How To DIY Projects & Recipes Archives

Looking for a garden project? Here you’ll find articles with lots of practical ideas for getting hands-on as well as instructions on how to make the projects.

7 Easy DIY Garden Gift Ideas

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.

Tin can herb container gardens make easy, economical gifts | The Micro Gardener

Make one or a collection. This is a gift you can keep adding to throughout the year with new herbs!

Tutorial: Simply Healthy Fam

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Anne Gibson2019-11-28T16:57:13+10:00Categories: Container Ideas, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Repurposed Planters|Tags: Cachepot, DIY, Gifts, Pots & containers, seeds & seed saving|6 Comments

Looking for a DIY Pallet Planter project? I’m always creating compact solutions for my garden. If you have limited time, money, space or skills you may find this easy, low-cost pallet project a simple way to make your garden functional and beautiful.

A tutorial on how to make your own vertical pallet planter

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Anne Gibson2022-05-14T11:56:15+10:00Categories: How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Repurposed Planters, Vertical Gardens|Tags: DIY, Micro gardening, repurposed planters, small garden design ideas, Vertical gardens|13 Comments

What do you do with a Broken Pot?

I don’t know how these accidents happen, but I’m left to pick up the pieces (literally). I’m ‘shattered’ by the number of broken pots around this place! I hope my dilemma and discoveries will help inspire what you too can do with broken pots.

To put you in the picture, there have been multiple casualties here lately. I’m not talking about my bruised hubby falling off the ladder – his ego not his body! … No, these accidents have happened to my precious pot collections.

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Anne Gibson2018-04-19T11:48:30+10:00Categories: Gardens & Projects for Kids, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Repurposed Planters|Tags: Cachepot, Container gardening, DIY, Drainage, Frugal gardening, Micro gardening, Miniature gardens, Pots & containers, Problem Solving, repurposed planters, Upcycling|12 Comments

6 Easy DIY Container Garden Projects

Looking for creative DIY container garden projects? Micro Gardening in containers offers you SO many benefits. If you are a beginner or need some ideas to get started, I’ve compiled these tutorials to inspire you – regardless of your space, skills or budget!

Easy DIY Container Garden Project - I change the flowers in these bright pink gumboot planters seasonally - an easy way to upcycle outgrown boots. I also plant in my adult pairs when they split. Just drill holes in the soles! I put tiny pots into the top of this pair & they sit nicely with a clay worm as garden art.

I change the flowers in these bright pink gumboot planters seasonally – an easy way to upcycle outgrown boots. I also plant in my adult pairs when they split. Just drill holes in the soles! I put tiny pots into the top of this pair & they sit nicely with a clay worm as garden art.

4 Steps to Create your DIY Container Garden

You can make a new or repurposed planter for a herb, vegetable, ornamental or flower garden in just a few easy steps: (more…)

Anne Gibson2018-04-19T11:50:36+10:00Categories: Container Gardening, Container Ideas, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Portable Gardens, Repurposed Planters|Tags: Beautiful gardens, Cachepot, Container gardening, DIY, Getting started, Micro gardening, Pots & containers, repurposed planters|17 Comments

How to Plant out a Herb Garden

Have you ever ended up with ‘dried herb arrangements’ (those that died of thirst or sunburn)? Or herbs that rotted and drowned due to waterlogged roots? Whether you want to plant herbs in a pot, garden bed or a herb spiral, my 5 Step Guide to Planting Herbs can help you successfully choose the best position and maintain your herb garden.

How to Plant out a Herb Garden

In this article I also share key tips on where to plant herbs so they thrive. Understanding the kind of microclimate each herb prefers, can make all the difference to growing them successfully! So ‘dig in’!

Lushly planted mature herb spiral | The Micro Gardener

“The construct itself gives variable aspects and drainage, with sunny dry sites for oil-rich herbs such as thyme, sage, and rosemary, and moist or shaded sites for green foliage herbs such as mint, parsley, chives, and coriander.” – Bill Mollison

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Anne Gibson2018-09-07T11:17:08+10:00Categories: Herb Gardens, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Vegetables & Herbs, Vertical Gardens|Tags: Herb garden, Herbs, Micro gardening, Small kitchen garden, vegetable & herb gardens, Vertical gardens|9 Comments

4 Step Guide to Building a Herb Spiral

Want to make your own vertical herb spiral garden? This compact space saving design can be made with just a few basic steps.

