HYPERTUFA HOUSE PLANTING CONTAINER

Here's a fun project just in time for spring.  If you think you might need some help on this one, you can enroll in our springreative workshop and we'll show you how to make this house container.
Visit peaceinmygarden.com for more info and to enroll.

What you need:

Fresh batch of hypertufa using your favorite recipe.   Here is mine using recycled paper :

http://fromthesummersgarden.blogspot.com/p/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-ja-x_10.html

One- inch foam insulation board or recycled styrofoam packing containers

Plastic mixing container

Mud gloves

Trowel

Two-inch common nails

Baking spray

Keyhole saw

Hot glue gun

Plastic drop cloth

What you do:

1.  Measure and cut out these dimensions from the one-inch piece of foam board using the keyhole saw:

      1 base piece- 14” x 10”

      2 side pieces:  8” x 10

 Position the rectangles so the 10 inch dimension is up and down.  Place a mark at 6 inches from the bottom up on both sides and draw a line.  Fin the mid pint at 4 “ and draw a straight line up to the top edge of these rectangles.  Connect the line from this center point at the top down to either side to get the angel for the roofline and cut with the saw.  

 2 front and back pieces:  6” x 14”

2.  Cut out  2” x 3” rectangles of foam for windows and a piece, 4.5” x 3 for a door. I didn’t want my windows and doors one-inch thick so I cut each in half vertically so they were only ½” thick.  This is easily done with the saw.  Use  a hot glue gun to attach them to the inside sides of your house mold.

3.  Put the four sides of the house together using three nails at each corner.  The nail will go through the 6” x 14” pieces and into the sides of the angled pieces.  Then attached the base pieces using nails all the way around the house shape.  Wrap duct tape around the house mold to help it stay together while you are working.

4.  Cover your work surface with the plastic drop cloth, put on the mud gloves and mix up your hypertufa.  

5.  Spray the inside of your house mold with baking spray.

6.  Beginning at a bottom inside edge build the walls of the house handful by handful, packing the hypertufa firmly against the mold sides.  Continue this process until you reach the top edges of the mold.

7.  The top edge or rim of your house container need to be packed and formed densely since it must withstand being picked up and handled,  Firmly press the top edge of the container all the way around with four fingers on the inside of the container and your thumbs on the outside.  Put in one or two drainage holes in the bottom with your finger. 

8.  Allow the new container to harden and cure for two full days.  Then take out the nails from the base and  sides.  Carefully remove the mold pieces. If you are lucky you will be able to reuse this mold.

9.  Smooth rough edges with a gloved hand  or your trowel.  Let the container dry out for a week and it is ready to plant up with your favorite container plants.