How to Make a Super Easy DIY Container from a Large Barrel

Since I was able to acquire a couple barrels, I wanted to make some large containers that I could use to grow my sweet potatoes and blue jade corn. I also used one of the barrels to make a composter.
Im not sure about other cities, but it is easy to find barrels of this size in NYC for about $30. It is important that it is food grade or has not been used before as you do not want to eat anything grown in something with trace toxic stuff hanging around.

Finished product

DIY Containers from A Large Barrel

You will need:

- Drill
- Saw/jig saw
- Cleaning solution
- Measuring tape
- Protective eyewear

Steps:

1 - Use a cleaning solution to thoroughly clean both the outside and the inside of the barrel.

2 - Use measuring tape to find the middle point on the barrel.

3 - For my jigsaw, I needed to drill a hole on the line where I wanted to cut.

4 - Put on protective eyewear and carefully use the saw to cut the barrel in half.

5 - Carefully, drill 1-inch drainage holes in the bottom of the containers. I also like to do a drainage hole in the lower side of the container as well for extra drainage.

Notice the drainage on the side.

Hope this helps!
- Monti