Gardening In Wine Barrel Planters: The Ultimate Guide

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Wine barrel planters are a wonderful choice for container gardens, to grow edibles and ornamental plants alike! They’re like the perfect mini raised garden bed: more compact, affordable, and ready-to-use than a traditional raised bed, but offer greater growing space and better moisture retention than your average pot. Not to mention the attractive rustic charm they add to any garden!

Read along to learn all about gardening in wine barrels, including tips about drainage, plant spacing, irrigation, the best plants to grow in them, and how to prepare them for planting. 

In This Article
  1. About Wine Barrels
  2. Benefits of Gardening in Wine Barrels
  3. Where to Buy
  4. How Many Plant per Barrel
  5. How to add drainage holes to wine barrels planters
  6. Elevate Barrels
  7. Filling Wine Barrels with Soil
  8. Fertilizing in Wine Barrels
  9. How to Water using Wine Barrels
View more

About wine barrel planters

Wine barrels are used in the winemaking industry (no kidding, huh?). They’re very durable, usually made of thick oak wood planks with metal rings around them for stability. Most folks use half wine barrels for gardening (aka, ones that have been cut in half). Full-size wine barrels aren’t used as often since they’re exceptionally tall and require a lot of soil to fill them! You may also be able to find quarter or three-quarter wine barrels in some places too. 

DeannaCat and her Mom standing next to a wine barrel with a newly planted lemon guava inside it. There are a few ornaments that have been hung on the tree for fun. Gardening in wine barrels can be done with small trees, flowers, and veggies.
Me, my mama, and the lemon guava she got us as a gift – planted in a wine barrel, all decked out for the holidays!

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Benefits of Gardening in Wine Barrels

  • Wine barrel planters are awesome for growing food, flowers, herbs, or even trees in small spaces like patio gardens. 
  • Because they’re fairly light and portable (compared to other garden beds), wine barrel gardens are the perfect solution for renters. You can bring them with you when you move!
  • Wine barrels are nice and deep, providing ample room for a wide variety of plants to flourish, including deep-rooted crops like tomatoes or carrots. 
  • Gardening in wine barrels creates a controlled environment which you can tailor to a specific plant’s needs. For example, fill the wine barrel with acidic soil or use acidic fertilizers to grow blueberries or potatoes. Wine barrels are also ideal for growing and confining invasive plants like mint. 
  • Unlike other raised beds, wine barrel planters require no assembly, building skills or tools (with the exception of a drill to add drainage holes).
  • Wine barrels add character and curves to the garden. Even though we have dozens of large raised garden beds, we always add wine barrel planters for a little garden whimsy too!
  • It’s easy to make wine barrel planters mobile on hard surfaces. Simply screw heavy-duty casters to the bottom! This is especially useful in small spaces where you may want to rearrange things based on the sun exposure, entertaining, or other needs. 
  • Wine barrels last a long time – for several years minimum, up to 10 or more (depending on quality and climate). Learn how to make your wood raised garden beds last as long as possible here.
  • Believe it or not, wine barrels are technically a “waste product” of the wine industry. Therefore, gardening in wine barrels is sustainable! You’re doing your part to reduce waste by giving them a second life. 
  • Since they have a solid botom, wine barrel planters are automatically mole, vole and gopher-proof. (A huge perk here!)
Gardening in wine barrels with a feijoa or pineapple guava in one of the planters. Beyond lies two more wine barrels that are full of soil but devoid of plants. Four chickens are huddled around the planters, inspecting them with interest.
Wine barrels are ideal for patios and small spaces. (pineapple guava aka feijoa shown here)
Gardening in wine barrels with two blueberry bushes growing in the planters. They are in the center of two separate planting spaces that are lined with cobblestone. Various flowering perennial plants are growing around the planters.
I love the character that wine barrels bring to a space, like these blueberry bushes in our old front yard garden. (This area was freshly planted and still needed a good layer of bark mulch on top!)
A large pink/purple zinnia plant with large flowers is in the foreground, beyond there is a terracotta planter with sage and thyme growing in it. Just beyond lies a wine barrel with turmeric growing in it, its long, tropical, banana type leaves reaching towards the sun.
We always grow turmeric in wine barrels – and it thrives! It’s also a breeze to harvest. Rather than digging up the fragile rhizomes, we tip the wine barrel on its side on a tarp to gently pull out the finished turmeric.
A tall full wine barrel has a bush of mint growing out of the top of it. There is a hole along the middle of the barrel where the runners of the mint have emerged, creating a smaller bush of mint growing out the middle of the planter. Gardening in wine barrels is great for plants that can spread quickly with runners.
Pro tip: Never plant mint in the ground! It spreads aggressively through underground runners and is nearly impossible to get rid of. Solution: contain it within a wine barrel! Check out that motivated mint creeping through the bung hole.

