Dump Traditional Birdbaths: Upcycle An Old Pickle Jar With An Easy DIY

It's not just bees and butterflies — birds are also pollinators who play an important role bringing pollen from one plant to another. To attract some feathered, pollinating friends to your garden, you need to do more than plant the right flowers. You also need to give them a source of water to drink and bathe in — a birdbath. But maybe you don't have the space for a typical pedestal mounted birdbath and the DIY projects you've come across are all too costly or involve the use of tools you don't have. Don't worry — you aren't in a pickle, especially if you have a clean pickle jar lying around. 

There's a simple way to make your own compact birdbath, using an empty pickle jar, a plant saucer, and a bit of hot glue. A pickle jar birdbath works thanks to gravity and vacuum pressure — the same forces that let you turn empty plastic water bottles into self-watering plant spikes. The pickle jar is inverted on the saucer, so that gravity slowly pushes the water out. As the birds splash and play in the liquid or it evaporates, more seeps out through holes in the lid. You can easily remove the jar and refill it as needed.

Start by cleaning the jar, using an odor-neutralizer like baking soda to remove the pickle smell. To assemble the birdbath, poke three holes into the lid of the jar, using a nail and hammer, an awl, or a self-driving screw and screwdriver. The holes shouldn't be large — just big enough that water can drip through. Since you don't want the lid to be completely flush with the saucer when you glue it on, you'll need to make spacers first. The quickest way to do that is by making several beads of hot glue on the saucer and letting them dry before you attach the lid. Another option is to glue buttons to the saucer, then glue the lid to the buttons.

Fill the clean jar about halfway with water, then set the lid on top, screw it on, and flip it over. Water will start to seep from the jar, filling up the saucer. Set the bird bath on a table or tree stump in your yard. Dump out the water from the saucer daily and refill the jar as it empties so your feathered friends always have something clean to splash around in.

The project is totally customizable, depending on your DIY skill level, craftiness, time, and budget. For example, you can give the glass jar a vintage makeover using food coloring or use glass paint to create a stained glass-like look. Rather than using a basic plastic plant saucer, pick one in a fun color or use an old pie plate. Try to choose a color that will attract birds to your birdbath, like blue or orange.