12 Brilliant Ways To Upcycle Old Drawers Into Something Beautiful For Your Garden

If you're into repurposing and recycling old furniture, undoubtedly, you're going to end up with a few old drawers that are no longer needed for their original purpose. You might even find that there's often a collection of them at your local thrift shop or other secondhand place. Some universities also have surplus stores. Once you have a few of these unloved treasures just sitting in your garage and waiting for a new life, while there are plenty of clever ways to repurpose old dresser drawers in your home, there is also a myriad of brilliant ways you can upcycle them and turn them into something beautiful for your garden.

Old drawers are extremely versatile and can make the most interesting planter boxes for all sorts of things, from succulents to herbs and flowers. They can also be used to create a range of different raised garden beds. All you need to do is use a little imagination. Another idea is to turn an old drawer into a pretty centerpiece for your patio table and fill it with gorgeous flowers from your garden. Finally, that old drawer gathering dust in your garage would make the perfect receptacle for a mini seed-raising glass house that you can use inside and then move out into your garden when it comes time to harden off the seedlings.

Old drawers can be repurposed into pretty flower planters that you can change out with the seasons. Make sure you line the base of the drawer if you intend to fill it with potting soil to prevent the timber from rotting. Or, better still, keep your seasonal flowers in pots and arrange these attractively inside the drawers. You might want to drill some drainage holes in the base, but you'll find that this will need replacing after a few years. Coating the drawers with marine varnish should help to protect them from the elements. 

If you have some really large drawers, you can use them to make individual raised garden beds. Just take out the timber base before placing the drawer on the ground and filling it with good-quality topsoil. To prevent the wood from deteriorating too quickly, you can paint it with exterior paint or just use some protective varnish if you prefer the natural look. Smaller drawers can be used in the same way to create a grid of individual beds, which would be perfect for growing vegetables.

If you love succulents, using an old drawer to create a gorgeous display is ideal. This would look pretty sitting on your outdoor table or a wooden bench. Just be sure that you drill some holes in the base of the drawer to assist with drainage. Then, fill it with a quality cactus potting mix and plant your succulents. You can get creative by mixing up the species a little and planting some trailing ones around the edges so that they tumble down over the sides.

Stack different sized drawers on top of each other to create a lovely herb garden that you can place near your kitchen for easy access. Keep the herbs in pots or use grow bags instead. This idea would also work really well on a balcony and having the different levels will make harvesting your herbs so much easier. You could even paint the drawers in bright colors to make the display even more eye catching. It's a great way to brighten up your outdoor space.

Old drawers make the perfect receptacle for cute and enchanting miniature gardens. You can let your imagination run wild with this little project by creating a tiny village or a whimsical fairy garden. Just fill the drawer with some pea gravel and add your collection of miniatures for a pretty display. Don't forget to add a few tiny potted plants to complete the picture. Small succulents in pots would work well for this. For more inspiration, you might like to explore a few fairy garden ideas that are downright magical.

If you have limited growing space, a vertical garden made from drawers stacked on top of each other is an ideal solution. You'll need to get busy with some woodworking tools to make the planting holes in the front and sides of the drawers. Use a larger drawer as the base and stack a few of the same-sized drawers to create your garden structure. Plant shallow-rooted vegetables such as lettuce and radishes in the drawers and complete the garden with a selection of herbs.

If you would love to add some window boxes around your house, you can easily fashion these from old drawers. All you'll need to do is remove the back of each drawer and shorten the sides and the base before reattaching the back again. You can attach the drawers using heavy-duty bolts or purchase some decorative brackets instead. Then, just place some gorgeous potted plants in each one to complete the display. Take a look at some cozy fall window box ideas to get you started. 

An old drawer would make the perfect base for a potting tray to hold your peat pots when you're propagating new plants or growing a few seeds for your vegetable garden. You can make your own dividers from plywood and just stick these together with some wood glue before placing them inside your chosen drawer. This will help the peat pots to hold their shape when filled and watered. Don't forget to line the bottom of the drawer first and add a few drainage holes.

If you're lucky enough to come across some old wooden card filing drawers, these would be ideal for keeping all your packets of seeds tidy and in order in your garage or garden shed. You can make your own dividers from thick cardboard so that you can sort the seeds into their relevant planting months or growing season. Then, just pop your seed packets between the dividers, and you'll be able to find just the ones you need quickly and easily when you're ready for seed sowing.

An old drawer can be used to create a beautiful centerpiece for your outdoor table. Use a lovely old lace tablecloth  or a piece of pretty fabric to line the drawer with and then put in a few shallow jars filled with water. Cut some short-stemmed flowers from your garden, like these delightful peonies and arrange them in the jars. Keep adding to the floral display until you're happy with how it looks. You could even add a few small pots of succulents to compliment the blooms.

With just a few woodworking skills and a little paint, you can turn an old dresser drawer into a gorgeous raised flower planter. The stand is made using some new or reclaimed wooden legs braced for support before being attached to the drawer's base. If you hunt through your local thrift stores, you might be able to find an already-constructed base that you can repurpose instead. Be sure to line your drawer before filling it with potting soil and put in some drainage holes.

If you love starting your seeds indoors, why not turn an old forgotten drawer into a mini seed-starting glass house? First, you want to screw on some legs and then paint the drawer in any way that you like. Even though this will sit in your garage or home under a grow light, you will need to put it outside to harden off the seeds, so remember to treat it with some exterior varnish. Place your seed starting trays inside the drawer once it's finished, and then cover the top with some plexiglass.