As an alternative to buying new planter pots, you can DIY your own upcycled planters out of various household items.
Because let’s be honest: we can never have enough planters. Especially in the spring where it’s time to get seedlings ready to then plant in the garden, we need all the planters we can get. And brand-new planters from the store are usually super expensive.
Upcycling items is also a great way to give an item a new life, and it’s especially helpful if the item was just going to end up in the trash, AKA the landfill.
These DIY planter ideas are a great way to reuse and repurpose things so you can be a little more eco-friendly, and they will help save money by not having to buy more planter pots.
Here are 20 things you can repurpose into planters, including some really unique ideas!
1. Plastic Food Containers
You can buy storebought food that comes in plastic containers of all sorts of shapes and sizes and then upcycle the containers into planters.
Using containers as planters is a great way to repurpose plastic that may not be recyclable, and if you buy the same type of food/container often, they stack really well which helps with space.
Additionally, use the cover of the container underneath the upcycled pot to collect excess water. You can also easily paint the outside of the container to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
Also, rotisserie chicken containers that have a clear cover make great greenhouses for starting seedlings!
2. Plastic Bottles
You can DIY some planter pots from an upcycled soda bottle and using different techniques as well! You can simply cut a hole in the side like shown in the picture above and hang them.
Another way to go about your DIY plastic bottle planter is to cut the bottle in half and just use the bottom. Alternatively, you can flip the top, and insert the top into the bottom to make a little herb garden.
3. Plastic Bags
You can also upcycle plastic bags into planters that would be especially helpful if you want to grow something large but plan on moving in the near future.
Grab a plastic bag like the one you got your soil in, poke a couple of holes in the bottom of the bag to allow drainage and you’ve got yourself a DIY planter.
4. Plastic Buckets
Upcycling a plastic bucket into a planter is a great way to get a large planter for free. Since some buckets can be really large, you’d be able to grow plants all season long in them, which is perfect for anyone living in an apartment.
All you need to do is drill a couple of holes in the bottom to allow for drainage. Also, most buckets come with handles, which makes moving them around a breeze.
5. Glass Jars
Glass jars would be better suited for propagating plants rather than as an actual planter since there’s no drainage. A succulent or cactus plant would make a great fit for a glass jar in this case!
However, at the same time, since the glass is clear, you can get a good look at the soil to see the water situation so overwatering shouldn’t be a problem.
When collecting glass jars for future uses, try and get multiple jars of different sizes, rather than a lot of the same size. Big jars are great for planting, along with other uses, but smaller jars that have a narrow mouth are great for propagating plants like avocados.
If you love repurposing jars, you’ll love my post filled with a bunch of ways to reuse glass jars around the house.
6. Tin Cans
Another household item you can reuse as a planter is tin cans. Repurposed tin cans make great planters, and they will last forever. Tin cans are extremely versatile as well considering you can get them in different sizes.
Upcycle tin cans that originally had food in them into planters, as well as bigger tin cans such as coffee cans and paint cans.
7. Car Tires
Why not, right? If you have old tires that aren’t suited for a car anymore, you can repurpose the tire into an outdoor planter.
There are different ways you can go about doing a DIY tire planter. You can simply lay the tire on the ground and fill the middle with soil, or you can hang the tire vertically somewhere and fill the bottom with soil for a hanging planter.
8. Egg Shells
Egg shells are great mini planters for seedlings. Reusing the eggshells as mini planters will allow the plant to receive extra nutrients considering you can plant the whole thing in the ground once it’s ready for transplanting.
Before planting the seedling with the eggshell, gently crush the shell and remove some pieces from the bottom so that the roots will have an easier time growing.
9. Egg Cartons
Just like eggshells, egg cartons make great upcycled planters for seedlings. Egg cartons are biodegradable so you can transplant the whole thing into your garden when they’re ready.
10. Newspaper
Another idea for your seedlings would be to repurpose newspaper and make little seedling planters. And once again, you can plant the whole thing since the newspaper will easily degrade in the soil.
11. Plastic Storage Bins
Big plastic storage bins make great DIY planters for things like potatoes. When potatoes are ready to harvest, you can simply dump everything out and repeat the same thing next year.
Plastic storage bins can be used for all sorts of outdoor plants. Just make sure to drill a couple of holes in the bottom to allow for water drainage.
12. Baskets
Have an old basket? Baskets make great upcycled planters and come in all shapes and sizes. Additionally, baskets can often be found a lot at thrift stores for pretty cheap.
13. Laundry Basket
Another good planter idea, especially for potatoes, is to upcycle a broken laundry basket. An old laundry basket makes a great planter since you can just flip it over when your potatoes are ready to harvest, instead of having to dig through soil.
14. Watering Jugs
For more of a whimsical DIY planter, upcycle an old watering jug! A repurposed watering jug planter will look right at home in your garden, or even inside the home.
15. Rain boots
Another creative but fitting idea for the garden would be to repurpose rain boots as a planter. Upcycling rainboots into a pot for your plants will help keep them out of the landfill. And it JUST makes the perfect repurposed item for your garden.
16. Tea Pot
Another thing you can repurpose into a planter is a teapot. There are so many things that can be repurposed into planters and look so cute!
17. Coffee Mugs
Why not turn an old coffee mug into a planter? This is a creative idea for a plant container especially if you have a sentimental mug that may have chipped but you don’t want to get rid of it.
18. Colander
You’ve probably realized by now that pretty much anything can become a planter, and making a colander a planter is no exception.
If you have an old colander that you can repurpose, you might as well! Colanders have a bunch of drainage holes, so they make great upcycled planters.
19. Sample Tiles
A beautiful and free DIY planter idea is using repurposed tile samples. If you’ve got sample tiles that you got when renovating your home, you can easily upcycle them into a planter. If you have 5 tiles, all you need to do is superglue the pieces together!
You can also just use 4 tiles and use something else at the bottom that would allow for drainage. Whatever you want!
If you don’t have tiles from a past renovation, you can just go to the store and ask for some. How will they know?
20. Burlap Sack
Have you ever bought something such as rice that came in a burlap sack and then didn’t what to do with it? Repurpose it into a planter!
This is such an easy DIY because you just need to add the soil and the plants and you’re good to go. Excess water will easily seep through the bag. And just like using a plastic bag, burlap sack planters are great for mobility.
21. Wood Boxes
If you have random wooden boxes or crates that you’re not sure what to do with, they make great planters as well. For example, sometimes you can get oranges that come in wooden crates from the grocery store.
22. Pallets
Another wooden item you may already have on hand is a pallet and you can easily repurpose the pallet into a vertical planter. All you need to do is add a few extra pieces of wood to create a shelf on the planter.
Final thoughts on these DIY repurposed planters
As you can see, there are so many different things you can repurpose into a planter for your garden plants or houseplants.
Repurposing these items that would probably just end up in a landfill is a great feeling, and the money saved is the cherry on top.
If you’re interested in more DIY ideas using upcycled items, check out my list of 22 DIY ideas for repurposing old clothing.
