Indoor Hanging Wall Planter Garden

I finally managed to get my Indoor Hanging Wall Planter Project up on the wall!  I ran out of screws so I'll have to run to the store to pick up a couple more and make sure it stays up securely.  It's fine for now but I definitely need those screws attached before adding pots and soil for plants.  I picked several seed packets with different varieties of basil as well as one packet of lavender seed to plant.

The LED light rope does a good job of creating ambient light around the wall planter but does make enough to serve as an actual plant light.  Since it's energy efficient it will make a good light in the evenings when it gets dark to help find our way through the room.  Our bonus room can be a minefield of children's toys that can invoke dire consequences to the barefoot parent!

The whole project cost less than $100 to put together which was provided by Lowe's Creative Ideas!

 Once I have some little plants growing I'll let you have another peek!

An Indoor Hanging Wall Planter Garden

The current project I'm working on for Lowe's Creative Ideas fits into two categories for me: indoor gardening and vertical gardening.  "Migration" was the theme given to us which means we were to bring the garden indoors but the issue with that for me is space.  I bring plants indoors to overwinter each year like coleus or my avocado tree but space for more gardening is limited.  With three kids there's lots of stuff and it's hard to bring in more!  The solution was to think about some sort of vertical garden.  We do have wall space an idea was developed to create a decorative planter that hangs on the wall!

After coming up with numerous ideas I eventually settled on a 5 tin bucket with a lightbox effect around it.  Lighting isn't a big issue where the hanging wall planter is going to do since we have south facing windows in the room. The plants will be on the south facing wall and won't be in the direct sunlight but will receive plenty of residual light from the rest of the room.

I bought a few things at Lowe's to accomplish this project including 5 small tin Buckets (2.5 qt.), Screws, small rubber gaskets, washers, a 12"x1" pine board, a 3"x1" board, LED rope light, and aluminum flashing.

I cut the 12" wide board to 42 inches long.  Then I measured out where I wanted the tin buckets to go on the board and proceeded to drill light holes for a sun pattern.  I used a paddle bit for the large sun hole then smaller bits to make holes for the "rays".

You may have seen this on the Growing The Home Garden Facebook Page!

On the back of the board I glued and screwed a center board.  I didn't buy this piece since I had a scrap piece just the right size already in the garage.  This board is where the rope light was wrapped and will also help to hold the planter to the wall studs.  I glued some scrap pieces of wood which came from the 3"x1" board to the corners on the back and clamped them down.  Clamps are the most wonderful thing in the world!  You need some!  Even if you don't think you do, you do.

Then I stained the wood with a cedar stain.

When the stain was dry enough to work around I wrapped the rope light around the center board and weaved it around the light holes.  I secured the rope light into place using the brackets that came with them and some drywall screws.  The screws became guides for the rope light.

After the rope light was secured I cut and added the aluminum flashing to the back.  It's purpose was to become a reflective surface for the light.  I cut and added a piece of the 3"x1" board to fit from the top left corner to the top right corner and the bottom left corner to the bottom right corner. This added a little depth to the planter and secured the flashing into place.

Next I added the tin buckets to the front of the board.  One tin bucket went under each set of sun light holes.  I pre-drilled the screw holes then used screws with a washer and rubber gasket.  Since water will be present in the buckets at some point  I thought gaskets were necessary to seal the screw holes completely.  Even though my plan is to put pots in the buckets there will still be moisture in the area that I don't want to spill onto the carpet, the wall, or my lovely 30+ year old orange couch! (It's the most comfortable couch in the world!)

All I have to do now is to hang it on the wall and add plants.  I'll do another post once I get it up on the wall so you can see how it all came together!

Garden Project: Making an Indoor Planter with Growlight

Winter is one of those times when many gardeners wish they could be growing fresh herbs or produce but the weather just doesn't cooperate.  What is a determined gardener to do then?  Build something!  I decided to put together an indoor grow box/planter with a grow light to grow some plants while the weather outside is unsuitable.  I used cedar fence wood (one of my favorite materials), drywall screws, a little wood glue, and a simple cabinet fluorescent light provided by Lowe's to complete this project!

First I cut the wood into my desired lengths and sizes.  I used a circular saw to split one fence board in half to get two pieces 26 inches long.  I cut two more pieces from another board at 2 inches wide and 26 inches. The rest of the wood was cut with my miter saw at 26" for the top and bottom boards and around 18" for the sides.  The side height can be whatever height you want the grow box to be.  Taller heights might allow you to do shelves and have more plants but I went for a simpler and smaller design.

Remember to find straight and unwarped pieces of wood for your project.
Fence boards are typically "lesser" quality wood but you can find good pieces
if you are picky enough!

After cutting the wood I sanded them down to remove any rough edges. 

