Upcycle Inspiration: Garden Planters

For my upcycle project I started with looking at making some sort of clothing out of other clothing that I no longer wear. This idea led me to the internet where I started looking at other upcycle projects. This is where I stumbled upon people making planter boxes out of old household items, so I took a look around and decided I have a drawer I no longer use that would make the perfect planter. The drawer is perfect because it no longer has a use to me, and its old and made of plastic so it would likely just be sent to a landfill if I decided to get rid of it. The drawer I plan on using is shown below. To fit an aesthetic, I have decided to also use some old wood to line the plastic drawer to give it a natural look.

Some initial designs I looked at upcycled things like old tires that had been painted such as in the photo below. Other people used a wide variety of things ranging from old tin cans, old shoes, to a variety of kitchen utensils.

I also love plants and gardens and know how tedious it can be to water them every day, so this inspired me to incorporate a sort of irrigation system that would allow you to fill a bowl of water that would drain into the plants over time. For this, I plan on using old kitchen Tupperware that I no longer use, this way all material that goes into this piece will all be recycled and repurposed. I have found a few that incorporate this self-watering idea, such as the one below, although it all happens internally.

Drawer Photo: https://www.target.com/p/3-drawer-medium-cart-white-room-essentials-8482/-/A-75666886

Tire Photo: lemonbeansandthings.blogspot.com

Drawer Planter Photo: https://gardens.theownerbuildernetwork.co/2019/04/08/how-to-make-a-self-watering-planter-from-a-dresser-drawer/

Previous Post
Upcycle Inspiration: Plushies
Next Post
Upcycle Inspiration: Egg Shell Egg

2 Comments. Leave new

  • I was first drawn to this post because of the colorful tires ad then realized they were planters! I really love the idea of creating a planter with a recycled storage drawer and I think it is cool you decided to add an irrigation feature. I am a bad plant parent and often forget to water my plants so I can definitely appreciate that. I am curious whether you will add color to your design or go with a more natural aesthetic. Good luck!

    Reply
  • I like this idea! As a fellow gardener (although I enjoy indoor houseplants) I really enjoy water propagating and watching the roots form through a clear container. I think it would be interesting to leave it clear and watch the roots grow over time. This way you would also be able to see the water level. This being said leaving it clear isn’t exactly the same aesthetic as covering it wood. I think that will look very nice too! I would suggest looking into a water vessel and using rope to wick water up into the soil via plants capillary action.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Jamie Frankel Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.