Make a Floating PVC Window Planter

Hey, guys. It's Mandi! After living in an apartment with a tiny kitchen with no windows, I was so excited to move into a home with a roomier kitchen that included both a dishwasher and a window at the sink! I had grand plans of putting pots of herbs on the sill, envisioning my apron-clad self happily snipping away at herbs before making authentic Italian dishes from scratch. Yeah. Well, we've been here for over two years, and I'm just now getting around to getting any kind of herbs on that windowsill. What took me so long? Well, my windowsill was too narrow for pots, so I just kind of gave up … until I got the idea to make a hanging herb planter with a piece of PVC pipe. And it worked out perfectly!My kitchen window doesn't get a ton of light because it opens to an area of our home that is north-facing and covered by a porch. So I keep my needy herbs, like basil and rosemary, in front of our dining room windows, which get lots of bright southern light all day long. For this window planter, I chose mint because it's pretty hearty as far as herbs go, and it also enjoys a moister soil than other herbs, so having great drainage isn't as crucial when growing an aggressive herb like mint.

Be careful about planting mint with other herbs because it tends to take over the entire pot. If you really want to make mint share the soil, then you might want to keep it contained in some kind of plastic pot to keep it from spreading and taking over neighboring plants.Supplies:
-4" PVC pipe – $2 per foot*
-2 4" knock-out plugs – $2
-2 small eye hooks - $1 for a pack of two
-2 larger eye hooks – $1.20 for a pack of two
-4 small S-hooks – $1 per pack of 5
-2 12" lengths of #16 chain – about $.50 per foot

Total cost of supplies for a 2' planter: $9.70

*You typically have to buy pipe in large pieces, even if you only want a small section. So a 5' length of 4" PVC pipe will cost you about $10, even if you are only using 2'. To use up leftover pipe, you may want to make two planters or split supplies with a friend.

Tools:

-power drill
-drill bits (just a tiny bit smaller than the eye hooks)
-3" hole saw (the kind you use to cut holes for door knobs—like this)Step One: Drill pilot holes for your small eye-hooks 3/4" from each end of the pipe. Make sure they are placed directly across from each other. Then screw in the eye-hooks.Step Two: Mark the center for each hole you will be drilling for the plants. Do this in line with the hooks you just put in. Where you want your holes to be spaced may vary from mine, but I marked my centers to be 4.75" apart from each other.

Step Three: Use a hole saw bit on a power drill to cut holes on center with the marks you just made. The image above shows me using a Forstner drill bit (because that's what I had), but it didn't end up working out on the cylindrical shape of the pipe, so I had to borrow a hole saw to finish the job. You may want to use sandpaper to smooth the holes if they look rough after cutting.Step Four: Clean up the PVC "dust" from inside the pipe, and pop in the kock-out plugs on the ends of the pipe. These will fit really tightly, which is great for keeping the soil and water inside the planter.Step Five: Prepare the planter for the soil by pouring small rocks into the bottom of the pipe. This will help the water drain and help prevent root rot from too much water sitting at the bottom of the plants' roots.Next, add soil over the rocks, packing it into the ends and spaces between the holes. Put the plants into the holes, and add soil to the area around it, packing it in lightly.Step Six: Drill pilot holes into the millwork framing your windows, then screw in the larger eye-hooks. I wanted my planter to rest just a couple of inches above my windowsill, so I measured the height of the PVC pipe, plus the length of chain and hooks, added the couple of inches of spacer room, and used that measurement for where I should drill for the eye-hooks. I measured up from my windowsill to make sure the hooks were even on each side.I love having cheery plants in my kitchen window now—so much that I might go take care of that sink full of dishes I keep meaning to take care of. And hey, maybe tonight I'll make mojitos? I think I'm going to love having fresh mint 'round these parts!

–Mandi

Credits // Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson, Photos edited with Spring and Valentine of the Signature Collection.