A Thrifted Shovel full of Succulents...a DIY Love Story!

I love all things rusted, chippy, worn and covered in layers of peeling paint. There’s nothing I love better than searching for treasure in the discarded, hence my love of thrifting! And where others see trash, I see treasure! I feel like this is how God sees us. He sees beauty in all of our cracks and imperfections. He seeks out the discarded and gives new life! I use this thought and promise as the motivation behind my thrifted and repurposed creations.

I’ve wanted to make a shovel succulent planter for a while now, after seeing them on Pinterest and in garden boutiques where we live, so when my parents found this old cement shovel for me, I knew it was perfect! I wanted to use things I already had on hand, but this project does not need to cost a lot of money. Let’s make one together!

What you’ll need:

•Shovel(the older the better!)

•chicken wire

•baling wire

•wire cutters

•sphagnum moss

•cactus soil

•succulents (I used cuttings from my established succulents, but you could also buy them)

Step 1:

Using your wire cutters, cut a rectangle, about 12”x24”, from the chicken wire. You might want to wear utility gloves to avoid getting cuts or scratches from the wire.

Step 2:

Form a circle shape with the wire and gather at the bottom to create your basket. Leave an opening at the bottom to slip the shovel handle through, then secure tightly with baling wire.

Step 3:

Once the basket is secured to the handle, secure the back by enter-twining the ends of the chucked wire. You can even use a few pieces of baling wire for reinforcement.

Step 4:

Now that you’ve got your basket secured to the shovel, you’ll add the moss. I like to spray the moss with water, so it’s damp but not dripping wet. This makes it easier to use and get into the open spaces of the chicken wire. It’s also less messy this way…if you’re OCD like me! Take handfuls of damp moss and completely line the entire basket, making sure to fill all of the open spaces.

Step 5:

Once the basket is lined with moss, fill the bottom ⅔ with the cactus soil. You’ll need space to plant your succulents so don’t fill to the top.

(Tip: if you are using purchased succulents, leave them in the container and place in the basket on top of the soil. Then put more soil around the container. Remove the container and you now have to perfect size hole for your succulent!)

Step 6:

Now comes the fun part! Start planting your succulents! I like to use a variety of colors and heights, and the fuller the better…use a lot! Place the taller plants in the back, and the draping ones in the front. This is the time to get creative! Don’t skimp! Once planted, fill in the remaining spaces with soil, pressing gently in place.

Step 7:

Give your planter a gentle watering, hang and enjoy!

You could also use flowers, herbs…don’t limit yourself! I have a feeling you’re going to want to make more than one!! I’d love to see yours, please follow me on Instagram @justtracytalk and tag me!

Now if you’ll excuse me…I’m in search of a shovel…

XO

Tracy