By Andrew Salomone
I like fishing. Catching fish is OK, but it can really start to feel a little bit like work once you have an actual fish on your hands. Sitting near water holding a fancy stick with a distinct sense of purpose is really the best part of the whole charade for me. So I realized that the tackle boxes full of fishing paraphernalia that I have accrued over the years are not really all that necessary for my enjoyment of the rich tradition of fishing. It is my suspicion that I am not the only one out there who has a few of these boxes specifically designed to allow easy access to fishing tackle laying idle somewhere. So here’s an easy project to class up your domicile: a Tackle Box Planter. Read on to get started!
Materials
Tackle box or make-up box, pencil box, tool box, any box with trays at multiple levels that extend out when it is open.
Potting soil
Garden trowel
Seeds or seedlings
Gravel
Cardboard egg carton if you plan to use the planter to start seedlings
Directions
Step 1: Find a tackle box.
Warning: If you are using a tackle box that was previously used to hold fishing tackle, including lead weights, be sure the wash out the box very well before you plant anything in it, or be sure not to plant anything edible in it, as lead can be dangerous when it gets in the soil of edible plants.
Step 2: Put a layer of small gravel pieces into the bottom of each level of the planter. This will act as a drainage system for the soil and keep the plant’s roots from rotting. Also, consider drilling some holes in the trays for proper drainage.
Note: Make sure that the trays are not too shallow to plant in or make sure to choose plants that can grow in shallow soil. I chose to use plants to illustrate a variety of different types of plants, but these may not be the best plants to try to maintain in the planter over a long period of time.
Step 3: Use a garden trowel to fill the tackle box with potting soil.
Note: You may want to use some of the space on the trays to get seedlings started before moving them out to your garden or another planter.
Step 4: Plant your seeds or plants and place the planter in a sunny spot.
Note: Don’t forget to throw a few old lures in there for dramatic effect.
About the Author:
Andrew Salomone makes artwork about the absurd ways that ideas are communicated through popular culture. He is currently teaching a course on art and technology in Arizona.
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