An Easy Potting Bench Made From a Chicken Coop Nesting Box!
Those who repurpose tend to have rather interesting lives. Because when 'they' (that would be me) gets an idea in their heads, nothing but nothing is off limits.
Case in point, I was wishing to create a potting bench for the backyard, however with lumber prices the way they are, I decided to hold off on buying wood and waiting to see what I found first.
Shortly after, my truck screeeeeeched to a smokin' fire spittin' halt! Because there right across the (very busy I might add) road, stood the most perfect chicken coop nesting box in all the land. The angels sang as my heart-filled eyes hypnotized me to go inspect.
But would it work?! For a free nesting box, it was certainly worth a shot!
So after scraping it across the road towards my truck with sparks aflyin', I started playing with it at home...
And what you will see next is a true repurposer's purpose for being on this here planet earth...
Well hello there you fabulous chicken coop nesting box beast you! Look at you go! You even have a potting bench shelf attached! How did you know?
You just did. That's why we are soul mates now I'm sure.
The nesting box was given a good pressure wash to prepare it for its next exciting new adventure.
Next up was something to put the nesting box on. As luck would have it, shortly after, a neighbour was giving away this big 'ol wooden table that was the perfect size!
It was also pressure washed, then protected with a outdoor wood sealant so it would last.
How to seal old wood
- pressure wash the wood and allow it to dry
- sand with an orbital sander until smooth, then dust off
- brush on a wood protectant, and allow it to dry before using
- periodically add a new coat when the need arises
Now to stage this thing! I bought some flowers, then grabbed every single galvanized tub, bucket and clay pots I had on hand to fill it up!
Tip: Container gardening generally requires more watering, especially if your pots are on the smaller size. The larger you go, the less you will need to water!
How to prepare and plant flower buckets
- drill drain holes into the bottom of buckets with a drill and metal bit
- cover the drain holes with cracked pottery or rocks
- fill with quality potting soil
- plant the flowers
- saturate with water
- water enough to always keep the soil slightly damp
Next up was to stencil said flower buckets!
I used a stencil called Botanical Flowers and Plants (find stencil HERE), which incidentally are perfectly sized for flower bucket decorating with 3 different designs to choose from!
And here's how cute the buckets turned out...
This vintage watering can was the perfect candidate for this sweet Flowers and Seeds caption!
I stenciled all the images in Fusion Mineral Paint's Chocolate.
How to stencil buckets
- hold stencil against the bucket with masking tape
- dip stencil brush in paint, then remove most onto a rag until brush feels dry
- tap brush through stencil until image is transferred
Isn't it the cutest?!
Then this fern landed in this bucket perfectly captioned with Plants of course!
Last but not least, even the chicken coop got lettered with Flowers, A Growers Guide, the perfect caption. Love it on the roofline! It kind of gives the coop a brand name look!
And are you even ready to see how incredibly cute the entire potting bench turned out?!
Here's the dry-fit before...
And the chicken coop nesting box love-of-my-life potting bench after!
It looks so good against the reclaimed wood garden fence, doesn't it?
Let's take a few closer peeks...
I grouped some plants and flowers along the edges of the potting bench, then left the middle bare for potting plants.
And the inside of the nesting box gets to store clay pots and garden tools and whatever else you need!
It's a complete potting bench package, as well as a very fun yard feature!
But there's so SOOOO much more to see...
So I hope you VISIT HERE to see the entire nesting box potting bench goodness!
Isn't it the cutest? What would you have done with this piece?
Frequently asked questions
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