Portable Produce: the Botanic Bicycle

I'm a student living in an apartment far away from home. I'd love to grow plants in my window or on my porch, but I'm in the basement level, so everything is partially subterranean. There just isn't enough sunlight. Well, I ride my bike to the university every day, and it spends a great deal of time sitting out in the sun and rain at the bike rack. What if I had a portable garden that I could wheel around too?! Despite sound advice to against it, I went ahead and constructed my very own bicycle-mounted planter box!

You will need:

A bicycle luggage rack

A container capable of holding soil

A power drill

Fasteners of some type

Optional:

Waterproofing substance such as danish oil if your box is wood

Paint

Almost any vessel will do. I chose a square wooden box, but feel free to choose whatever you think will work best with your bike and luggage rack.

I chose a flat, wooden luggage rack to bolt my box to. Then, I marked where I wanted the bolts to go.

You don't want a bunch of excess water pooling in the bottom of your portable garden. Its bad for the plants, and it adds a ton of extra weight. I made a drain by drilling a hole with two different-sized drill bits, and then super-gluing a small piece of screen over it.

Next, I drilled holes that corresponded to my luggage rack, and inserted the bolts.

I don't think I really need to explain this one...

Now all that's left to do is attach the luggage rack to your bike following the manufacturer's instructions. Once you've accomplished that, it's time to use it in a manner not consistent with the labeling! Fill your box with your potting mix of choice and plant it up with your favorite garden staples!