Transform That Broken Fridge Into A Functional Veggie Garden
Refrigerators are a staple household appliance, so when they break, it's not the best problem to have. The cherry on top is that you'll have to remove the broken fridge to make space for a new one — and we'll explain why that's a good thing. You may not be so hasty to send your broken fridge to collect cobwebs in your garage after finding out this creative way to repurpose it. As it turns out, you can upcycle your expired fridge into a raised garden bed for your vegetables.
To do so, simply remove the door from the fridge and place it on the ground with the open side facing up. You now have a raised garden bed! There are some good reasons to consider revamping your fridge into a planter box for your vegetables. The obvious one is that this hack keeps another kitchen appliance out of the landfill. Plus, the lofty fridge compartments yield plenty of space for growing veggies. Lastly, you can customize the look of the fridge to match that of your personal garden style.
While there are some potential downsides to consider, like the fridge's weight when moving it and its dimensions potentially preventing you from reaching your plants, these can be addressed with the help of some tools and creative thinking. This DIY project is one of many clever ways to repurpose an old fridge in your home or garden.
Why you'll want to turn your fridge into a vegetable garden
With the sheer amount of household appliances that make their way to the landfill every year, you'd be doing the planet a disservice by not upgrading your worn out fridge into a vegetable garden. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that over 9 million fridges and freezers are thrown away annually (via Recycle Nation). By reusing your old fridge to grow vegetables, not only are you reducing your ecological footprint, but you'll enhance the ecosystem by generating new plant life.
The second reason why turning your fridge into a vegetable garden is a good idea is because the fridge provides ample space for your potential plants. Standard refrigerators are 24 to 40 inches wide, 62 to 72 inches tall, and 35 to 36 inches deep. Meanwhile, standard raised garden beds are around 4 feet by 8 feet, and 8 inches deep. Ultimately, how deep your raised garden bed should be depends on your crops, but the exceptional depth provided by a fridge garden can compliment healthy root growth in your vegetables.
An added benefit of growing your vegetables inside of an old fridge is that you can customize the look of your appliance bed. As TikToker @selizad687 shows, you can paint the exterior of the fridge as you see fit, and even add wood trimming. Similarly, you can also label your fridge with stickers to help you identify your plants.
Some downsides to consider and how to bypass them
As genius as this upcycling project is, there are a few drawbacks to consider before tackling the TikTok hack. To start, depending on the size of the fridge, it can be heavy to move. This is especially true if you need to move the fridge a long distance from where it's stored to where you want to place it in your garden. Not to worry though, because you can transport your fridge using a dolly. You may need a helping hand to keep the dolly still while slipping the fridge on to the mechanism. Otherwise, it's not too difficult to overcome dealing with the fridge's weight.
The second potential drawback to work around is that the width of the fridge might make it difficult to reach your plants that are in the center of the bed. Whether or not this is an issue for you also depends on the length of your arms. The ideal size for a raised garden bed allows you to reach the middle of the bed without stretching yourself too much. However, if you do find that the width of the fridge makes it difficult to reach your plants, you can combat this by keeping a step ladder nearby. Also, if your fridge is particularly wide, you should avoid placing it against a wall or fence, that way you can have 360 degree access.