Where to buy wine barrels for gardening

If you live in wine country like we do, you’re in luck! Wine barrels are generally pretty easy to find at local nurseries, Tractor Supply, and on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. Big box garden centers often carry them too, especially to kick off the spring garden season.

Here are some wine barrels from Home Depot. They don’t ship to home, but might be able to transfer to your local store. You can also usually find faux wine barrels like these stylish ones made from fir (though they likely won’t last as long as the real ones). 

If you can’t find wine barrels, keep an eye out for whiskey barrels too! Whiskey barrels are also typically made from oak, very durable, and great at retaining soil and moisture. They’re just a tad smaller than wine barrels; full size whiskey barrels hold 53 gallons of liquid rather than 59 gallons like wine barrels. When in doubt, call around and see what you can find – including wineries or distilleries in your area!

You can grow various plants when gardening in wine barrels. Various sized wine barrels are showcased at a nursery amongst various flowering plants that are inside and around the different barrels.
A wine barrel display at our local nursery, with standard half wine barrels, full barrels, and even baby quarter barrels – ideal for herbs, succulents, annual flowers or other petite plants.

How many plants can I fit in a wine barrel?

You’d be surprised at how many plants you can fit in a wine barrel planter! The surface area is just over 4 square feet, much larger than your average pot.  However, it’s still important to maintain proper spacing between plants – just like you would in any other garden bed. Crowded plants won’t thrive as they compete for root space, nutrients, water, sun and airflow.

You can grow the following plants in standard half wine barrel planter:

  • 1 tomato plant
  • 1 dwarf fruit tree or fruiting shrub (e.g. fig tree, blueberry bush or pineapple guava)
  • 1 large ornamental shrub, artichoke, or hemp plant
  • 1 bush zucchini or squash plant, perhaps 2 if it’s a trailing variety.
  • 1 or 2 broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower plants
  • 2 or 3 climbing cucumber plants 
  • 2 or 3 pepper plants or eggplant
  • 4 kale, collard greens, bok choy, or similar large leafy green plants
  • 6 to 8 heads of lettuce, strawberry plants, fava beans, or bush beans
  • 10-12 onions, depending on variety
  • 12+ snow or snap peas (planted in a ring around a central trellis or teepee support)
  • Up to 20 bulbs of garlic
  • Dozens of carrots, radishes, or turnips
  • Several annual flower or herb plants, depending on variety
  • Other crops we like to grow in wine barrels include turmeric, ginger, horseradish, rhubarb, and so much more!

Don’t forget about companion plants! Even if your barrel only fits one or two large plants, you can tuck a few smaller ones around it. For instance, one tomato plant in the center with a couple basil or marigolds around the edges.

A young lemon and a lime tree are planted in wooden planters, they are set against the backdrop of a blue house.
A lemon and lime tree in wine barrel planters. Citrus, figs, and other dwarf or semi-dwarf tree varieties do better in containers than larger cultivars. Truth be told, trees will always be happiest (and lower maintenance) in the ground though, so if you have the choice, stick with that.
A young fig tree is in the forefront in a wooden planter. There is another planter beyond that with young winter squash seedlings growing in it.
Fig trees do well in wine barrels! I got carried away and crowded the winter squash in the barrel on the back left (3 mini butternut squash and 2 pumpkin). They didn’t produce to their fullest potential. Now, I would plant 2 (mayyybe 3) trailing squash maximum.
Two wine barrels for gardening as featured on top of a paver landing. One planter has turmeric growing in it, its tall green tropical leaves filling out the canopy. The other planter has a smaller cannabis plant in it, its bushiness fills out the space and beyond. A chicken is in the forefront, looking towards the camera.
Another perk: wine barrel planters are fairly easy to chicken-proof!

How to add drainage holes to wine barrels planters

Before filling your wine barrels with soil, use a drill and large drill bit to add at least 6 large drainage holes spread evenly across the bottom of the barrel. We’ve added ¾” holes in the past, which is a great size but drains the drill battery fast. (The bottoms are really thick!) In the most recent wine barrel planters we set up, we added about 9 half-inch holes instead. I wouldn’t recommend anything smaller than half-inch.

