Written by: Jan Dash

I am always looking for new ideas to use in my yard and garden. I also like to repurpose things rather than purchase something new. For this article I’m going to show you some projects that I did last year. Maybe you’ve already done something similar or maybe this will inspire you to try something you’ve seen in one of the many DIY garden project articles on the internet. Unfortunately, I’ve found that so many of these projects require a lot more work than I can put in, need a team to complete, or the necessary supplies are not on hand in my garage or barn. I like to be able to finish something myself if I can. So here’s my partial list of nothing fancy, but handy, easy garden projects.
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TREE WATERER

I have been using 5-gallon buckets for tree waterers for several years now. I keep them in place all year and in the summer I refill them about twice a week. You simply drill a hole in the bottom of

the bucket using a 1/8 inch bit or larger depending on how fast you want the water to drain out. I tried smaller holes and they didn’t drain as well. Drill the hole about midway between the side of the bucket and the center. Place the bucket next to your tree, fill with water and put on the lid. I also place a brick on the lid to keep the wind from blowing it off. The lid helps to keep insects, debris and birds out of the bucket. Check the bucket often to see how long it takes to drain and adjust your fill intervals accordingly. I had to replace my buckets last year after the UV damage caused them to crack and split. But they lasted 3 years so I consider it a good investment. Consider moving your bucket to different spots around the base of the tree to encourage equal root development.
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COMPOST BIN

A cheap and easy way to make a compost bin is to set up 3 pallets on their sides. I took this a step further and made a 3-compartment composter so I have a spot for the ready-to-use compost, one for last year’s mixture that’s still cooking, and a spot for this year’s fresh material. Be sure to only use pallets that are heat treated (rather than chemical treated). The way to know is to look for the HT stamp on the wood (not always easy to find or read). It’s a good idea to use pallets that are about the same size for structural integrity but as you can see mine were a mix of sizes so I made do. Clear and level a spot near the garden and set up the pallets on their sides. I used wire to tie the pallets together and drove a piece of rebar into the ground at each corner to keep the pallets in place. Then I lined the inside with chicken wire using a staple gun to attach to the wood. To keep the wind from drying out the compost I wrapped the outside of the bin with some black plastic I had lying around, using staples to attach it to the wood. After the first year the plastic started to rip in the wind so I covered it in landscape fabric that I was no longer going to use for weed control. After the first year I wired a pallet to the front of the bin to slow up any critters that wanted to root around in the compost. The worst culprit was the neighbor’s dog who thought rotting vegetables were so very tasty!

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BEE WATERER

This is a new project I’m trying this summer. I noticed a lot of bees were getting water from my birdbath last year but many were drowning in the process. So I set an old birdbath top on the ground in the flower bed and filled the bottom with coarse gravel. I covered the gravel with about 2 inches of fine gravel with an occasional pretty rock. Then I added water to just cover the fine gravel. The bees can crawl around on the surface and get water but it won’t be too deep for them to get out. I’m hoping this will work. So far I’ve seen some bees but haven’t caught any of them drinking yet.
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RUSTIC FENCE

Another project I’d like to share is a rustic fence in my barn to keep the goats out of the chicken coop. I set 3 pallets on their sides, two on one side and one on the other to form two sides of a rectangle, with the ends wired to the barn wall. I installed a t-post at the outer corner and wired the 2 pallet ends to the post. The two pallets on the long side are wired loosely so I can unhook them, swing them open like a gate and access the coop. Now the goats can’t get through the pallet fence and climb on the coop, which was making the chickens a little nervous!
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BRICK PLANTER

I personally didn’t make this, but my neighbor built one around their flagpole and made part of it into a flower bed. It looks very nice in the summer with the blooming plants and it protects the flagpole from vehicles in their driveway. It is simply constructed of large bricks they had left from their garage construction that are dry-stacked in layers. It’s usually a good idea to alternate the layers with a brick covering the spot where the two brick ends meet. However, my neighbor chose to line up the brick ends with each course (or layer) and it has not been a problem with the structural integrity of the bed.  If your bed is only a few courses high you can simply fill it with bedding material. If you make a taller bed you can place some logs in the bottom, then a layer of branches and then your bedding material. My neighbor used this solution to minimize the amount of soil needed to fill their 3 ft deep garden. There is no need for mortar with this project and it’s a great way to use leftover bricks.

I plan to make pallet fences around my grapevines this month so I’m on the lookout for more pallets. And this summer I’m working on tunnel covers for my raised beds. I’ll let you know how it turns out! I hope you have some time to make something for your own garden space. Keep an open mind and be on the lookout for materials you can repurpose into something new and useful. Good luck!