Note: This post was contributed by Olivia Glendale.

When I was first dating my husband, I had no idea he was a gardener and worked at a garden center during the day. I met him when he was playing in a band at a local concert.

I remember visiting him at his apartment and being impressed that he knew how to garden. He was a single man in his late 20’s, and he could actually keep something green alive! Not only that, he knew his plants and cared for them.

It took a while (hey, I had two kids in 2 years), but I’m finally starting to catch his green thumb. After all, gardening is probably the most DIY activity ever. I’ve had so much fun learning about gardening and hanging out as a family while we do it together. I’ve even managed to make some garden-friendly crafts to give our small outdoor space my personal crafty touch.

Which brings me to my most recent project: concrete mini planters. It’s no secret that succulents are huge within the DIY community, and I’ll admit that I’ve bought my fair share. Some have lived, some have died, but I’ve learned how to properly take care of them and that’s all that matters.

So when I bought a huge bag of concrete for a different DIY project, I figured that I could use the leftover to make some succulent planters for my windowsill.  I had recently purchased some sedum nussbaumerianum and they were still sitting in the original planters, so it was perfect timing. Plus, what says urban gardening more than concrete? I love the look of flowers and succulents potted in industrial materials.

Thanks to Robin for letting me share my project with all of you. Again, I’m by no means a true gardener but with my husband’s help, I’ve been learning as much as I can.

Materials
• Quikrete concrete mix (about 3 bucks from Home Depot)
• Plastic cup (or similar) molds
• Smaller mold for the cavity (I used K-cups)

1. Since concrete is used for bigger projects, the bag won’t have directions for the ratio of mix to water. So, mix the concrete and water until the consistency is like pancake batter. If it’s too runny, it will break easily. If it’s too thick, it will break easily. For a better explanation, check out this tutorial.

2. Pour the concrete into the plastic cups about ¾ of the way. Then, stick something smaller inside of the cup to create the cavity. I used K-cups because it made the most sense, and that’s what I had lying around.

If you want to make smaller tea candle holders, simply fill the cups up ½ of the way. Since the planters are so tiny, you only need to let them dry for about 24-48 hours. With concrete, the longer you wait the better.

4.  The plastic will come off of the planters fairly easily, all you need to do is squeeze the cup and it will start to break. Then you have your planters!

5. I took off segments of my sedum nussbaumerianum and planted them (with rocks, sand, and soil) in the mini planters. I haven’t drilled a hole in the bottom of the planters yet because I don’t think they need it. In hindsight, I probably should have drilled a drainage hole before I planted; but again, they seem to be doing fine and it’s been about 3 weeks.

Thank you to our guest contributor, Olivia Glendale, a 20-something mother of two, and lover of all things DIY. She has recently started gardening in her new place–check out some more of her projects at DIY Mother.