It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything do-it-yourself here on the blog, but these DIY gutter planters are the perfect thing to break that silence. I found them as I was looking for wall garden inspiration on Pinterest and came across this post by one of my favorite fellow bloggers, Shelby, of Pretty in the Pines. Hers turned out just beautiful and, although I was planning on putting them against a wall rather than free-hanging from a porch, I followed her directions with just a few simple changes.

Since building mine and putting it up, I also found this great video tutorial on the Home Depot’s website. It gives easy step-by-step instructions with visuals and I kind of wish I’d watched it before I started my project lol. It’s just easier to see something done step-by-step before you try it for the first time. So, I highly recommend watching their video before you get started!

As it was, there were a few things I’d do differently with this project if I had to do it all over again. Let’s talk about those really quick.

What I’d Do Differently.

1. Double Holes/Rope Rather than Single
I really liked the simplistic look of the single string in Shelby’s post, so that’s what I emulated with mine. However, because my gutter planters are hanging against a wall, I think they could have used a little more support on each side. As they are now, they have a tendency to bow out in the front a little bit. Alternatively, I think if I had drilled the rope holes more toward the front rather than the middle, that would have helped too. Not a huge deal, but one I think would have made a positive impact in my case.

2. Use Knots Rather than Pipe Clamps Between Gutters
As I said above, I think this just would have saved me some time. The pipe clamps took me a little while to loosen, fit them where I wanted them and tighten back up again. I like the stability they provide, but I don’t know that they were worth the extra time. If I’d had someone helping me, though, the pipe clamps would’ve taken half the time and this probably wouldn’t have been an issue on my list at all!

3. Fuller flowers.
This weekend, I might take some time to swap out flowers.. or just add more. I like the petunias that I picked but I was thinking they’d fill the space more than they do. So i’ll either add more or swap them out for something else. Depends on what’s in stock at our nursery 🙂

But that’s it in terms of ‘regrets’. Not deal breakers by any means, just a few things I wanted to point out to you before you start your own project! Either way, it brings me so much joy to look over there and see plants on the wall. Not to mention the fact that I’ll have fresh herbs to cook with all Spring and Summer!

These planters cost a total of around $50 to make (not including the tools we already had on hand) and took me about 2 hours to do by myself. But have someone help you! With help it’d probably only take about an hour.

How to Build Gutter Planters.

Before getting setting out to get supplies, make your decision on whether or not you want a double rope hanging style and whether or not you plan to use either knots or washers with pipe clamps at the bottom of each gutter. Choose the tutorial you follow accordingly – whether it’s mine, Shelby’s or The Home Depot’s and then construct your game plan accordingly.

Here’s how I did mine and what I used to construct them.

The Tools and Materials.

12 feet of vinyl gutter (Two 10′ pieces)

3 sets of vinyl gutter caps

1 pack of ¼ x 2 inch S hook

2 screw-in hooks

About 20 feet of rope

Six washers (make sure the hole is wide enough for the rope you choose)

Eight ¼ – 1 ½ inch pipe clamps

Power Drill 

Mitre saw

Flat head screwdriver

Tape measure 

Sharpie

Clear Packing Tape

The Steps.

1. Measure and cut your gutters to the desired length.

2. Mark drainage and rope holes (TIP: if you’re doing a single rope, mark your hole towards the front of the gutter rather than the middle). I made my rope holes about 2 inches from either side and then two more holes in the middle for drainage.

3. Determine the length of your rope and how much space you’d like in between each gutter. Ours came out to about 14 inches from the bottom of one planter to the top of the next. Mark where you’d like pipe clamps with a sharpie. TIP: in terms of the length of the rope, give add an additional 12 inches from what you think you need/want. This will give you room to make adjustments and then you can cut the extra off where you’d like.

4. Tie one end of your rope to an S Hook and clamp the end of the knot with a pipe clamp so that it can’t come loose or undone. See photo:

5. Put tape around the other end of the rope and thread it through the top of the first gutter, followed by a washer and then a pipe clamp. The tape can be removed or cut off at the end, I just found it useful for getting the rope through the hole. Repeat with the other rope on the other side of your gutters.

6. Space your gutters out and tighten the pipe clamps to hold them in place.

7. Measure and mark holes on the wall where you’d like your screw-in hooks to go. Make sure the width between them is the same as the width between your two ropes on your planter.

8. Fill gutter planters with desired soil and plants! I used a mixture of herbs (basil, parsley, thyme) and white petunias.