Using free junk is always better, for you and the environment
Wander through any home and garden center and you will see a variety of faux-vintage metal garden art for your yard. It may look like junk from days gone by but the price tag will tell you it's brand new. Don't worry, you can get that vintage junk look for your garden and at a junkyard price too. All it takes is combining a few yard sale items, or better yet, cast offs from the curb and a little ingenuity. Before long you'll have a great authentic vintage junk metal flower planter with mini gazing ball for, hopefully, a couple of bucks or less.
Instructions
Prepare the Buckets
1. Put on safety glasses and gloves.
2. Flip each of the three metal buckets over to expose the bottom. Mark an 'X with a pencil approximately 2 inches in from the edge on one side of the bottom.
3. Take your screwdriver and place the tip of it on the mark. Using the hammer, tap on the other end of the screwdriver until you puncture a small hole in the bottom with of each of the buckets.
4. Enlarge the holes to the diameter of the pipe by using the screwdriver as a ream.
Take Measurements To Determine Pipe Length
5. Measure the height of each bucket and add these measurements together.
6. Add 3 inches to the combined measurement of the buckets to determine height of finished planter. Your pipe length should be at least 18 inches longer then the calculated height of the finished planter.
7. Take your length of pipe and place one end on the ground in your garden where you would like your planter to stand.
8. Begin hammering the other end driving the pipe down into the soil until the length of pipe above ground is equal to the measurement of the height of the finished planter you calculated earlier.
Assemble Planter
9. Slide each bucket one by one over the pipe through the holes you made. The buckets will sit one on top of each other and have a slight forward slant as the inside of the bucket braces against the pipe.
10. Adjust the position of the buckets so that they are not directly over each other.
11. Take a small amount of waterproof glue and apply to the top of the pipe.
12. Place the Christmas ornament upside down so the hanging stem goes into the pipe. Press the ball down firmly to seal the opening on the pipe. Let dry.
13. Fill the buckets with potting soil and plants.
Tips Warnings
The metal pipe can be galvanized or copper.
Use a bigger diameter pipe for larger buckets or for a taller planter with more containers.
Some other type of containers you can use are paint cans, watering cans, sap buckets and old tea kettles.
Mix and match items to make the planter more interesting.
Always use safety glasses and work gloves when handling old rusty metal.
NEVER pound pipe into the ground without FIRST checking for underground gas, electrical, and phone lines.
Take the same precautions you would if you were going to dig. Call 811 or your local utility company.
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