We all must learn to grow vegetables. Whether we live in a small apartment without a balcony, a unit with just a small patio, or a luxury house with lots of land. Don’t you think? Growing veggies is easy & fun, once you know how, particularly with the ingenious plastic bottle vertical gardening system I’m showing you today. You can buy seedlings (which are easiest) but I prefer to start with organic heirloom seeds.

Vertical vegetables gardens don’t take up space and will help you save loads on groceries. Not to mention, you’ll eat more organics, and oh … the delight you’ll feel every time you pick your own goodies!!! 

First Things First: Get Seeds

Start an indoor vertical container garden now, and learn just how much fun gardening is.

Get your set of organic edible flowers, vegetable and herb heirloom seeds out from under the kitchen sink or your garden shed, or order high-quality, organic heirloom seeds now online, because…

…I have 2 videos on how to make a vertical vegetable garden using recycled plastic bottles and they will inspire you!

   ***  Pick Pansies ***

Perennial pansies are hardy

and thrive in shady areas or

with partial sunlight.

Tip: don’t forget to order organic potting mix.

Vertical Container Gardening Howto

Essentially, you stack the bottles upside down and use a drip-irrigation system. Let me show you the details ~ They are a little bit different for the indoor and outdoor gardens.

Indoor Vegetable Container Garden for Apartment Dwellers

Indoor Kitchen Garden

Video: If you don’t see the video above, click this link

For this system, you’ll need to cut a large circle on either side of the bottle to allow your plants to grow thru them.

This video discusses a bit of the details, and what’s important for indoor gardens. The next video is a lot more detailed and I think is even of use for those who want/need to make a garden indoor. In particular, its details on irrigation are interesting. So, read on…

Recycled Bottle Stacks for Vertical Outdoor Kitchen Gardening

Ideal for Patios & Small Outdoor Spaces.

The video below gives you the exact details how to set up your own vertical vegetable garden completely fitted with the most efficient irrigation system.

video: http://youtu.be/-uDbjZ9roEQ

Embellish & Add Bling!

Of course, if you are a regular follower of this blog, then I expect you to not leave the ugly labels they show in the video onto the bottles.

I hope that instead you embellish the bottles with cute labels, tags, plastic flowers, butterflies, etc.

Remember these darling aluminum butterflies, made from recycled tin foil plates? They would be perfect for this gardening project.

Grow Edible Flowers

Besides growing the vegetables you love to eat of course,   pick a couple of fresh herbs that offer beautiful flowers too.

I’m thinking of adding a few rows of easy to grow Nasturtium (Tropaeolum Majus). This entirely edible plant makes great flowers that cheer up any salad, herb vinegar or garnish. They like full sun and a warm climate, which impart a wonderful peppery flavor to the plant.  Perfect in the Roman sun. Ahhh…

Other Plant & Garden Projects

Have a look at some of our other plant and garden projects:

• How to Make a Topiary
• How to Make Succulent Wreaths
• How to Make a Rustic Garden Bench
• How to Landscape with Grasses (even in Pots)
• Cool DIY Fence from Recycled Corregated Iron
• Succulent Garden in Recycled Small Kid Shoe
• DIY Cool Outdoor Shower
• Free Sewing Pattern for a Quilted Gardeners Tote Bag
• How to Make Your Own Tire Swing

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Lets make a topiary. I will show you how.

It is winter and not much creative gardening going on besides making winter veggies and protecting whatever you planted from frost. It is however a time that in Italy, the olive farmers clip their olive trees again, and loads of free branches are to be had. And we can have fun with those branches,  yessery!

Topiaries, or natural garden sculptures, can be quite expensive. But if  you make your own, you realize you can make a thousand for the price of one store-bought sculptured plant.  The secret: patience, a bit of ingenuity, and those olive tree branches. Because these branches make great topiary frames!

Step-by-step Topiary Making Instructions

1. Start with some ivy.  Purchasing a plant with at least two long trails of leaves, or taking a clipping with roots and trails from a plant you already have.   Ivy is pretty cheap at the moment. I think I paid $1.95 for a nice plant a couple of trails of ivy leaves.

