The Genius Way To Repurpose A Trampoline In The Garden When Your Kids Outgrow It
Backyard trampolines are a fun staple of childhood. However, these oversized memory makers have a shelf life, as netting and springs can wear out or break, kids can grow out of them, and they can get extremely dirty. Perhaps, despite your best efforts to rescue your trampoline from muck and dirt, this beloved item has seen better days. What's left when these pieces are no longer used is often the large metal trampoline frame that takes up lots of space in the backyard.
If you want to repurpose this item, one brilliant TikToker shared that it can be made into a circular garden fence. By removing all the old parts and taking advantage of only the sturdy metal frame, the TikToker's neighbor created the fence structure for a round garden bed. After adding a few smart features, they filled the garden with plants and shrubs of their choosing.
One of the main benefits of this hack is that it could lead to substantial savings. There is a high cost to having a professional install a wood fence or other traditional fencing as well as creating expensive raised garden beds or trellis systems. Instead, this upcycled DIY trampoline hack will save you some serious dough by repurposing the metal frame you already have. If you don't already have an old trampoline to transform, check your local Buy Nothing group or Facebook Marketplace in case a neighbor is getting rid of theirs.
Upcycling an old trampoline into a garden bed fence
To make a repurposed trampoline garden fence, there are two ways to tackle this DIY. The first option is to remove the upper poles that hold the safety net and flip the trampoline base upside down. Then, add chicken wire or other metal netting between the trampoline's legs to enclose the garden bed and prevent pesky critter visits. The advantage to this method is that the trampoline legs create open sections, and one can be utilized as the entrance for your enclosed garden (just don't install netting in that area). In addition, you can bury the actual ring with the trampoline's bouncy surface intact under the ground to create a weed barrier.
The second approach is to keep the trampoline upright so that the full ring frame creates a very streamlined circular top that clearly defines the space, like in the TikTok above. Remove the springs, netting, and other spare pieces from the metal frame, but leave the tall poles for the safety net in place to seamlessly create a raised trellis system for climbing plants like these vegetables you should grow in your garden with a trellis. This approach involves very little disassembly of the frame but would require the use of an angle grinder, reciprocating saw, or hack saw to cut an opening in the steel frame to serve as the entrance to the garden. Add chicken wire or mesh netting as in the first DIY option around the fence.
Other ways to transform your trampoline for the garden
There are plenty of ways to personalize this DIY to ensure it works for your specific needs. For instance, the TikTok neighbor added a gate to fully enclose and separate their garden bed from the rest of the yard, creating a cozy area that would be perfect for a vegetable or flower garden. This would also help protect the space from small animals that could nibble on your produce. Further, if you use the second DIY method above that keeps the trampoline's frame intact, you could place the original trampoline's safety net around the top of the fence to keep deer and other large animals out of your new garden. If you added a mesh screen on top of the enclosure, you could even protect your plants from birds, too.
Additionally, instead of creating an enclosed garden, commenters on the TikTok video also mentioned that the same structure could be used as a chicken coop or small animal enclosure. Another suggested a similar setup could be achieved with an above-ground pool frame rather than a trampoline. Further, an oversized half circle trellis could also be built by cutting the round trampoline frame in half and using poles between to connect the arches. For an added twist, keep some of the metal trampoline springs installed in the holes to create hooks for a semi-circle hanging garden.