3D Printed Carrot Planter

I've always loved gardening, and this fun project is an awesome way to sharpen your making skills, as well as getting an awesome carrot shaped planter at the end. My favorite color is orange, so trying my hand at making one of these planters was an absolute delight. This project incorporates the new technologies of 3D printing as well as the old practice of gardening to create a unique and creative planter.

Materials:

• 3D Printing Filament
• Orange Acrylic paint
• Soil
• A Plant

Tools:

• 3D Printer
• Paint Brush

Software:

• Tinkercad
• 3D Printing Slicer

The first step of this project was to design the planter in Tinkercad. To do this, I elongated an upside down cone and then chopped off the tip to get a rough shape of a carrot. After that, I hollowed the cone out. Next, I took the semi sphere shape, cut out a cylindrical shape right through the center of it, and placed it on top of the upside down cone. To 3D print, just download the file below.

I took this file, sliced it in PrusaSlicer (you can slice using whatever software works for your 3D printer), and then uploaded it to a flash drive. I then plugged it into my 3D printer and began the print. For me it took 1 hour 41 minutes on my printer's quality setting, though print times may very depending on the printer.

My print had a few imperfections that definitely had to be smoothed out. I used a small square of high grit sandpaper, and it smoothed everything out perfectly in a relatively short amount of time. This also allows the paint to stick better to the surface of the planter and not rub off.

I painted the planter with orange acrylic paint. I used 3 coats, but the number of coats may very depending on the specific brand of paint. With 3 coats, I was able to get a relatively even orange color on the entire planter. I did try using a hairdryer to speed up the drying process, though it did slightly melt the plastic, so I had to heat it up again and reform it. Based off of this experience, I suggest just letting it dry naturally.

Next, I filled half of the planter with soil. Then, I found a plant in my garden and dug it up, making sure the root system stayed intact. After that, I placed it into the planter and then put more soil on top of the roots. I then gently patted down the soil to make sure the plant would stay upright. I would also suggest adding a little waters so that the plant feels comfortable in it's new home.

I think it turned out great! Place it in a sunny place, and make sure to water it often. Make more and create an entire tabeltop garden of these 3D printed carrots. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful time with your very own carrot planter!