Need inspiration for low-cost, personal DIY garden gift ideas? With a little creative thinking, you can easily make your own affordable presents.
DIY Garden Gift Ideas to Inspire You
1. Tin Can Herb Planters
Mini window sill herb gardens are a favourite with just about everyone. To make these low cost gifts, save tin cans from your kitchen and reuse as cute container gardens.
Make one or a collection. This is a gift you can keep adding to throughout the year with new herbs!
Tutorial: Simply Healthy Fam
Punch drainage holes in the base of the tin can with a hammer and nail. Plant a herb seedling into a small pot filled with quality potting mix. Put inside the tin can cachepot (outer decorative pot). This preserves the life of your metal container. It also avoids possible leaching of any chemicals into the soil. For non-edibles, you may choose to plant directly into the tin can.
Instead of planting seedlings in a tin can, use a terracotta pot + saucer as the wrap AND present. Inside add seeds, plant marker & a small bag of seed raising mix.
Leave your pot plain or decorate the outside. Try non-toxic paint, hessian, ribbon, a splash of black chalkboard paint or write on the herb name. Add a tag with care instructions and your favourite herb recipe or tool. Download your free printable DIY Seed Packet Template now!
You can also bundle your container garden with a laminated recipe card for making homemade potting and seed raising mix. An attractive, lifetime gift for any gardener.
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2. Herb Salt in Recycled Jars
If you have a few extra herbs in your garden why not dry them? Then make up some tasty herb salt in jars? This is such a quick and easy gift to make. Especially if you recycle your jars!
Attractive and aromatic, herb salt will store well for about 6 months
Tutorial @ Pure Grace Farms
Whether you use this gift idea or want to bottle up some surplus produce or herb tea, here’s a chemical-free way to get your jars clean.
Repurposed glass jars can be used to store seeds, plant tags and ties, plant labels, preserves, jams and dried herbs. Tie with string & a sprig of fresh rosemary.
3. DIY Plant Labels
Most gardeners love accessories for their tool kit. Plant markers are no exception. They are a perfect DIY garden gift! Making a set is quick, easy and low cost. Gather some flat shells or large smooth rocks. Using non-toxic paint, add plant names. Embellish as creatively as you like. These practical plant labels double as garden art!
Via: August Wren
Keep it simple or make them decorative! Painted rock plant markers are a personal gift perfect for pots and planters.
If you’re not so crafty, there are plenty of ready-made alternatives. A set of vegetable or herb markers can be paired with seeds to sow.
CLICK BELOW for safe seed garden gift ideas
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4. Garden in a Box
One of the easiest DIY garden gifts you can make is in a repurposed polystyrene box. Many grocers give them away for free.
The boxes already have drainage holes and can be filled with potting mix, seeds and seedlings and even painted to suit the lucky recipient.
They make the perfect child’s garden. You can theme with edibles such as a Salad Bar (lettuce, radish and leafy salad greens). Or try a Herb Garden (culinary or medicinal herbs) or Stir Fry Box (Asian vegies, coriander and spring onions). Follow my tutorial to make your own Instant Veggie Garden in a Box.
I use this handy guide to find out the optimal days each month to plant, propagate, prune & fertilise. It’s laminated, easy to use, works all over the world + the bonus mini companion planting chart makes it a practical gift. I love it!
5. Seed Tape
Do you save seeds from your garden? If you have some to share, try making seed tape. It is an easy way to sow some love in other people’s gardens.
Flowers or small vegetable seeds like carrots and radishes that need to be planted closely work especially well.
Tutorial @ Givers Log
‘Glue’ seeds down one by one at regular intervals. Make glue with a paste made from flour and water. Apply with an artist’s brush onto a thin strip of paper towel or toilet paper.
Roll the seed tape up into a scroll and store in an airtight tin or container.
Add a tag or seed envelope with growing instructions. To plant, just roll out the amount of tape needed onto soil or seed raising mix. cover with more mix. Water in and watch them grow!
6. Micro Garden in a Creative Container
Get some inspiration for creative planter ideas and upcycle a container. Just sow some colour, herbs or edibles for a garden gift that keeps on giving!
Use your imagination for containers you can upcycle as gifts.
Follow my easy tutorial to make your own creative planter.
7. Gardener’s Bucket Storage Seat
Turn a 20 litre/5 gallon bucket and lid into a practical all weather garden seat. With a tool pocket and internal storage for garden supplies.
If you’re hand, sew a washable pocket caddy to tie around the outside of the bucket & add padding to the lid.
Tutorial via Ladybird Ln
Here’s another option if you’d rather paint it.
This would also make a great garden gift for children filled with their own seed packets, pots, small tools and potting mix to get started.
If you don’t want to make your own, then consider a ready-made option like this Garden Bucket Caddy.
Garden bucket caddy – provides storage & makes it easy to carry all your essentials when you’re out in the garden with pockets for mobile phone, tools + drink bottle.
All Wrapped Up
Making your own personalised gift wrapping paper is so easy. Especially if you get children involved! Hand drawn pictures can be a treasured memory for the recipient, as well as the gift they are used to wrap.
Make your own wrapping paper – it’s quick, cheap & fun!
Or use a knife to carve a pattern into the flat surface of a cut potato. Dip these vegetable ‘stamps’ into non-toxic paint to create a unique print on a roll of paper. Pine cones, leaves, a sprig of fresh rosemary, pressed flowers or a cinnamon quill can be used to decorate gifts as a final touch. Perfect for homemade Christmas gifts or occasion.
Creative ways to wrap potted plant or flower gifts | The Micro Gardener
Via Stephanie Lynn
For more garden gift ideas, please visit my shop. Check out more Garden Gift Ideas.
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© Copyright Anne Gibson, The Micro Gardener 2016. https://themicrogardener.com. All rights reserved.
[…] an idea from The Micro Gardener – a fun, low-cost (like, real cheap!) Garden in a Box. Just grab one of those polystyrene boxes from your local grocer (vegetables come in them) and […]
Great ideas I love the DIY plant labels. A great gift to give to a grandparent or family member as kids can get involved with making them
I will make Tin Can Herb Planters lol. I am really that my girlfriend will love it so much! Thanks a lot for sharing 😀
I want to know how to make the herb teas? As well as where to buy the accessory bucket in Australia? Thanks brilliant contribution I will make as much as I can.
Hi Jenny
I have an article ‘How to Grow Your Own Tea Garden‘ which provides tips on making herb teas that I hope you will enjoy. Also, if you subscribe to my Newsletter you receive a complimentary copy of my eBook ‘A Sow Simple Guide to Using Herbs for Health‘ or you can purchase this in my SHOP. It’s packed with tips on using herbs for health in simple, easy ways.
Which accessory bucket are you looking for Jenny?
Cheers, Anne
I love your simple and cost effective ideas….. I will definitely be using them throughout the year Thank You