2. Hop over to your nearby olive farm (I did the first year we were here), clip your own olive trees (I did the second year) for a bunch of the thinner branches.  Take all the leaves off. Weave the olive tree branches into a circle, till your base wreath looks like photo #2. Do not make it too heavy with too many branches, although you could add a few more branches than I have used here if you wish, as it will make your topiary look fuller from the start. You want to create a topiary frame that’s stable. That’s the most important criteria.

No olive trees nearby?

Alternatively, use other thin branches from your garden or local park, or if you must buy something, go to your N. American dollar store and pick up a wreath made of olive branches, or purchase an official topiary frame, which is often made of a metal shape with a chicken-wire body. Here you can find topiary frames for near wholesale prices.

What we are doing today is pretty simple and straight forward. If you however want to make a topiary heart shape, well, than I highly recommend you purchase a topiary heart frame . This one here is only US$ 6.80, which seems inexpensive.

I’ll talk more about special topiary forms later, as I have some amazing topiary garden photos to show you of the most amazing living sculptures. But for now, we do an easy home decorating project…

3. Now here comes the  secret to making olive tree branches work as topiary form: you take a bit of metal wire and fold it around 3 inches of your form.   On both sides of those 3 inches you should have a pin coming out of 3 inches, pin A and pin B.  These two pins are to be at the bottom of your form and you are to stick them into the earth of your pot with ivy. This will hold your wreath in place.   Look at the photo of the heart topiary form and you’ll know exactly what I’m referring to.

4. Next, take one of the longs trails of ivy leaves and weave these around one side of the wreath form.  Take the second and or third trails of leaves and fold them around the wreath going into the other directions.  They will overlap with the first trail around the top of the wreath.  Make sure it’s even and full all over.  

5. Add some plant food to stimulate your ivy into growing a bit faster and fuller, and you’re done.   Easy enough, right? Now go find 10 minutes to do this creative DIY project, because that’s all that it took me. 

Other Garden, Porch & Plant Craft / DIY Projects

• Garden DIY & Garden Craft

• Recycle Shoe Mini-Garden
• How to Make Succulent Wreaths
• DIY Cool Outdoor Shower
• Reversible Garden Blanket
• Adirondack Deck Chairs
• Lawn or Beach Chairs

  Garden Bench

• Recycled Tire Swing

  Hammock & Garden Umbrella

• Beach in a Pot
• 

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Now that all your holiday decoration is gone, does the front door look a bit barren? Not for long, because here’s an idea for you that you wished you’d tried before:  year-round colorful succulent wreaths that need next-to-no-attention to good looking. Best of all, the plants on these wreaths are alive! Like a garden on your porch!

How to Make Your Own Succulent Wreath

The designer of this particular wreath, Jaime from Prudent Baby, simply whirled through her garden with clippers to get her succulents.

However, most of us don’t have such a wide range of colorful succulents around our own home, so a bit of patience and planning on our part is warranted. We may even need to purchase some plants to round-out the color scheme. But, with a bit of patience and a plan to make this one day, you might overcome this need. This is because succulents, as all succulent-owners know, tend to grow back rather rapidly and easily.  Even a broken off leaf can be planted back to become a new flower. Therefore, succulent owners tend to be very happy sharers of their plants.  And maybe a very generous donator of a variety of plants could be rewarded back with a wreath like this for him/herself.

source: Prudent baby

How you begin is finding yourself a metal wreath frame, and to fill it up with moistened spaghnum moss (soak for 5 min)(supplies below).

Then, collect ‘flowers’ from your various succulent plants and clip of the bottom leaves so you get mini-stems, which you stick into the moss. You might use a pen to prepare holes in your thickly packed moss so the plants will go in without breaking.  Secure the plants with florist wire or equivalent to keep them in place till the roots have grown, which can take anywhere from 3-5 months.

