Recycling is one of the very best ways you can improve your garden, no matter what size or shape it is. When you take some of the things that you’d throw away anyway and craft them into imaginative recycled planters for your garden, you’re helping the environment and sprucing up your home in the best way possible! In one afternoon, you can improve your garden without spending a dime.
But what’s the very best part about using recycled possessions to make planters?
Maybe it’s the space and money savings you’ll enjoy: reusing old items instead of purchasing new will help clear your house of clutter while saving cash. Maybe it’s the positive impact you bring to the environment, saving unused items a trip to the landfill and making them useful again. However, we believe that the sheer sense of joyful creativity makes recycling old objects into planters a fantastic idea for any gardener.
Take a look around your home, garage, or garden. If you’re anything like us, you’ll easily spot unused possessions, from old boots to unused furniture, electronics, and beyond. With a bit of imagination and an open mind, you can turn nearly anything into a perfect planter, bursting with the joy of creation. Containers like this are cheap or free, wildly original, and make store bought planters look positively pedestrian
1. Vintage Wagon Planters
Wagons are perfect for a large bed of flowers, with abundant space and portability to spare. Try repainting the body to a new color if you’d like.
Source: hgtv
2. Teapot Planter
An old decorative teapot, like any solid open-topped container, makes for a great planter. Many of them have whimsical designs that would really stand out in a garden, and the handle makes for easy moving.
Source: birdheartsbear
3. Pot and Pan Planters
Speaking of kitchenware, let’s take a look at these pot and pan planters. You can use a variety of sizes and shapes, and even combine them for a tippy-pot effect, as seen here.
Source: flicker.com
4. Drawer Planters
Have any old dressers that are no longer used? Try removing the drawers to make for fantastic containers. Some fresh paint alone will make them really pop.
Source: birdsandblooms
5. Alarm Clock Planter
This fresh take on the small planter uses an old fashioned alarm clock, turning the inner structure into a perfect bed for your plants. The instructions are surprisingly simple!
Source: magiamia.blogspot.ca
6. Trainer Planters
We mentioned footwear at the top of this article, and here’s a perfect example. Shoes or boots of any type will suffice, but old trainers are often abundant, crowding the bottoms of closets in many homes.
Source: walknboston,CC-BY-2.0, via flickr
7. Basketball Planter
This basketball planter is a truly easy to make creation. Using just about any ball, a few simple cuts, and some rope or wire, you’ll have a fantastic hanging basket in no time!
Source: flickr.com
8. Birdcage Planter
Both birdcages and bird houses make for fantastic planters. They’re ready-made containers and need only some cleaning and placement before being ready to host your flowers.
Source: hgtv
9. Pallet Wall Planters
Pallets can be used in a surprisingly diverse amount of projects, not least of which is being part of a planter. This idea stood out to us in particular. Mountain the freshly painted pallets to an exterior wall allows for plant placement in a unique, rarely-used space.
Source: DishfunctionalDesigns
10. Watering Can Planter
While this one may seem almost too obvious, it’s a great little addition to any garden, using a tool that’s already commonly associated with planting.
Source: Axis Mundi Artistry,CC-BY-2.0, via flickr
11. Painted Tire Planters
Tires can be reused in many different ways, with planters made from half-tires, hung tires, and more. This idea simply involves painting them and creating stationary planters for large greenery.
Image Source: white African ,CC-BY-2.0, via flickr
12. Colander Planters
Colanders make for a surprisingly effective planter. With the draining holes at the bottom, they allow for sufficient watering while never worrying about drowning the plants. The variety of colors and sizes they appear in will give you many options for the garden.
Source: Bonnieplants
13. Book Planter
While a bit more involved than some of the projects on this list, the book planter is a truly spectacular idea, especially for those who hold reading near and dear to their hearts. Portable, unique, and personalized, this is one of our favorite planter ideas.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
14. Bra Planter
This is one of the cheekiest ideas we came across, and we couldn’t resist sharing. Using any old bra and hanger, you can create a hanging planter to add a bit of kitsch to your garden!
Source: blogspot.com
15. Disk Planters
One of the most striking projects we’ve found involves tapping into your inner geek and using old 3.5″ computer disks to create perfect little planter cubes. The color combinations are limitless, and they provide ready-made labels!
Source: brit
16. Vintage Stroller Planter
This project is perfect if you have an old stroller lying around, or if you find a classic model at a yard sale or secondhand store. Built-in portability and vintage style complete the look.
Source: shnnn,CC-BY-2.0, via flickr
17. Wine Bottle Planter
There are hundreds of pages describing wine bottle creations around the internet, but our favorite use so far is pictured below. Simple, elegant, and free, so long as you’ve already enjoyed the wine.
Source: etsy.com
18. Electronics Planters
Here’s another kitschy, fun project. Turn any old electronics, from radios to telephones, into planters! It takes a bit of gutting and some elbow grease, but the look takes care of itself.
Source: mixgreen.tumblr.com
19. Desk Planter
Desks are already built with storage in mind. If you have old ones in your basement or find them at a yard sale, give them a chance! Very little work is required to make a perfect large planter.
Source: jo-h,CC-BY-2.0, via flickr
20. Boombox Planter
Finally, our last idea is one of the most convenient and fun projects. Using an old boombox (or other electronics) can allow you to hang a wall-mounted planner, saving space and money in the process.
Source: community.starhub.com
As you can see with this mere handful of ideas, there are an infinite variety of ways to craft your own planters out of everyday objects. Take a look around your home or yard, or even check local thrift shops and yard sales for the perfect recycled planter. As the old adage goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so it goes for planters: what once was useless can flourish with the life of new plants!
Other Garden Project Ideas You May Like:
20 Low-Budget Garden Pots and Container Projects | Learn How to Make Concrete Garden Hands | 10 Lovely DIY Garden Mosaic Projects | 10 Terra Cotta Potter Projects To Spice Up Your Garden
