Relocating the Fig Tree ... Six on Saturday

When we built our fig tree planter, we packed out the base with layers of bricks to make an inner wall below the soil level, to confine the tree roots.  This is supposed to improve fruiting.

However, when combined with the soil mix and a fig tree that's grown considerably larger in the past three years, it also makes the planter extremely heavy !   The weight hasn't been a problem until now, because we've never tried to move it more than a few feet, and then we just skidded it around on its base.

But this week we decided to relocate this planter to the new paved area at the front corner of the garden, created when we demolished the old greenhouse.   This new spot gets much more sun throughout the course of the whole day, although it's not quite as warm as the old location which is a semi-enclosed sun trap formed by the kitchen wall, workshop extension wall and the boundary fence at the east.

old location, sheltered and very warm, but only
a few hours of direct sunlight each day 

So, how to move this very large planter from outside the back door and around to the new paved area, a distance of some 30 metres ?

I first looked at using large castors which could be fitted to the underside of the planter base.   I could have bought four of them using click-and-collect at Screwfix for around £20, but the problem is lifting and then holding the planter high enough to be able to get underneath the base and fix them.

So instead, I decided to fit wheels along the sides - these would only need the planter box to be tipped-up very slightly so that the axles could be screwed into the lowest timbers.

Next question, where to get some wheels ?   Again, it's easy enough to buy new proprietary items, but I had a hunt around and found some offcuts of 25 mm thick timbers from when we built the composters.

I marked out four circles in these planks using dividers, and then it was out with the cordless jigsaw to cut around the marked profiles, and then the drill to make axle holes at the centres.   In less than ten minutes, I had four wooden wheels.

a little rough and ready, but they're not going on a Formula 1 car !

In the workshop, I had some 8 mm hexagon head coach screws, each with a short length of the shank unthreaded near the head, so they were ideal for axle shafts.  

I found some suitable washers to use as spacers, coated the screws and washer faces with Vaseline for lubrication, and then fixed the wheels to the planter.  By leaving a little more side clearance at the axles than was strictly necessary for the wheels to rotate freely, the box could also be steered slightly by pushing off centre.

wheels fitted, ready to roll ....

So now it was just a question of pushing / pulling it to its new location.   Where we had to cross a gravelled section of the driveway, we laid out old fenceboards in front of the wheels to create a smoother roadway, making it easier to move.

en route ...

We also used the boards to get the planter over the raised concrete edge around the new paved area.

But, after half-an-hour or so of manoeuvres from start to finish, the planter was parked in its new location.

in its final position - at least for now ...

I removed the wheels, cleaned the grease from the screws & washers and put them back in the workshop.  The wooden wheels and their profile blanks will be used as firewood during the winter.

So, a very simple solution to the problem of moving the planter, and it cost nothing at all !

As usual, thanks to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.