskey barrel in your garden as a beautiful planter. Unless you live on an estate with a wine cellar, you may not already have a whiskey barrel to use as a rustic, aesthetic vessel for plants... but that's okay! They are easily sourced online at big-name hardware stores like Ace and Lowe's. Beyond the barrel, you only need a few essential supplies, a nutrient-rich potting soil, and the plants of your choosing.

First, decide where you want your planter to be located. It's going to get heavy fast, so make sure you do any repositioning in advance. Another critical early step is to make sure there are adequate drainage holes drilled into the bottom of your barrel. How often you water your veggies (or herbs, or flowers) depends on a lot of factors, but your whiskey barrel is made of wood, and, to prevent rot, it's important that excess water can drain. You may also want to slightly elevate it so the water can escape the bottom — sitting it on top of two long pieces of wood should do the trick. Some folks put a layer of gravel down inside, but this may be counterproductive. Next, fill with potting soil up to about three inches from the rim of the barrel. Now, the fun part: Deciding what to plant! You can even incorporate some height by placing a terra cotta planter in the middle of your soil and layering plants around and inside it.

There are a few schools of thought regarding the ideal garden mix for your whiskey barrel planter. We've seen small veggie gardens, selections of popular kitchen herbs, and ornamental flowers all chosen for this hack, and they are all great choices. Combinations of veggies and herbs are obviously useful picks — tomato and basil plants are often grown together for a clever reason, while you can attract hummingbirds to your garden with sage plants. What do you use most often in your cooking? If you are big on pasta, oregano is going to be a natural choice, while those that adore fresh salsa might opt for cilantro. Voracious mint will spread quickly through your miniature garden, so consider curtailing its roots by placing the root ball in a small planter buried in the soil. You also can't go wrong with peppers, which will spice up your dinners in warm-weather months, and even longer if you preserve them! Lettuce also looks pretty and tastes delish. 

On the other hand, flowers can make a visually-arresting spectacle in a whiskey barrel. We've seen some gardening influencers divide flower choices into "thrillers, spillers, and fillers" — the first to use as a centerpiece, or a real "wow" display; the second to gracefully cascade over the planter; and the third to cover any gaps in your arrangement. Consider your climate and the time of year you are planting. Otherwise, have a blast filling your whiskey barrel planter!