Construction materials and methods vary. So after deciding on the best position and gathering your materials, you can have one built the same day.

Stone filled gabion walls are an elegant twist on this herb spiral | The Micro Gardener

Depending on your budget and taste, herb spirals can be made very economically or be quite elaborate like this one with stone filled gabion walls.

* [The original link to this image (via Cara-Ornamentals) is no longer available. I have no control over this & apologise for any inconvenience but you’ll find alternative resources below.]

If you like this particular design and want to learn to make the curved wire baskets, see the end of this post for videos and wire basket suppliers for Gabion Herb Spirals. These are some basic instructions for making a gabion wall or visit BlondeMafia or Garden Drum. More instructional videos for gabions are here and here. For the tutorial steps, read on!
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Anne Gibson2022-11-25T11:07:45+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Herb Gardens, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Vegetables & Herbs, Vertical Gardens|Tags: Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Herbs, Micro gardening, small garden design ideas, vegetable & herb gardens, Vertical gardens|28 Comments

20 Creative DIY Plant Labels & Markers

Looking for some inspiration for DIY plant labels? Plant markers are quick and easy to make. Try repurposing everyday items like pebbles, bamboo skewers, corks, containers, shells, cans and even broken terracotta pots. There are loads of creative ideas and I’ve rounded up 20 low cost and decorative options to inspire you to make your own DIY plant labels.

20 Creative DIY ideas for DIY plant labels and markers | The Micro Gardener

I use labels regularly even though I can identify most plants in my patch.

My husband, however … let’s just say (kindly) that he gets somewhat ‘confused’ when so many plants look similar in the garden!

This must be the explanation for why he brings in rosemary when I ask for basil (are these remotely similar??)

Plant labels are a must if you:

are growing food (and are reliant on family members to pick your produce)!
have UFOs (Unidentified Food Objects) in your garden.
are learning to identify plants or save seeds.
share an allotment.
grow perennial root crops like ginger, turmeric or yakon and don’t want to accidentally dig them up.
want to avoid losing your bulbs every year!

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Anne Gibson2022-11-25T12:09:53+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, How To DIY Projects & Recipes|Tags: DIY, Frugal gardening, Plant labels|42 Comments

Inspiring Pallet DIY Garden Projects

Looking for ways to upcycle pallets? Some creative DIY pallet garden projects? Recently I repurposed a pallet and large square wooden crate lying around a local landscaping yard, into a mini garden shed for $7. I was so pleased with the result, it made me consider other ways to reuse materials for my garden needs. More of us are conscious of repurposing rather than impacting on landfill with unnecessary waste. So I thought I’d share these DIY creative ideas to upcycle pallets. You may be amazed at the possibilities!

Cheryl has turned this hardwood pallet into a stunning vertical garden – perfect for a narrow balcony or limited space. Repeating coordinated colours works well. You can find the DIY instructions below.

“Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.” – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycling

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Anne Gibson2022-11-25T14:40:31+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Container Ideas, Frugal Gardening, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Vertical Gardens|Tags: DIY, Pallets, repurposed planters, small garden design ideas, Vertical gardens|69 Comments

Fast Food! DIY Instant Veggie Garden: Part 2

After moving house sixteen times, I’ve learned to adapt my gardens to all sorts of spaces – large and small. This is a handy list of plants I’ve found to grow well in containers plus the depth of soil they need.

Some of my edible container gardens

If you have difficult soil like sand, clay or rocks; limited space or funds, then I suggest you try growing at least some of your food in containers. Pots offer loads of benefits.

“Growing your own veggies is the first step to self-sufficiency.” – Clive Blazey, The Diggers Club

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Fast Food! DIY Instant Veggie Garden: Part 1

Do you want to make a quick mini garden? You can grow healthy ‘fast food’ like salad veggies and herbs in a simple box. Best of all, you can make it in about 15 minutes. The bonus is you’ll be eating the rewards in just a few weeks for only a minimal investment of time AND money. Let’s get started!

A wide variety of seasonal herbs, veggies and flowers can be grown in micro gardens and can reap you a rich bounty of food for minimum effort.

This is a system I’ve used for years with great success and it’s so easy. Even if you’re a beginner gardener or on a budget and need a thrifty solution, this is it! An easy container garden with just a few ingredients to get started. (more…)

12 Next

DIY Garden Gift Ideas to Inspire You

What do you do with a Broken Pot?

4 Steps to Create your DIY Container Garden

Inspiring Pallet DIY Garden Projects

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