When you drive by a dumpster, what is your first instinct?
For Instructables user TheBaldFish, it's to dive right in and start searching for treasure!
She regularly drives around her neighborhood, especially toward the ends of calendar months when folks are on the move and often changing residences. She hunts for all sorts of discarded items she can use as-is, or repurpose into imaginative new projects.
But on a recent dumpster dive, she found a true diamond in the rough: a trashed old grill, long past its prime and beyond hope of repair.
Though not entirely certain how to upcycle her treasure at the onset, this DIY-er knew a grill like this was destined for some awesome second purpose.
Once spring had officially sprung, the idea hit her: she'd turn this grill into a planter box!
After all, lots of different, discarded items can be transformed into fun and innovative planter boxes.
Keep scrolling through our gallery to learn exactly how she transformed this old grill into a beautiful backyard addition.
What do you think of her dumpster diving transformation? Let us know in the comments below!
Tooling around her neighborhood, Instructables user TheBaldFish came across a trashed grill/smoker she absolutely had to save.
She loves dumpster diving, and has, over the years, found some pretty remarkable finds — including a leather LA-Z-Boy recliner!
She kept the old grill on her porch for a while, searching for its best purpose.
With spring just around the corner, she realized this grill would make an amazing planter box.
Since this DIY-er had snagged this old smoker from a dumpster, she thought it best it get a hearty cleaning before she began filling it with soil and crops.
First, she scrubbed it with a wire brush, perfect for lifting off rust.
Then she hit it with a good dose of dish soap, further eliminating unwanted bacteria from its surface.
Once the grill was cleaned to her standards, she moved on to phase two: sealing the surface.
To grow healthy crops in this vessel, this DIY-er sealed the grill with an enamel coating.
The enamel blocks unwanted elements from seeping into her crops.
She chose to seal the grill with a black-colored enamel, which would attract the highest quantity of natural light. This way, her plants would always have ample amounts of tasty sunlight to photosynthesize.
The black color also harkens back to the planter box's smoker-history — a fun reminder of its first life.
Next, the planter box was ready for soil.
This DIY-er decided to grow edible crops out of her planter, and filled her planter with appropriate soil to match that intention.
For her plants to grow properly, she had to ensure the dirt would be able to stay drainable.
She cut a few holes all over the planter's underside, so that excess water would be able to seep out easily.
This tactic lowered the chances that her crops would ever drown.
She also layered rocks in underneath her soil, to assist with proper drainage.
She chose to use her planter box to grow poblano and jalapeño peppers, as well as cilantro.
With tender love and care, this planter box has bloomed into quite the sight.
Thanks to this upcycler's ingenuity, this old grill has a beautiful new purpose.
While one might expect to see a grill in a backyard, most would not necessarily expect to see one sprouting cilantro.
To add additional intrigue, this DIY-er planted morning glory plants at the planter's base.
These crops have since started climbing and spiraling up around each leg.
A grill slated to sit completely forgotten in a landfill for who knows how long has since become a beautiful planter box, growing delicious food for its rescuer day after day.
This dumpster diving DIY-er transformed this old grill into an enviable gardening treasure.
What do you think of this planter box? Have you ever gone dumpster diving? What did you find? Tell us about your treasures in the comments below.
Please SHARE this amazing project with upcyclers in your community!