I determined the width based on the length of this light.  Be sure to allow enough space for the cord!  I goofed up and had to adjust a little because I didn't factor in the cord.

I assembled the main box using wood glue and drywall screws.  The wood glue will ensure a tight bond between the boards.  I predrilled the holds to help prevent cracking. It kind of looks like a raised bed doesn't it?  These cedar boards can make good cheap raised beds!

On the top side of the box I put my half size boards.  These will function to shield the light a little bit and prevent it from going all over the place once it is indoors.They also help hold the top and sides together.  On the bottom the 2" wide boards create a lip to prevent my plants from falling off.

I installed the light in the top section after factoring in an extra inch for the cord of the light.  The planter can either be hung on a wall or set on a table.  I didn't have time this weekend but I plan on staining it with walnuts from the backyard for a smooth dark stain.

Since I can't decide yet where I'll put it I demonstrated the light on the kitchen floor.  Excuse the crumbs - we have kids. I also bought a couple small indoor houseplants to demonstrate the planter box.  I found these really neat concrete pots which happened to have some cool plants inside.  I'll transplant the plants somewhere else then use the pots to grow some herbs indoors.

I've found with other grow lights that I don't want worry about remembering to turn them on or off so a timer is THE way to go.  These house plants should get plenty of light in our house but the herbs I'll eventually plant will need at least 8 hours of light.  This planter won't work for growing a tomato or pepper but would work great for growing micro-greens and herbs that can be harvested at any size.

Or I could just fill it with houseplants!

The Completed Light Post with Bird Feeder Project!

Here's just a quick post to show you the light post made from a front porch post that I put together for Lowe's Creative Ideas.  Finches, wrens and cardinals have all been sighted visiting the bird feeder.  As an added bonus the birds get to land on the two hanging baskets to hang out and visit.  It's almost like an airport for birds complete with landing pads, runway lighting, and even a food court!

Inside the coconut coir hanging planters I planted pansies for the winter.  I think plants that spill out over the edges would be perfect for the hanging baskets.

Here's the original post on how I made the light post.

This next month's Lowe's Creative Ideas Project is called "Migration." It looks like we'll be finding a way to bring the garden indoors!  Who knows - maybe I'll bring the indoors to the garden!

A Light post, Bird Feeder Station, and Hanging Basket Stand all in One!

I'm sure you've always been wondering "Where can I find a light post that can double as a bird feeder station and has a spot for hanging baskets too?"  You've come to the right place because I'm going to show you my latest project for Lowe's Creative Ideas.  The challenge this month was "Old and New."  Essentially we had to take something we had lying around and reuse it with a few newer materials.  In my case I had several old decorative posts that used to hold up my parents front porch before they had them replaced.  Some of the posts were rotting on the bottom but had decent wood further up the post.  Worth saving and reusing if possible but couldn't be used to hold up a front porch (Unless you're a hobbit and like short front porches).

Our family loves to watch the birds around our garden.  More often than not the feeders get empty and the birds are forced to forage around the garden.  Fortunately for them we provide lots of natural plants like coneflowers, beautyberries, and viburnums where the birds can find nourishment.  I had an idea to combine the bird feeders and one of the front porch posts together to make a nice feeding station for the birds with couple locations for hanging baskets.  I purchased two hanging baskets from Lowe's, pansies to fill the baskets, and a nifty solar light to affix to the top of the post.

Here's how I put the "Light Post - Bird Feeder Station - Hanging Basket Holder" project together!

First I chopped a little bit of rotted wood off the bottom of the post.  It was only about 4 inches or so so it didn't hurt the height of the post that much at all.

Then I reinforced the post with screws going in opposing directions.  The post was made with two pieces of wood spliced together and showed a few signs of separating.  To insure longevity I screwed them back together.

Next I cut a small piece of wood to hold the solar light.  It had to fit the bottom of the light perfectly so I used the lamp as a template and drew my lines around it.  Then I cut the piece into a nice little square.  I centered the piece of wood and attached it to the top of the post with screws.

After this I took two pieces of closet rods I had laying around.  They had been used for other projects before and are now finding a new use here.  I measured the diameter of the closet rods to match a wood paddle bit for my drill.  Then I measured where I wanted the holes in the post to go and drilled as straight a hole as I possibly could through the post.  Once I fit the closet rods evenly through the posts I secured them with screws from both sides.

Next came sanding and painting.  I sanded everything to remove any chipped or rough paint that was on previously then wiped it all clean.  Two coats of outdoor semi-gloss paint later (which I also had from another project) the light post was ready to put in the ground.

A 60 lb. bag of concrete went into the hole after my two young assistants (ages 4 and 7) held it steady.  I secured the post for the night with a couple sawhorses and clamps.  Clamps are one of the most useful things you can buy!  I couldn't just leave my children to hold it all night could I?

