DIY Vintage Crate Succulent Planter

Do you love succulents? And are you a fan of vintage finds? I combined my love of succulents and things from the past to turn a vintage crate into a super cute DIY crate succulent planter. 

The countdown is on!

My oldest has four days left of the school year, including today, and my youngest and I have just one more week after this. I think that after a stressful COVID school year we are all looking forward to a break and (hopefully) when we go back in the fall things will be more like the old “normal”. We’ve had a busy stretch around here the past few weeks, but as we approach the end of the school year many major tasks have been checked off our list. After a beautiful May, we’ve had a fairly rainy June, but the weather ahead is looking fantastic and I’m super excited to get outside more once again.  I’m looking forward to finally getting our yard tackled, some landscaping done in the front, and our deck setup and ready and summer. Today I’m sharing a cute little project that I think will be perfect on our new deck – this DIY vintage crate succulent planter!

I’m also joining some of my talented blogging friends for the Seasonal Simplicity Summer Craft and DIY hop. Make sure to check out all of their fabulous summer DIYs at the bottom of today’s post!

To create this vintage crate succulent planter, I used an old crate that my friend Melissa gifted to me, along with some pieces of styrofoam (not pictured), poly/plastic sheeting, gravel, sandy potting soil, and some wood chip potting soil. I also selected a variety of succulents from local nurseries (plant names listed below).

I ended up buying more succulents after I started this project because I found I didn’t have enough to fill the crate. I will plan to let these grow for a year and then probably divide them up as they need more room and create another succulent planter of some kind.

I put some styrofoam down inside the crate in order to take up space and make the finished crate succulent planter lighter than if I’d just filled it with gravel and soil.

I added the poly/plastic sheeting along the bottom and sides in order to give the old crate some level of water protection. I don’t plan to water this heavily, since succulents need very little water, but I also want to prevent this crate from rotting out for as long as possible. Then I added a thin layer of gravel for extra drainage.

Next I added a sandy top soil/potting soil…

I cut the plastic down to the level of the soil so that it was no longer visible and then it was time to plant!

I played around with the placement of the plants, and then dug them in; I removed a lot of the excess soil and loosened the roots on any of the plants that were in larger pots so as to accommodate the depth of the vintage crate succulent planter.

Isn’t it cute?

I can’t wait to see it start to grow and spread in and fill up the space. A planter like this would also look nice with a layer of small pea gravel over the top.

I used a variety of succulents, including the following:

• Mixed Echeveria: aka hens and chicks
• Red Beauty Hens and Chicks
• Cape Blanco Pacific Stonecrop
• Sedum: Fine Gold Leaf
• Stonecrop: Angelina
• Sedum: Gold Moss
• Sedum: Lime Zinger

Tips for Growing Succulents:

1. Don’t overwater, and water by season. They grow more in spring and summer so need more water then.
2. Water the soil directly, not the plant foliage.
3. When watering you can soak the soil if you pot has drainage. If you don’t have drainage (link in this planter) then water sparingly. They don’t like to sit in waterlogged soil and their roots can rot.
4. Use potting soil with sand or pumice in it so it drains better.
5. Make sure they get enough light – but build up to full sun all day.
6. Rotate them if they are in pots to ensure they get even sun over time.

I can’t wait to find the perfect spot for it out on our deck. Next week I’ll be back to share that outdoor space with you – it’s probably my favourite deck from any of our houses. Of course, the deck at our old lake house was beautiful because of the view, but I love that our new deck is covered by a tall vaulted roofline. Such a bonus when you live in a rainy west coast climate!

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As I mentioned, today I’m joining some of my talented blogging friends for the Summer Seasonal Simplicity Series: DIY/Craft Project Hop.  Be sure to check out all of the creative summer DIY ideas by visiting the links under the images below.

DIY Crate Succulent Planter at The Happy Housie

Poppy and Fern Front Door Planters at Inspiration for Moms

DIY Beaded Garland at She Gave it a Go

DIY Tic Tac Toe Board Game at Modern Glam

Summer Decoupage Concrete Coasters at Tatertots and Jello

Popsicle Stick Picnic Tables at Clean & Scentsible

Summer Basket Wreath from a $3 Thrift Store Find at Confessions of a Serial DIYer

DIY Custom Hoodies for Summer Fun at Rambling Renovators

DIY Pedestal Bowl at Paint Me Pink

Dollar Store Hacks at Hallstrom Home

DIY Velvet Mushroom Cap at Life is a Party

Free 4th of July Printable at My Sweet Savannah

DIY No Sew Outdoor Tablecloth or Picnic Blanket at A Pretty Life

DIY Egg Shell Art at Dans le Lakehouse

Looking for more fun SUMMER DIYS?! Check out these posts!