25 Everyday Things You Can Upcycle in the Garden

Gardening can be expensive. From planters to seed starting mixture, seedlings to grow lights, there are all kinds of things that you can buy to improve the success of your backyard plot.

In many cases, no – you don’t. There are all kinds of items that you can repurpose from around the house to stretch your gardening budget a little further.

Don’t believe us? Here are x things you can upcycle in the garden.

25 Things You Can Upcycle in the Garden

1. Pallets

The pallet is the number one tool you can make use of if you want to stretch your gardening budget. Pallets are often available free of charge at most department stores, warehouses, and other places that tend to get large deliveries of items in bulk.

A few ideas of what you can do with those pallets when you get them home?

Painted chalk pallet herb planter.

White painted pallet flower garden.

Decorative wall pallet flower garden.

Really easy compost bin made out of 4 attached pallets.

Pallet garden bench made out of old pallets with extra storage drawers.

You can make a seating area, a vertical planter, or even grow plants like green beans in pallets horizontally on the ground. Pallets can also be cut up and used for any project that requires building lumber or similar materials. If you’re going to use pallets around edible crops, just make sure you use ones that are made out of untreated wood. Check out these ideas for other interesting outdoor pallet projects.

2. Mason Jars

Regrow greens using water and empty jars.

Mason jars also have a lot of value in the garden. If you have a ton of cracked or broken jars laying around, don’t throw them out just yet. While you can’t exactly use them for canning anymore, you can use them to add some flair to the garden. Mason jars make attractive decorations that can catch the light, as seen in this tutorial.

You can also make a fun wind chime out of mason jars. Mason jars can also be used to hold plants, to serve as seed starters, or even to organize small tools and tiny bits of gardening materials. Love jar crafts? Find 50 more mason jar projects here.

3. Tires

Decoratively cut tire planters.

Half cut tires upcycled into garden stairs.

Decorative lemongrass planters made out of old tires.

If you have a few old tires laying around, there are a few ways you can make use of them in the garden. The best way is to make a planter. You can leave the tire as is or paint it – whatever the case may be, a tire of any size is a valuable tool for a budget-savvy gardener. Check out our old tire upcycling collection for more ideas.

4. Trunks

Garden planters made out of old buckets and trunks.

Even an old metal trunk can serve a purpose in the garden. Rather than throwing it out when it gets rusty and will no longer close, consider relocating it to the garden. You can paint it if you really care about its appearance, but otherwise, all you need to do is pop it in the ground, plant, and repeat.

5. Spoons

Windchime made out of old kitchen utensils.

Bent old spoon wall hanger.

Spoons can be really helpful when it comes to digging out stubborn weeds, so if you are cleaning out the cutlery drawer, don’t throw them out just yet. You can also make a windchime out of spoons, which will add a gorgeous appearance and charming boho vibe to your gardening space.

Another potential use for a set of spoons is upcycled garden markers. You can etch into them or just write directly on them. Learn how to upcycle old kitchen items in the garden (50 projects).

6. Popsicle Sticks

Easy garden markers made out of Popsicle sticks.

Don’t trash those popsicle sticks after your afternoon snack. Save them – they make great garden planters so that you can mark the spot of everything you decide to grow. Love popsicle stick crafts? We have 50 more here.

7. Buckets

Old bucket ready to be repurposed.

If you have any leaky buckets lying around, don’t throw them out. They might not be good at carrying water any more, but you can still use them in the garden. The leakiness will actually serve you well, as it will serve as its own built-in drainage when you use the buckets as planters! If you don’t like how they look, you can always cover them with burlap.

8. Windows

Old windows greenhouse.

When you see windows lying on the side of the road for free, don’t drive by – scoop them up! They make great cold frames. All you have to do is fashion the window to a DIY cold frame base (which you can make out of scrap wood – see pallet tip above!) and you’ll have a growing space that will let you produce delicious veggies even when there is snow on the ground.

9. Stock Tanks

Stock tank upcycled into a raised garden bed.