Succulent Wreath Design & Care Tips for Wreaths

Tip 1: for a nice design, group plants together. Vary large and smaller florets, and and repeat colors. See sample wreath.

Tip 2: dip your succulent in rooting hormone to grow roots faster.

Tip 3: as this is a life wreath, spray it with water occasionally, but do not over-water.  Succulents like sun more than water. So, go lavish on one, sparing on the other.

This life wreath will continue to grow, bloom and be beautiful year-round. Now, don’t you want to start making one right away?!

Get Your Wreath-Making Supplies

• Spaghnum moss
• Wreath Frame (12")
• Rooting Hormone or Rooting Stimulant
• Florist wire, or … simple fishing wire, or … whatever you have.
• And, of course, your succulent plant clippings

Click here for …

More Wreaths

DIY Wreaths in any shape, make or form

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.

: The Cyber Monday Deals in yesterday’s article LAST ALL WEEK. Do check ‘m out.

Today’s article is a DIY garden bench project.

I enjoyed a delightful Thanksgiving dinner with a lovely family in a gorgeous home in Long Beach, LA, California. The indoor space was tastefully decorated in a timeless contemporary design style.

The outside space was a half-decent match to the interior. However, home-owner Michael sighed he wished to add some contemplative garden space, that would take advantage of the yard’s beautiful corner viewpoint. He was excited about the idea of making his own outdoor stone bench for this purpose. But how to go about it? It was a project he had never done before.

In appreciation for his hospitality, I decided to researched the garden bench project for Michael. Today I’m sharing the ideas I developed.

Long Beach, More than a Beach

The name ‘Long Beach’ instantly conjures up an image of a long beach full of palm trees.  However, there are also tree-lined lakes, parks and golf courses to be found on the land behind that beach. So

Micheal’s property is placed in a woodsy residential setting rather than a row of ocean-front beach houses.   The suggested garden bench styles are in keeping with its more woodsy environment.

(image: johnsaldano)

Bench in Garden Design Stages

1. Select the Bench Location in Your Garden. Put a seat in that spot for a while and see how you like the viewpoint and the ambience. Is it too windy perhaps, and you must plant a scrub there first before it’s bench ready?  is there enough light there, or do you need to cut some branches first? Etc.

2. Prepare Your Garden Bench Location. Measure the exact location of each bench leg, and dig out the lawn in that location and fill each base with stabilizing material. See videos below.

3. Buy or make your bench design elements. See below.

4. Build or place the bench in location. See below.

Stone or Wooden Garden Bench ?

Michael initially asked for a stone bench.  Stone benches are unique in their serene & rustic feel, their durability and low maintenance. 

However, I can’t pass up the opportunity to point out that rustic benches can also be made from timber.  Given the temperate climate in southern California, a wooden garden bench could also last Michael a long time.

Wooden garden benches typically cost a fraction of what a slate stone bench might cost, and given that they have their own unique charm, they are worth considering.

Rustic Wooden Garden Bench

Garden Bench #1: Log Bench. Difficulty LEVEL: very easy.

This rustic sealed raw-timber log bench is fast to make. No wood-working skills required, but you must have some measuring skills and be able to use a chain saw (or know someone who can ~ wink).   No nails required.  In fact, it requires nothing but a saw and some imagination.

This bench is great for larger lots and park-like yards, where lumber is abundant and where you might like a couple of benches spread around.

This bench will be a welcome feature next to or in a large wild flower bed, or opposite a veggie garden, allowing the fresh food grower a break and some happy glances over his growing produce.

Easy instructions for this bench can be found here at HGTV.

Tip: For more refined wooden garden bench designs with instructions, see links at the end of this article.

Still smitten on a stone bench?

Here’s how to make some beautiful stone benches.

Stone – Wood Combination Garden Bench

Garden Bench #2:  Neat ‘n Tidy Stone Block Garden Bench with Wooden Seat.

Difficulty LEVEL: easy.