After the post had set I added the light on top!  I had to drill a few screw holes on the bottom then screw them in by hand to the small square I cut earlier.  I still have to hang the baskets and the bird feeders on it which I hope to do later today.  I'll show you the finished look tomorrow.

Lighting Up the Garden with a Luminary

I've always been a big fan of solar lighting.  I like the convenience of adding light where I want it in the garden without having to wire in electrical lines.  I also like how solar energy is collected during the day and distributed later when it is needed without using resources from the power grid.  Solar energy is a very cool thing!  To add a little lighting effect to the garden this week I put together an easy to assemble tower of light luminary using solar lighting.  You can easily assemble this for your garden in about an hour.  All the supplies are available at Lowe's who also provided me with the materials for my project through Lowe's Creative Ideas.


Here's how easy this garden luminary project is:

First you need a few supplies.  Three dryer vent aluminum tubes, pea gravel, larger sized gravel, a nice pot, a couple stakes, and a set of solar lights.  For tools you will need a pair of metal snips to cut the aluminum tubes into various heights and a drill.

Once you have your supplies fill the pot with enough pea gravel to stick your solar lights inside.  Then cover with more gravel to protect the cords from the sharp aluminum tube edges.  Then trim your tubes to varying heights.  They come in 24" lengths so I left one that height and cut one to 18 inches.  The leftover six inches from that one was attached to another one to make it 30 inches tall.

Then fit the tubes over the lights carefully and add a couple stakes inside the tubes to help hold them in place. Fill the pot up with the larger decorative gravel to hold the tubes in place.  The tubes should be covered at least 4-6 inches with gravel at the bottom to prevent too much movement by the wind.

Next I drilled holes in the sides to make a pattern.  The pattern you choose is only limited by your imagination!

The last step is to make sure your solar panel is facing a direction that will get enough sunlight to light the luminary.

Sorry for the blurred picture -
darkness and rain aren't a good mix!

And that's all there is for this project!  A simple and easy way to add light to your garden.

Light Up the Night with a Backyard Fire Pit and Solar Lights!

In the fall there are several iconic thoughts that spring to mind of most people. Cool crisp days evoke good feelings and memories created around fall festivals, apple cider, holidays, and other fall activities. One way to share the fall experience with your family is to add a backyard fire pit. What could be better than a cool crisp evening around the campfire with friends and family while roasting marshmallows and making smores? A simple backyard fire pit is an easy project that you can put together to add another special memory making activity to your fall events! (All materials for this project were provided by Lowe's through Lowe's Creative Ideas.)

Keep safety in mind while building your fire pit. You need it to be far enough away from your house so that smoke or a large fire won't cause damage. You also need to keep the safety of small children in mind.

To build my firepit I used 28 concrete retaining wall blocks, 16 plain gray concrete paving stones, and 2-3 bags of base sand. This made a fire pit that is approximately 4 feet wide on all sides.

First clear out any grass or plant material that is in the fire pit's location. I chose my location then put together the first layer of outside stones to make sure that the outline of the stones fits in the area. I cleared out a little extra area. Once the area was cleared sufficiently I added a layer of sand. I spread it out evenly then placed the concrete paving stones on it. The paving stones will allow me to clear the firepit from time to time easily with a shovel.

After the paving stones were placed I built the outside edge of the fire pit using the retaining wall blocks. I stacked the second layer of blocks after the first to make a fire pit that was 1 foot deep.

While the firepit was finished I still had a few things I wanted to do. Every fire pit needs seating, so I built a few simple seats by stacking a large retaining wall block on top of two smaller ones. These seats are simple to make and very rustic - perfect for a campfire!

I also wanted to light up the area so that the perimeter of the fire pit area was easy to see around obstacles. I used some solar lights, rebar, 1/2" conduit, little paint, and dome shaped pots to create some outdoor lighting. I cut the conduit into 4' and 6' pieces which I then painted a hammered copper color. I also painted the inside of the dome shaped pots a reflective silver color and the outside the same copper color. I even painted a few of the solar lights to match the copper look. 

After the paint was dry I cut holes in the bottom of the pots to allow the larger sized solar lights to poke through.There was a lip on the lights where the pots could hang. The stake ends of the solar lights fit perfectly into the painted conduit. Once all the lights were made I could hammer in the 24" pieces of rebar where I wanted the lights and placed the conduit over them. 

The reflective dome lights direct the light toward the ground and cover a 10-12 foot diameter around each light. This makes the light they provide more functional than it would be if they were just placed at ground level.

The lights create safety around the fire pit area so that we can move around and enjoy those crisp autumn nights!