Container Gardening Ideas: Reusing Old Furniture (including stuff from the trash) for the Porch Garden

Potted Marigold Plant and Little Skeleton Decoration
Potted Marigold Plant and Little Skeleton Decoration

A Night Time Tour of the Porch Container Garden Featuring Recycled/Upcycled Furniture, Faerie Garden Tchotchke, Herbs, Perennials, and Annuals


Doesn't that skeleton look cute, just hanging out over the potted marigold? He's like "Hey, welcome to the garden. Don't mind the mess below me, it'll wash awayin the next rain. I'm just happy to be sitting here with a brand new plant."

Old Ikea Dresser Turned Garden Storage "Shed"
Old Ikea Dresser Turned Garden Storage "Shed"

Creating a Garden "Shed" Using an Old Bureau and Shoe Rack


This is my garden "shed." It's a broken Ikea dresser with the shelves pulled out and an old shoe rack put inside. I store pots, soil, shovels, other garden tools, leftover mulch, etc. Next to it I keep the tall stuff: rakes, shovels, dowels. Again, more recycling and re-purposing for some truly Bohemian Budget solutions to garden storage.

Marigold in Pot on Rubbermaid Storage Drawer for Garden Storage in Outdoor Urban Porch Garden
Marigold in Pot on Rubbermaid Storage Drawer for Garden Storage in Outdoor Urban Porch Garden

Using an Old Rubbermaid Plastic 3-Drawer Storage Unit for Container Gardening


Those shelves are empty but I find it very useful to have empty plastic drawers like that. I can mix soil or mulch/topsoil in the empty drawer then shovel from them into the individual containers. Wait till I tell you what I have for a top layer of mulching. It's wacky! But effective! That'll be for another post.

Discarded desk re-purposed as outdoor garden work table for Urban Container Gardening
Discarded desk re-purposed as outdoor garden work table for Urban Container Gardening

My Urban Porch Garden Work Table - Upcycled from the Neighbor's Trash :-D

The new work table was totally took that from a neighbor's trash this Wednesday morning. It's a great little table and seems pretty weather resistant! I decorated it with a two potted plants. I put some annual blue salvia in a nice, mustard yellow old container given to me by a former neighbor and then added a pretty decorative stake from Family Dollar.

Blue Salvia and Marigold in Potted Container Garden
Blue Salvia and Marigold in Potted Container Garden

Cat Mint in Large Potted Garden Container
Cat Mint in Large Potted Garden Container

Cat Mint and a skull. The skull is from my cousin's Halloween-themed wedding. I had cat mint in my old garden, so I was glad to find it on sale for $6 and have it again. Good to put catmint in a big container. Catmint is quite opportunistic--it a good, abudant way!