Since years back, I've always had a box with soil for my
ferrets to play with. It's one of the best ways to
keep them from messing with my house plants.
If you remember to put water in the bucket when you water
the plants, that is. Otherwise it doesn't help much.
And it doesn't get dirty outside the box either.
Actually, so far, I've messed up more than they've done,
including with this box.