DIY Garden Pots From Old Cloth and Cement

Hello, my name is Arush.

I am a student, and I created this project for the Green Earth contest using some leftover cement from construction and old cloth that was no longer in use, my mother and I made two garden pots and a simple pot trowel. My mother loves gardening, and our rooftop is filled with plants — so this project was not just a fun DIY but also a way to make something practical and sustainable for our little rooftop garden. Reusing materials that would otherwise be thrown away felt like the perfect way to support a greener planet, and I’m excited to share how we made these unique cement-and-cloth garden pots!

For this project, we will use the following supplies.

Making the Pots

1. Cement
2. Old Bedsheets
3. Plastic Containers
4. Gloves
5. Broad Brush
6. Plastic Bags

Painting

1. Ochre Clay (Geru Mitti)
2. Chalk Soil (Khadia Mitti)
3. Brushes

Planting

1. Soil
2. Coconut Coir
3. Used Tea Powder as fertilizer

First, we covered the plastic containers with cloth and measured the amount of cloth needed to cover the container, which was 62 inches in length.

We cut a square piece of cloth that measured 62 inches on each side. Then we folded it twice and cut a quadrant with a 31-inch radius. We repeated the same step for the tray.

For the rectangular garden pot, we measured the length and height of the basket and cut out a rectangular piece, then we made four cuts along the diagonals so we could fold the cloth in such a way that creates no seams.

Next, we prepared the cement by mixing cement powder and water in a steel dish. It is critical to make the mixture of the correct consistency because if it is too thin, the cloth will lose its shape, and if it is too thick, the cloth will collapse under its own weight. Then I put a plastic bag over the plastic pot and basket so it wouldn't stick to the cement and could be easily removed.

We now soak the pieces of cloth in the cement mixture until they are completely soaked.

Then I carefully placed the soaked cloth on the plastic pot, aligning the drain hole so it was in the center.

I then stretched the cloth to form the wavy folds around the pot. This must be done carefully because once set, it cannot be changed, and if not properly supported, it will lose its shape. I repeated this process for the garden pot tray.

For the rectangular garden pot, I repeated the first few steps, soaking the cloth in cement paste and aligning the drain hole before folding the edges I cut as shown in the diagram below.

Now we just need to wait for it to dry.

We let it dry for two days before removing the plastic pot and basket and applying a second coat of cement. It is critical to handle the pots with caution because they are structurally weak at this point and can easily collapse.

After allowing the second layer to dry, we filled the garden pots with water, which is supposed to strengthen the cement layers.

We left them like this for a day, and they are now ready for painting.

Instead of using acrylic, oil paint, or any artistic paint, we chose to use natural alternatives of paint.

We used Ochre Clay (Geru mitti), which is orange, and Chalk Soil (Khadi Mitti), which is white. These eco-friendly paint alternatives are still used in rural areas of India because they are easily accessible and inexpensive.

To prepare the paint, I simply crushed the lumps of soil and clay and added water until it reached the proper consistency.

First, I applied a coat of chalk paste to give it a white base coat, which will make the ocher clay's color more vibrant.

The paste dries pretty quickly, so I apply a second coat to ensure that every spot is covered.

After I painted it with the ocher clay paste, I made sure to apply a thick coat of the paste to cover up any bumps or holes. Since this is the final coat of paint, we can now start decorating the plane pots with some details.

For the patterns, we kept the traditional feel by using floral and geometric patterns found in traditional Indian pottery.

First, we drew the patterns with regular chalk and then painted over them with chalk paste. After letting it dry, I painted over them again to fill in any gaps.

Now the pots and pot tray are complete.

To prepare the garden pots for planting plants, we begin by reopening the drain hole that had been covered during the painting.

I filled the bottom of both pots with Coconut Coir, which prevents the drain hole from becoming clogged with soil. This layer is approximately 1/4 of the pot's volume. Then I covered the coconut coir with some soil and transferred the plant from the old pot to the new pot. After that, I created a ring of used Tea leaves and powder around the plant, which acts as a great fertilizer. Finally, I covered it with some more soil and watered it so that every layer settled down, filling any gaps, and the project is compete.

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Making these garden pots was a lot of fun, and doing it with my mom made it even more enjoyable. I love how they turned out, and I would like to work on similar projects in the future.

Big thanks to my mom for her assistance with this project, and thank you for reading my instructable.

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