I made a DIY mini garden for free — all you need is this simple kitchen item
Gardening doesn't have to be complicated and it also doesn't have to be expensive. I say this because I'm constantly on the hunt for hacks that'll save me money from using potato peel to supercharge my garden to using old tea bags to help my roses thrive, both of which have seriously surprised me with the results. And during my most recent scrolling frenzy on social media, I stumbled upon a really clever idea.
I've always wanted to make a miniature garden without having to spend cash on planters and pots. I'm short on space, time and money, so the hack I found was perfect, especially as I have an abundance of succulents looking for a new place to live. What's even better about is that it uses a kitchen item I already had at home (and most likely you do too). For this one, all I needed was an old milk jug. So, instead of putting it in the recycling, here's what I did instead.
How does it work?
TikTok creator, @dumpsterbunny posts an eclectic mix of videos to her over 35k followers and amongst her hobbies, she shares her love of gardening. As featured above, she's even posted a hack where she takes an old milk jug and totally transforms it into a lovely miniature succulent garden. Thankfully, it's super simple to follow.
All you have to do is this:
- Cut an empty milk jug in half, just under the handle
- Take the lid off and turn the top half upside down and place it in the bottom half
- If not secure, cut two holes and use a zip-tie to secure the bottom half round the handle
- Add in small rocks to the bottom, add soil on top of that, and then add your miniature plants and/or succulents
In case you're wondering, the reason behind placing your milk jug upside down with the lid off is to create a drainage system for the bottom of your garden. And by placing the rocks down before the soil, you can prevent the soil from blocking the drainage hole underneath.
This creates a perfect environment to add whatever plants you like from ones you're propagating, to ones looking for a new home, or perhaps to create entirely new seed starters for spring.
Here's what happened when I tried it
I'm always keen to give hacks a try myself before suggesting them, just so I can make sure they actually turn out the way they've been described online. But, while I'm still in the process of propagating my succulents, for now I've only built my miniature garden pot from a milk jug and have yet to add in my plants.
I found this hack super simple and for some reason, my milk jug fit perfectly together, meaning I didn't need to use any zip-ties either. I'm mainly impressed with how it looks as I imagined the edges would be jagged from cutting it up. What I will do next though is decorate it to make it look a little more aesthetic among my other pots.
What I do know for certain is that it cost me absolutely zero dollars to create (apart from the milk, which I'd buy regardless). It also turned out to be a fun project that I could get my six-year-old involved with, too.
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