How to Make a Concrete Planter Out of Quikrete

Use a shovel to make a pile of sand on a flat work surface. The sand should be about 2 inches deeper than your proposed planter height, and should be robust enough to provide pressure which will hold a shape once set. Use a garden hose to dampen the sand so it will hold the shape of the mold. Place a round garbage pail, barrel or metal can into the sand pile and stack sand around it. The idea is to use the cylindrical prop to create a void of equal size in the sand pile. This void will serve as the mold for your concrete planter. Turn the prop side to side to remove it from the sand.

Slide the wooden dowel into the sand at the center point of your cylindrical void. The dowel must be long enough to anchor properly in the sand at the bottom of the mold, while reaching upward far enough to penetrate the base wall of your planter. When the concrete has dried, the dowel will have created a hole through which water can drain. Coat the upper end of the dowel with motor oil to prevent concrete from adhering to it.

Pour the contents of an 80-lb. bag of Quikrete ready-mix concrete into a wheelbarrow or onto a flat working surface. Use a shovel to mix in about 6 pints of water (check instructions on the package, and use more or less as needed). Blend the mixture until it forms pliable, pourable concrete. Pour concrete into the base of the sand mold to a depth of about 2 inches.

Create the proper inside spacing with a tube or can. Any cylindrical can or tube will work as a spacer, as long as it is about 1 or 2 inches smaller on all sides than your sand cavity mold. Concrete must be able to fit around it and form into a sufficiently thick-walled planter. Coat the outside of the spacer with motor oil so it will be easy to remove, and place it into the mold.

Pour concrete around the spacer and up to the top of the mold. This concrete will form the sides of the planter when dry. Use a tamper to press down the wet concrete and remove any bubbles from the mixture. Allow the planter to dry in the mold for about four days. Spray the planter with water periodically to keep it damp throughout the drying period, so the concrete can wet cure instead of drying quickly. This will provide more strength in the finished product.

Lift the spacer from the concrete, and lift the concrete planter from the sand mold. Gently remove the wooden dowel from the base of the planter. Since the dowel was coated with oil, it should slide out without much resistance. Fill with soil and plants.