Inexpensive Oversized Fall Porch Planter

This giant fall porch planter cost me less than $15 to put together! Here’s how to make this inexpensive oversized fall porch planter.

 

When it comes to fall porch decor, the simple, easy-to-find things really are the best, and there’s no need to get too extravagent with your plans. If you think you need to spend a fortune to have a beautiful, Instagram-worthy fall porch, stop clicking “add to cart” right now, and start thinking about taking a natural, simple approach instead. You might even create a few nostalgic memories while you get your decorating done. A few little mums and some interesting pumpkins grown by local farmers are always exactly right, and really all you need for a really lovely, welcoming front porch.

After bringing home a bunch of fall goodies a few years ago, with no plans for exactly what I was going to do with them, I had a little moment of front porch inspiration when I saw this giant planter that I’ve had forever sitting next to the garage. I just kind of started playing around and this was what I came up with. After putting it in place, I realized how inexpensive this whole thing was to put together and how charming it was too, and I thought I’d better share the idea so other people can create a planter like this too.

I’ve been recreating this idea every year since because it’s just so beautiful, fun, and easy to do.

More natural fall decoration ideas: How to Dry Corn Stalks From the Garden for Fall Decor

Materials Needed for the Inexpensive Oversized Fall Planter

Buying pre-made planter inserts can be really expensive so filling your planters yourself is a great thing if you can come up with a good idea for what you want to do. For this idea you’ll need:

• A large planter. Mine is an all-weather planter with a diameter of about 18″
• A smaller mum. This one is in a six-inch pot.
• Baby boo pumpkins. I bought 16 and I ended up using 12 for this.
• Bricks or other fillers like rocks, mulch, empty nursery pots, whatever!
• Black plastic garbage bags. I used three.

I have to admit that I’m starting to come around the idea of faux mums for my planters. I haven’t tried them yet, but it can be really hard to keep mums alive through the entire fall season, and the faux versions seem to be getting better and better every year.

These planters are similar to mine, maybe even a little more beautiful. Planters like these will last you for decades, so it’s a good idea to make sure you choose a classic style that will always look good as trends change.

Surprisingly easy autumn decor: How to Make a Classic Fall Wheat Sheaf

How to Assemble the Oversized Fall Planter

Start out by filling the base of the big planter. Mine had been sitting unused for a few years and had some soil still in the bottom third of it. Just use whatever you have. You could definitely just fill the bottom with empty nursery pots. That would make it lighter to move around than my dirt-and-brick combo too. 🙂

Place your mum into the centre of the pot. You want the top lip of the mum’s pot to sit about an inch or two above the top of the large planter. If your mum is too low, just add something else under it to raise it up.

Add in more filler around the mum. This is where my big pile of bricks that lives behind our garage came in handy. Top whatever filler you use with scrunched up black garbage bags. I ended up using three to get my filler up to the level that I thought would look right. Black garbage bags are best here because there will be some gaps between your baby pumpkins and the black will kind of disappear into the darkness and be less noticeable than if you used white ones.

Place your pumpkins all around your mum, covering up as much of the black plastic garbage bags as you can. That’s it! You’re done!

I always seem to choose all white for my mums and my little pumpkins, but I’d love to see this tried with orange pumpkins and maybe some dark red mums. That would be such a classic, traditional fall look that would make any front porch feel extra festive.

Do you try to make your own planter inserts every season or do you like to buy the fancy pre-made ones from the garden centre?

MORE IDEAS LIKE THIS

• Fall Home Maintenance Checklist
• Family Favourite Apple Harvest Cake
• Dairy Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer
• What to Clean in October
• The Creek Line House Fall Archives

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