Readers of my simple/DIY living blog The Really Good Life will already know that I’m trying to make more efficient use of the space in my garden this year – I’ve been making lots of planters and raised beds from scrap wood (including this weekend, a 3ftx3ft bed for square foot gardening from our old bathroom cupboard doors) and I’m also interested in vertical gardening – creating a living wall of salad, herbs and companion plants.

I’ve explored the various different types of wall planters/hangers that you can buy – from essentially shelves, to window boxes, fabric bags and complicated systems – but me being me, I would prefer to make them myself, ideally reusing and recycling stuff I already have stashed around the place.

Some lovely people have already made some suggestions – I’m going to try making upside down planters from squash bottles and a fancy living wall type system from an old pallet when I find a suitable one – but I thought I’d ask on here as well in case anyone else has any suggestions.

I realise we’ve already covered similar areas like this before but I think the wall-mounted aspect opens up some other options – and I’d love to hear them.

What have you used to make wall planters? Have you made a vertical garden or a living wall? Or have you made any hanging baskets from anything interesting?

• Leethal‘s Lee Meredith made herself some cute yarn cubbies out of old coffee cans – and has written up a how-to if you want to give it a go yourself. (More coffee can ideas…)
• Got lots of keepsake t-shirts you want to upcycle but delicate quilting isn’t really your thing? Turn them into an oversized floor cushion/chair instead.
• Or use other old tshirts to make light spring hats for babies or toddlers – Lu Bird Baby thoughtfully includes girl and boy variations in her tutorial.
• Mrs Green from My Zero Waste is trying to grow her own cleaning sponges this summer.
• Also growing related, inverted growing is a great space saver – and a great way of using up buckets or tubs which have damaged bottoms. Johngineer has put together a wonderfully thorough tutorial on how to turn a normal planter into a hanging one for inverted growing.
• And finally, speed up growth from cuttings without chemicals – make your own rooting hormone using willow branches.