This garden bench is made with stacked decorative concrete building blocks. This clear 2-minute how-to make a stone bench video explains each step: from how to make a compacted gravel base to placing the wood seat, all steps are simple without mixed concrete.   (Click here for the video link if you don’t see the video screen in this post)

Garden Bench 2a:

To make this bench into a comfortable garden couch, see this How-to make a stone bench w backrest video here.

Stone Garden Bench

LEVEL: Challenging. 

Are you ready for this?

Garden Bench #3:  Gorgeous curved multi-slab stone bench that creates a luxurious garden seating area for garden party entertainment or peaceful contemplation.

Click here for your eHow instructions on how to make this stone garden bench. Be warned: it ain’t easy, but as you can tell from the image, well worth the effort.

Material Choices

Flagstone, granite or marble slates as are used here. I suggest you use materials in like with the quality of materials used for the main house as that determines the resell value of the property.  

This stone bench is quite pricey, and if that’s prohibitive, don’t give up on the idea of it.  There are other options to create this stone bench without the full cost.  Consider using cement molds and/or opt for wooden seating top and bench back. 

If you are not familiar with using cement molds, review the videos below to see how easy it actually is and learn tips-of-the-trade from the garden designer pros. 

DIY Simple Concrete Garden Bench

LEVEL: Easy.

Another variation to keep cost to a minimum is to mold concrete into shapes that make up a bench.  This video series explains the ‘how-to’ make a concrete garden bench.

Step 1: Making the legs for your concrete garden bench

Step 2: Making the Top Seat for your Garden Bench

Optional: How to Personalize Your Garden Bench Seat

Step 3: Unmold Garden Bench components

Step 4: Assemble a concrete garden bench by putting the bench top on the legs

What these videos reveal is that while these benches could be adorable on their own, you could equally place these in groupings.  

Bench Making Tools, Supplies & Suppliers

If you want to experiment with making your own cement-based stones and rocks, I suggest you go for one or both of these molds.  Once you’ve made a bench with these, you’ll want to add a few of these ‘slates’ to other elements in your garden also: tiles for path, accents for the fireplace, elements for a nearby stone planter.   Professional garden designers create unity by repeating design elements, and I suggest you do the same.

Buy your cement garden bench molds here:

Huge Slate Textured Concrete Flagstone Steppingstone Mold, #1818SL-D

1 Set of 24 Molds to Make Dry stack Ledge stone Rock, ODL-05

More Garden Projects

1. How to Create a Stone self-retaining Garden Wall, using recycled materials

2. How to Make a Tire Swing

3. How to Create a Simple Outdoor Shower

4. DIY Recycled Corrugated Metal Fence

5. Beach in a Pot

6. Fall Landscaping Ideas for a potted gardener

7. http://www.finecraftguild.com/adirondack-chair-plans/

8. DIY Beach Chairs

9. Simple Wooden Garden Bench

”

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Truly spooky!! Just when I publish this article on DIY Halloween ghosts, I come across an even better Halloween host diy. Take a look at this amazingly realistic garden ghost, made out of chicken-wire. Wow. It’s almost poetic, so beautiful and … realistic !!!!

Would you believe: all you really need is fine chicken wire and shape it with your hands into the shape of a figure. So, easy: why did I not think of it?

First, credit where it’s due, and we are thanking artist Slim Jim from Whacky Archives for this easy, do-it-yourself ghost (link below).   Now, let’s all make one, or two…

Step-by-step Instructions for this Wired Garden Ghost

Jim did not write step-by-step instructions for this craft, but i think I can write them up for you by simply looking at his pictures.

Materials Needed

Use a role of basic garden fencing aka chicken wire that stands up on its own. Find it in any hardware store. Besides wire cutters you just need  your own hands.  Easy peasy.

step 1.

Make your base circle. Cut it. Weave in the ends with each other so that it stands. Make your top end smaller than the bottom circle so the structure’s stable.  These are the legs/waste of your ghost sculpture.

step 2.

Make a second circle for the upper-body, which should be smaller again than the first circle. Overlay and attach it to the first circle and mold the overall form with your hands to make it look like a figure, sort of…

step 3.

