Upcycle An Old Shovel Into The Perfect Succulent Planter With A Clever DIY

If you've spent any amount of time browsing gardening DIYs online, then you are well aware that just about any item from your home or garden can become a planter. Old box fans, car tires, and even used pairs of sneakers can become new homes for your plants, adding a unique aesthetic to your home and garden. 

One DIY project in particular utilizes an item you may already have lying around the house: a rusty old garden shovel. Before you decide to toss this no-longer-useful tool, you may want to try a creative way to repurpose the shovel for your garden, up-cycling it into a gorgeous home for your succulents. With just a few basic supplies, this shovel can become your new favorite piece of outdoor decor. Whether you have a smaller garden and limited space for standard planters, or you just love a quirky gardening idea, you should definitely give this project a try. 

YouTube channel WM Design House went viral for this incredible one-of-a-kind succulent planter up-cycle. The project went so viral that it actually ended up being featured in Better Homes and Gardens, according to its creator. Avid crafters and gardeners were loving this transformation and trying it at home, and you can make one for yourself, too! Finding creative ways to make planters for your home not only saves you money, but it can make you view trashed or broken items as untapped potential, as opposed to garbage. If you want to try this trick, grab your rusty shovel and start gathering your supplies.

Besides your shovel, which can be any size, you will need to grab a drill, several feet of chicken wire, two single pieces of garden wire a few inches long, and wire cutters for the structure of the planter. For the contents, you will need green moss and either store-bought or DIY succulent soil, with your succulents of choice. However, the beauty of a DIY project is that you can customize the contents any way you'd like!

To build out the planter, first drill two pairs of holes into your shovel. The pairs should be on either side of the shovel, with each hole about an inch away from the other. Next, cut your chicken wire into a strip of about 2 feet. The dimensions will depend on the size of your specific shovel, but you basically want a strip of wire big enough to wrap around the head of the shovel, making a cage-like shape. Make sure to fashion a "bottom" so your succulents don't fall out. Use your wire cutters to tuck in any loose edges. The wire will most likely overlap with itself around the back of the shovel. For extra security, take your two single pieces of wire and insert them into the drill holes you made, securing them to the chicken wire on the back of the shovel. You've made a succulent basket!

Finally, you can add your greenery. To cover up the chicken wire, fill the makeshift basket with handfuls of green moss, creating a moss pocket. Add a few handfuls of succulent soil to the basket before repotting your succulents on top, allowing them to pop out above the moss. From there, prop up your succulent shovel anywhere in your garden.