If you are a person who likes to thrift and “junk”, and who enjoys an eclectic aesthetic with vintage items that have a story and a patina, keep reading! I share my ideas on how to take old items and repurpose them in your yard and garden into beautiful, reclaimed garden planters!

Do you love the collected, vintage vibe in your home and garden?

Create a Cozy, Vintage Garden with Reclaimed Garden Planters

Have you gone to the home improvement store for a few planters and seen those prices?? It’s pretty insane how expensive they are. I have seen plastic ones for upwards of $60-$70+!

Thrifty me says “No, Thank you!” (Plus, the store bought planters tend to be tacky.)

There are plenty of options when it comes to garden decor and planters if you like the rustic/cottage vibe.

Adding Planters Into Your Garden Space Gives You Visual Interest, and Extra Planting Space!

I love to spend time in our garden, growing flowers and veggies! I also love to add a pot of tomatoes to our porch and a bucket of flowers here and there to spruce up our home.

There are many plants who do very well in containers, so you can even grow a whole garden in pots if you needed to! I did that for 3 years at my husband and my rental home when we were first married! I grew lemon cucumbers, green beans, tomatoes, snow peas and flowers in some pots out back! They were plastic buckets, so not as pretty as some galvanized metal tubs would be!

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How You Can Turn Any Metal or Wooden Container Into a Garden Planter

All you need to know to create a nice planner is that you need good drainage!

An easy way to to turn an old bucket or tub into a planter, is to drill or pound some holes into the bottom.

You can do this easily without any power tools by hammering a nail into the bottom, pulling it out, and hammering again, until you have quite a few holes all around the bottom of the container! (This works best with metal, for wood I would use a drill.)

You can also add pebbles in the bottom of the vessel after making drainage holes, to aid in well draining soil.

Doing this project with kids is a fun way to garden together, and I bet they would love to swing the hammer!

I would help them hold the nail and aim carefully though so there are not smashed fingers!

They can also help you pick out what to grow in your planter, fill it with soil and keep it watered!

A perfect homeschool or summertime project

Creating a container garden, is a perfect summertime activity to do with your children. Set up a planter together, grow something tasty and harvest it together. Kids can learn about how food is grown and how tasty it is straight from the plant!

What to grow together in the pot, you ask? How about carrots, radishes, tomatoes, or cucumbers?

Making sure the soil stays well watered is important for success when growing in pots. That is something that children can be responsible for.