Cut a smaller piece again to shape into a head form with neck/shoulders/chest, kind of like a Mozart buste, and place it on top of the other two pieces of chicken wire and weave in the ends to attach it to the ghost sculpture.

step 4.

Now it’s shaping time, big time. You will probably by now see a ‘big man’, ‘old lady’, aka a persona. Use that image in your head and give that person a pose.

step 5.

Go look at it from a distance, Refine it as needed. Chances are you’re done before you know it. After all, it’s not supposed to be a life-like sculpture, but rather a ghost image. This project is more forgiving than you’d think.

DIY Moving Ghosts

Super spooky!! Hook a fishing line to it, hang the line over tree limb and and two or three horizontally from other trees and you can move it around like a puppet from afar. This is obviously something you have to fiddle around with, but you get the picture: there is no end to the possibilities: it stops where your creativity stops.

Click on either images for a close-up look to see more of how this wonderfully realistic ghost is made. Have fun.

Eco-Tip: you can easily use recycled wire if you have it.

source images / idea : Whacky Archives

More Creative Ideas
at Halloween Central

Visit our ‘Halloween Central’, which includes DIY Halloween costumes, 101 Halloween Costume ideas, pumpkin carving templates, Kids color pages, an adorable ghost garland as home decorating, or for your party, 70 Halloween Knitting/Crochet projects, and LOTS more.

Free Craft Newsletter

Want creative help, ideas, tutorials and templates from FineCraftGuild? Sign up for our daily newsletter (in the top right corner of this page), and get all this. You’ll love it.

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Remember the ‘Beach in a Pot’- container gardening idea we included in our ‘How to Create a Beach Cottage’-series ?  Now, I want to show you three different autumn gardens in a pot. Beautiful landscaping ideas by Sunset, for your garden, patio and balcony.

These Fall landscapes in pots are neither Halloween nor Thanksgiving -themed, but say ‘Autumn’ in an elegant way. In other words, at least one of these Autumn ensembles in a pot is a ‘must have’ for our balcony garden.

Love them also?

Source:

images by Jennifer Martiné for Sunset.com

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Wondering what to do with that ever growing collection of shells? Here’s an idea for the larger ones.

Again, simple design idea

Found in Paris.

Other beach cottage design ideas & DIY tutorials:

A Beach in a Pot
Waterproof Picnic Blanket for the Beach
Bed Sheet with Beach Shell Print – Easy Home Craft

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.

A fence like you’ve never seen before, have you?!  You gotta go to Carrboro in NC to see this beauty.  Artistic and practical.

This particular fence does not come with a manual, however, there are however plenty of YouTube tutorials on fence making from which to borrow the design ideas needed to pull this one off on your own.

Start collecting’ ‘stuff’ would be step #1.

image source: Re-nest

DIY Fence Making Instructions

I thought to give you some tips and hints on how to make fences, however, these folks at the lumberyard really know best. Let them advice you.

Here are their hips and hints on how to make a really good fence – or rather, they are good step-by-step how-to instructions: 1. spacing the fence posts, 2. setting the fence posts, and 3. adding rails to the posts ~ exactly what you’ll need to make the fence above.

Not for beginners ~ sorry, but not that hard either.

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Great summer craft for kids: make your own succulent garden in that worn pair of shoes that has been the favorite for soooo long and that is just still too ‘precious’ to throw away.   Have a pair of those, with soles all worn out and/or now cramping your toes?  Perfect. Let’s recycle (upcycle) it!!

Materials Needed for this Garden Art Project

All you need next is an old plastic bag with which you’ll line the shoe so it will last a bit longer as your plant pot.

Next pour in a bit of soil and break of a few succulent florets from your moms, aunts or neighbors succulents and put them in the soil. 

1/4 cup of water and your shoe garden is ready to go onto your bedroom’s window sill or somewhere on the porch.

Perfect Plant for Kids

Succulents like sun and won’t mind it if you forget to water them, .. for a while.

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