This is a crucial step; one you cannot skip! Think about it: wine barrels and whiskey barrels are made to hold liquid without leaking. Sure, they may drain a little between the seams as they age, but overall they’re excellent at retaining moisture. If you don’t add plenty of drainage holes, the soil will get too soggy and plants can easily drown and rot.

We also usually add a layer of durable water-permeable landscape fabric to the bottom of the barrel to prevent the drainage holes from getting clogged with soil. That is a great way to ensure invasive roots like mint runners don’t escape from the bottom of the barrel too!

The bottom of a wine barrel for gardening is shown after it has 9 1/2 inch holes drilled into the bottom. The sawdust from the holes is still visible on the bottom of the red wine stained barrel.
8 half-inch drainage holes around one larger 3/4 inch hole in the center.
The inside of a wooden planting container is shown. A round piece of landscape fabric has been placed on the bottom to prevent soil from clogging the drainage holes.
A wine barrel is upside down, it has 9 equally spaced 1/2 inch holes drilled into the bottom. There are four heavy duty casters attached to the bottom as well to allow for it to be easily moved.
3/4″ drainage holes (now I try to spread them out a bit more so the center doesn’t become weak). We also added heavy duty casters to the bottom of a wine barrel so we could moved it around our patio.

Elevate before planting

Avoid setting your wine barrel planters directly on soil. Instead, elevate them slightly on bricks or pavers to reduce wood-to-earth contact on the bottom. This will prevent the bottom from rotting – and extend the life of your wine barrel!

You don’t need to elevate barrels if they’re on concrete or gravel, but can do so if you wish. Even though most of our barrels are in gravel, we still often tuck several bricks under the perimeter to help them sit level. 

Reminder: Wine barrel planters are very heavy once they’re full of soil, so be sure to do this prior to filling them up!

Lush strawberry plants spill over the edge of their wooden planter. There are a few ripe and green strawberries hanging down below the leaves. The sun shines in from behind, partially shaded by plant material.
This wine barrel was already in place when we moved into our new homestead. It wasn’t set up on bricks or pavers, so now it’s uneven and sinking into the ground on one side. But at least it’s full of delicious strawberries!

Filling Wine Barrels with Soil

Fill wine barrel planters with potting soil or other soil that is specifically made for containers or raised garden beds. It should be fluffy and well-draining (usually contains perlite or pumice) and moderately rich in organic matter. We typically use quality bagged potting soil mixed with some well-aged compost, but the compost makes up no more than 30% of the total volume. 

Last but not least, don’t forget to top off your barrel with a good layer of mulch! Mulch will insulate the soil, protect plant roots from temperature swings, and aid in moisture retention.

How much soil do I need to fill a wine barrel planter?

Most wine barrels hold about 4 to 5 cubic feet of soil. Once cut in half, the average wine barrel is about 27 inches in diameter and can range from 16 to 18 inches tall. A quick run of the numbers (V=πr2h, anyone?) allows us to determine the volume it holds. For reference, potting soil usually comes in 2 or 3 cubic-foot bags. So, plan on using 2 to 3 bags of potting soil per barrel.

Aaron is using a shovel to prepare a new wine barrel with fresh soil. A lemon guava shrub sits in front of the barrel, waiting for its new home to be planted in.

Fertilizing plants in wine barrels

Like any other potted plant, wine barrels will have slightly higher fertilizer needs than in-ground gardens or larger raised beds. That is because there is more runoff and less overall soil volume to store nutrients. 

Plan to amend your wine barrel planters at least annually, maybe more depending on the plant’s needs. For instance, one round of fertilizer in the spring before planting short-lived annual veggie crops would be sufficient. However, trees or other perennials growing in wine barrels may benefit from fertilizer 2 or 3 times per year. 

We amend the soil in our wine barrel planters with the same types of mild slow-release organic fertilizers we use in our raised garden beds, including kelp meal, neem seed meal, alfalfa meal and basalt rock dust. Or, try this all-in-one organic all purpose fertilizer. Here is another great option specifically for fruit trees.

We also like to water with homemade aerated compost tea a few times per year, which provides gentle nutrients along with important beneficial microbes! Mycorrhizae is another excellent natural addition to support root growth and fruit production, and increase overall plant health and resilience.

A wine barrel full of soil is being amended with slow release fertilizer which will be scratched into the surface of the soil.
Sprinkling in some slow-release organic fertilizers before planting a new round of turmeric. The wire around the barrel is to keep the chickens out.

