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11 DIY Planters Made From Kitchen Castoffs

Whether you enjoy flowers, herbs or other easy-to-grow plants, here are 12 ways to recycle and reuse stuff you'd probably just throw away.

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Flour Sifter Flower Pot

If you have an old flour sifter you no longer use, try turning into a planter. If you don’t have one, there’s a good chance you’ll find one at a thrift store or garage sale. For additional unique planter ideas, visit Pretty Handy Girl. Check out these 15 items you should think twice about donating.

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Dual-Purpose Coffee Pot

Updating your old coffee pot? Try using your castoff as a fishbowl and planter in one. Have your child choose a small fish from the pet store and add a couple small plants to the top of the pot. Read about the project here. Check out these 12 other perfect projects to do with kids.

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Coffee Mug

Try using an old coffee mug or tea cup to grow some small plants. Try an oversized mug to hold flowers on your dining table.

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Loaf Pan

Are your loaf pans getting rusty or showing their age? Use them to plant some succulents, which don’t need much maintenance. Read more about this project at just about home.

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Cupcake Pan

Instead of cupcakes, this pan is serving up some hens and chicks! You’ll need a drill to complete this planter, along with some landscape fabric or burlap. Find the instructions at Fred Gonsowski Garden Home.

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Cardboard Carton

Instead of tossing that cardboard milk or orange juice carton in the recycling bin, cut off the top, wrap it with fabric and use it as a planter for herbs or flowers. For more ideas, visit Cut Out + Keep.

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Tea Pot

This old tea pot has a new life as a planter. You can get a similar look with an old coffee carafe. For even more ideas, click here. Here’s how to make your own pour-over coffee maker.

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Coffee Cans

Don’t toss those empty coffee cans! Give them an updated look with some paint and use them as planters. For a video tutorial, click here. Plus, here are 15 items you didn’t think you could recycle.

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Cabinet Drawer

If you’re remodeling your kitchen, save an old drawer and use it as a planter. You can use it as a small garden box or hang it on the wall for a vertical garden or flower box. For ideas, visit Veggie Gardener. Oh, and here’s an instant (and cheap) planter upgrade.

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plastic milk jug flower plantersfamily handyman

Plastic Jugs

Those plastic milk jugs can be cut and used as planters. Try hanging them from a fence with wire coat hangers, as shown here. To read about the project, click here. Plus, here are 21 nifty ways to reuse plastic jugs and bottles at home.

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Wine Bottle

If you’re up for cutting glass, try using empty wine bottles as planters. You’ll need to cut either the side or the top, depending on the look you’re going for. Next, try building this space-saving kitchen cabinet wine rack project.

Rachel Brougham
Rachel Brougham lived through a major home renovation in 2019, knows the ups and downs of home improvement, and loves sharing tips with readers. A veteran journalist of both print and television, she’s won several awards for her writing and has covered everything from the environment and education to health care, politics and food. She’s written for several publications beyond newspapers including Bob Vila, Taste of Home and Minnesota Parent, and she currently writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column. Her memoir, Widowland, about the sudden loss of her husband, was published in 2022. She specializes in everything from home decor and design to lawn and garden, product reviews and pet care. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her tending to her garden (both vegetables and native plants), playing with her dog, watching sports with her family or getting some exercise. A native of Michigan, she currently lives in Minneapolis. An avid user of Instagram, you can follow her @RachBrougham.