Dumpster Find Turned Into Gardening Gold!
$7
2 Hours
Medium
We drove by an apartment complex dumpster and found this dining room table and top. The table top is warped pressed board and the screws were stripped out so while the top would site on the base, it would not sit well enough for a person to eat a meal. Without spending money on it to buy a glass top, I wanted to find another use for a great metal pedestal like this one. It took me two months to come up with something but now it has been put to good use and will last a long time. My mother now has a lovely "walk-up" garden where no bending or pulling is required.
First I bought this $7 bucket at the Big Box Store.
My husband hammered a nail into the very center of the table.
Drilled a hole in the middle of the bucket.
Set the bucket so the nail would go through the hole in the bucket.
Then he drew a circle around the bottom of the bucket.
See how the perimeter of the hole is drawn?
Drill holes around the inside of the circle.
Use a saw to "connect the holes" so to speak - to make one big hole that the bucket will fit perfectly into.
Set the bucket into the big hole.
We put wooden slats in the bottom just in case the bucket fell through - but it hasn't.
Put some rocks or garden sheeting in the bottom of the bucket - we had some leftover garden sheeting so it was free and worked just fine.
Then fill it with dirt and plant with a tomato or pepper plant setting other smaller planters all around. There are several more but the plants looks so poorly, I didn't want them in the photo. My mother, who is now 76, loves that she can walk up to her small garden and not strain her back. The plants look spindly right now but we had flooding rains here for a full month so it will take time to grow back and flourish - at least you get the idea and can make use of an old dining room table getting no use!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 127 comments
-
How come no drain holes in bucket bottom?
-
I have a similar table but it has a glass top. It is in my dining room table and with two chairs that are covered in black and beige zebra print it looks eligant. It was free...My neighbor bought it at a garage sale (incl two chairs) for $10 and then gave it to me
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?