Making your own gardening tools and supplies may sound like a big endeavor, suitable only for truly handy people, but it doesn’t have to be. There are bigger projects, of course, but knowing how to make homemade gardening tools can be really simple. Save money and waste with some of these ideas for DIY garden tools.
Why Should You Make Your Own Recycled Garden Tools?
There are a lot of good reasons to make your own tools made from recycled materials. Perhaps the most important is that it’s a sustainable practice. Take something you would have thrown away and turn it into something useful to avoid waste.
DIY garden tools can also save you money. It’s possible to spend a small fortune on gardening, so anywhere you can save is helpful. And, finally, you may want to make some of your own tools or supplies if you just can’t find what you want at the garden store.
Ideas for Homemade and Recycled Garden Tools
When making tools for gardening, you don’t have to be super handy. With a few basic supplies, tools, and materials that were destined for the landfill, you can easily make some very useful implements for the garden.
- Spice seed holders. Paper seed packets are not always easy to open, seal, or keep organized and tidy. When you empty a spice jar in the kitchen, clean and dry it thoroughly and use it to store seeds. Use permanent marker to label each jar.
- Detergent watering can. Use a hammer and nails to poke a few holes in the top of a big plastic laundry detergent jug and you have an easy watering can.
- Two-liter sprinkler. Who needs a fancy sprinkler? Poke strategic holes in a two-liter pop bottle and seal your hose around the opening with some duct tape. Now you have a homemade sprinkler.
- Plastic bottle greenhouse. A clear two-liter, or any large, clear bottle also makes a great mini greenhouse. Cut the bottom off of bottles and place the tops over vulnerable plants that need to be kept warm.
- Egg carton seed starters. Styrofoam egg cartons make great containers for starting seeds. Wash the carton and poke a drainage hole in each egg cell.
- Milk jug scoop. Cut off the bottom and part of one side of a milk jug, and you have a handy, handled scoop. Use it to dip into fertilizer, potting soil, or bird seed.
- Tablecloth wheelbarrow. An old vinyl tablecloth or picnic blanket makes a useful tool for moving heavy objects around the garden. With the plastic side down and bags of mulch, soil, or rocks on top, you can pull materials from one place to another faster and more easily than you can carry.