It can be difficult to source stock tanks if you live in an agricultural area where people tend to scoop them up fast for their animals. However, if you’re lucky enough to have one lying around and find that it just doesn’t hold water as it used to, save it. It will make a great planter for your garden.

10. Sawhorses

Sawhorses used in a huge greenhouse.

Have a few old saw horses lying around? Use them to support a lightweight planter. They don’t have to look great to get the job done!

11. Colander

Colander succulent planter.

A colander (along with really any kind of pots and pans) will work wonders when used as a planter. You can fill it with all kinds of flowers, herbs, and other plants. The beauty of planting in a colander is that it comes with its own built-in drainage system, too.

12. Dresser Drawers

Dresser drawers upcycled into a decorative succulent planter.

One of the newest trends in gardening is to upcycle old dressers and bureaus into gardening stands. You can also pull the drawers and plant directly in them, as long as you have some sort of drainage system built in.

13. Shoe Racks

Believe it or not, an over-the-door shoe or accessory organizer can make a great planter. All you need is a bit of soil and your seeds!

14. Light Bulbs

Vertical light bulb planter.

You can start your seeds indoors in lightbulbs, or you can take those same light bulbs and use them as vertical planters. Charming!

15. Milk Jugs

Half-cut milk jug upcycled to protect seedlings.

Milk jugs can not only be used as planters – when displayed side by side, they actually have a fun artistic vibe – but they can also be used for a more practical purpose. If an unexpected frost threatens your garden plants, just cut the top off the jugs and flip them upside down over your plants. The jugs will serve as cloches over your plants so you don’t have to worry about the plants being vulnerable to the cold.

16. Toys

Even toys can be recycled in the garden! If your kid has grown too old to play with his toy trucks, you can turn the Tonka into a planter. It’s charming and will let you hang on to a chunk of nostalgia even after your child has grown up and moved out of the house.

Another way to use toys in the garden? Have your kids make good use of all those Legos and build you a planter!

17. Wooden Spoons

Just like regular spoons, wooden spoons should never be thrown away. Instead, you should save them and use them as markers in your garden. You’ll be able to write or paint directly on them!

18. Coffee Cans

Coffee can bee hotel.

Coffee cans are indispensable to the backyard gardener! You can grow plants in them and you can use them to store compost ingredients, too. A detailed tutorial on how to make an insect hotel here.

19. Toilet Paper Tubes

Biodegradable seed starters made out of toilet paper rolls.

Don’t throw out those empty toilet paper (or paper towel) tubes. Instead, recycle them. You can fold them at the bottom and fill them with soil to use them as plantable, biodegradable seed starters, or you can even turn one into a DIY bird feeder by covering it in peanut butter and birdseed. Genius! Check out our seed starters to discover 20 other upcycled projects.

20. Chairs

Have a few broken chairs lying around? YOu can use them to sit in the garden, for sure, but you could also use them as planters or plant shelves, too.

21. Mattress Springs

Do you plan on upgrading to a new mattress? Don’t toss the old springs – use them in your garden to make a DIY trellis that will support your vining vegetables and other plants.

22. Broken Dishes

Broken porcelain mosaic art.

Don’t throw out those broken dishes just yet. Instead, pick up the pieces and use them to make a gorgeous mosaic stepping stone for the garden. You can also use the pieces to cover up cracks in a clay pot. Love these? Check out 20 more projects featuring broken china glasses.

23. Cupcake Pans

Just because your favorite cupcake pan is worn and rusty doesn’t mean it’s time to kick it to the curb. Instead, add a bit of soil and use it to start your seeds.

24. Trash Bins

An easy way to upcycle trash bins is to use them as rain barrels with spouts. You can also use them to make your own compost bins.

25. Hair Clips

If you have any plants that require a bit more support in the garden, a hair clip is a good way to hold it up and prevent it from being damaged. You can use these clips on just about anything, from vining plants or small trees.

Be Creative!

When it comes to upcycling items for the garden, there are truly no limits to what can be done. Not only can you reduce the amount of trash that you are sending to the landfill, but you can add a rustic and eclectic vibe to your garden in the process, too.

Be creative and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. After all, what do you have to lose?

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