How to water wine barrel planters

Wine barrels are designed to hold in liquid, so even after adding drainage holes, the soil in wine barrel planters tends to stay damp longer than other pots (on par with a small raised bed). Irrigation schedules will vary depending on your climate and what you’re growing. Most plants prefer consistently damp soil, but not sopping wet. When in doubt, use a basic moisture meter to assess before adding more water.

There are a number of ways to water wine barrels. We like to water ours barrels are all connected to automated drip irrigation, which is incredibly convenient! Here is a tutorial on how to set up drip irrigation for containers and pots. Then of course there is good old-fashioned hand watering with a garden hose or watering can.

Clay ollas can greatly reduce the amount and frequency you need to hand water! Before setting up drip irrigation to our newest wine barrels, we’d often use a medium GrowOya inside the barrel and plant around it. Simply bury it in the soil, fill with water on occasion, and the water slowly seeps through the porous terracotta into the surrounding soil – helping the soil stay moist much longer! Discount code “deannacat” will save you 10% at GrowOya.

DeannaCat is holding a clay vessel that is round and bulbous on the bottom with a short neck on the top. It can be buried in the soil and filled with water to slowly release into the soil.
Bury one of these babies in your wine barrel planter to reduce the amount you have to water! Save 10% off GrowOya with code “deannacat”
Gardening in wine barrels with young eggplant seedlings . Beyond lies many wooden raised garden beds set atop gravel. A few of them have various green plants growing in them while some are left fallow for the time being.
Drip emitter rings in our newest wine barrel planters, which is connected to our main raised bed drip irrigation system.
Two very happy, prolific pepper plants in a wine barrel

And that concludes this guide on gardening in wine barrel planters.

As you can see, there are dozens of benefits to gardening in wine barrels – and even more plants that you can grow in them! It’s also probably pretty obvious that we love using barrels in our own gardens. I hope you enjoyed learning more about them, and are able to make good use of few wine barrel planters in your own garden too. If you found this information to be valuable, please spread the love by sharing or pinning this post! Also feel free to ask questions or chime in with any tips in the comments below. See you next time!

Don’t miss these related articles:

  • How to Build a Raised Garden Bed: Step-by-Step Guide (and video)
  • 9 Ways to Add Whimsy and Interest to Your Garden
  • How to Grow Fig Trees
  • Non-Toxic Gopher Control: How to Gopher-Proof Your Garden
  • How to Grow Pineapple Guava (Feijoa): Cold-Hardy Tropical Fruit
  • How to Grow Turmeric in Containers, in Any Zone
  • How to Grow Artichokes: A Complete Guide with Photos
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35 Comments

  • Roger

    July 14, 2025 at 11:20 pm Reply

    Do you need to elevate half wine barrels so as to allow air to flow under the base which in my case is sitting on small decorative stone pathway pebbles. Thank you for your rxcellent advice so far.

    • Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)

      July 15, 2025 at 7:00 am Reply

      Hi Roger, you can but it likely isn’t necessary. Most wine barrels have a bottom lip that makes the planter sit a half inch or so above the ground as is, if your barrel is on gravel/pebbles, all the better as long as you have drilled adequate drainage holes in the bottom. Hope that helps and have fun growing!

  • JUidt

    May 25, 2025 at 8:33 am Reply

    thank you! so nice!

  • Sarah

    May 10, 2025 at 11:58 am Reply

    I just got my wine barrel from Home Depot delivered and it has tartrate crystals all over the inside of it. Can I just leave them? Thanks! 😊

    • Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)

      May 11, 2025 at 7:36 am Reply

      You should be good to go, we usually find some type of buildup or deposits in the wine barrels and it never seems to be an issue.

      • Sarah

        May 11, 2025 at 8:08 pm Reply

        Thanks Aaron!

  • Sarah

    May 8, 2025 at 2:25 pm Reply

    Per usual, fantastic article! I’ve never really been into wine barrels but your blog posts have really made me like them! I love that you can plant indeterminate tomatoes in them. And thank you SO MUCH for the Home Depot links, there’s plenty at my local store and while they’re $20 more expensive than what I can find on FB marketplace, I don’t have to drive 45 min each way to pick them up at some random dude’s house! Oh btw, Home Depot now offers shipping to your door same day for $2.99.

    • Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)

      May 9, 2025 at 6:43 am Reply

      Thanks for sharing Sarah and have fun growing!

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Hey! I'm Deanna, aka @deannacat3. My goal is to help inspire others to lead more healthy, sustainable lives by sharing tips to make gardening and homesteading easy and enjoyable ~ so you can learn and grow along! Read more...

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