Turn Old Soup Cans Into A Space-Saving Vertical Garden With An Easy DIY

Gardening is a great way to get outside and bring beauty and function to your outdoor living area. Yet for some homes, there's just no room for a collection of large planters or beds. Fortunately, the vertical garden concept offers plenty of options to save space and money. When you think of the best places to find unique and stylish planters, you probably don't think about the pantry, but it turns out that's a great spot to start. Soup cans make a great little home for microgreens, herbs, and other small growing treasures.

To convert any of your used soup cans into a vertical garden, start by making sure they are completely cleaned out. Then, drill two or three holes in the bottom of each can so that they can drain properly. You can also paint your tin a fun design at this stage if desired. 

Once that's done, you're ready to mount the cans on a fence or trellis foundation. You can organize them in whatever pattern or arrangement best suits your space. This is a great option for small yards or homes without garden plots. Instead of planting out, you plant up, leaving lots of room for as many of these little DIY flower pots as you like. All that's left to do is choose which plants you want to pot in them.

Once the cans are situated how you like them, add potting soil and whatever seeds you'd like. It's a good idea to choose a small plant, like microgreens or herbs, as they require less space to grow in the planters. That being said, you can also change things up by adding larger cans that can hold bigger plants. With more surface area, you can even print some outdoor-quality vinyl stickers or paint a design with a stencil to make it shine. No matter what size you choose, you can also pick up other decorative elements you want to use on your cans, like decoupage paper, ribbon, or jute cord.

The best way to start this easy space-saving vertical garden is to save your soup cans. Collect them as you eat the contents and set them aside until you're ready to plant. With just a few soup cans, you can transform your small space into a vertical garden. When it comes to gardening basics for beginners, you can't get much simpler than an empty can, some potting soil, and some sweet little herbs.