How To Make A Terrarium: The Quick & Easy Way

Back when I was in high school, 5 years ago give or take a century, terrariums were all the rage.

And they are all the rage again.

Cool. Groovy. The bee's knees, I tell you!

All you need to make your own DIY terrarium is:

- a container
- gravel or small stones
- charcoal
- potting soil
- some small plants
- fun doodads to liven up the place

I bought my Anchor Hocking cracker jar at Walmart for $5 and change. It comes in different sizes and this one is the large 1 gallon size (for those huge saltines, I suppose).

I scuffed up the metal lid with sand paper and spray painted it to give it a more vintage look (I used Rustoleum's Lagoon color).

I have bought these jars numerous times over the years and always paint the lids and then all of a sudden they look like they came straight out of the 50's.

I added roughly ½ inch of stones on the bottom, followed by 1 inch of charcoal and topped by 2 ½ inches of potting soil.

Then I gingerly planted the plants, set my Adirondack chair and purple martin birdhouse up, misted the foliage with a little water and screwed on the lid.

I don't expect to have to water it again for a few weeks, if not a few months. A few years might be pushing it.

Wouldn't these make a great Mother's Day gift?

Add a box of wine and a card and you're all set.

Other posts you may enjoy:

DIY Terrarium Woodland Version
DIY Coffee Pot Terrarium
Rustic Log Bird Feeder