Don't Toss Old Frying Pans: Turn Them Into Clever Garden Staples With 11 Smart DIYs

Sizzling hot garden ideas coming up! And we're starting them all with an old frying pan. Yes, that trusty skillet that fried up all of those eggs and pancakes will now take up its next assignment outdoors, far from the heat of the kitchen. We've curated some of the best ways to upcycle your old frying pan in the garden, with options ranging from decorative signs and fairy gardens to planters and bird feeders.

Old skillets work well for the task because they're meant to hold up to tough working conditions. Pans are made from assorted metals, which can handle the  elements, like heat, rain, and sunlight. The round shape makes for a neat outline when you use the pan for decorations or planters, and you can easily paint and modify the pans to fit your needs.

In some cases, the skillet's handle comes in handy for the project. You can use it as a hanger for many of the DIYs. In other cases, you'll want to remove the handle — that might require a screwdriver.  Many of these ideas are easy to adapt by changing the colors, design themes, or plants you use for them.

YouTuber Marifetli İşler proves an old frying pan isn't trash with this enchanting yard decor. The pan itself serves as a backdrop or frame for a cute cat-themed scene (although you can adapt the imagery to fit your garden theme). Painted rocks are glued onto the pan to create the design with little plants and sticks adding extra details. The pan handle makes an ideal hanger. Place the finished project on a garden fence or hang it from a shepherd's hook to accent your plants.

A variation on the garden fence decoration idea is this one from YouTuber Meu jardim na Florida. She spray paints each skillet a different bright color (handles and all). To add the decorative element, she positions a stencil on the inside of the pan and paints it in a contrasting color. You could also choose to flip the pan over and stencil the back side. Hang it up near greenery in your garden to sprinkle in doses of cheerful color.

Turn an old frying pan into a whimsical outdoor planter with tennis balls and painted CDs as the legs. The idea comes from YouTuber Marcie Ziv, who leaves the pan's handle intact (but you can remove it). She uses rebar to create four legs, which she threads through holes drilled in the bottom of the pan. To make the legs colorful and whimsical, she alternates the painted CDs and tennis balls. You can use all balls or replace the CDs with small plates or other disk-like items.

Next up, we're turning an old frying pan into the cutest planter for succulents. A double-handled skillet works best for this idea from SimplyPretty Creations. It's a good way to elevate a smaller succulent within your larger garden, or you can incorporate it into your patio container garden. Paint the pan and handles in your preferred colors. Then, add a succulent soil mix and arrange your succulents inside. Gravel or decorative rocks to cover the soil add the finishing touches.

An old pan works as the container for a hanging garden — it's ideal because it's not super thick, so it hangs on a wall well. Cover the top of the pan with mesh after you add the soil to keep it from falling out. Then, cut a hole in the mesh so you can plant your flowers, veggies, or vines. Hang the pan by the handle in a spot that gets ideal sunlight, depending on what you planted.

Tucking a fairy garden into a larger garden adds a touch of whimsy among the plants. To keep it contained, build your fairy garden inside an old frying pan. Add rocks, mini fences, pieces of wood, plants, and other decorations. You can often find whimsical pieces at craft stores, or you can fashion your own from objects you find around your home. Then, find a partially hidden spot in your garden where you can place the frying pan fairy garden.

A large skillet works well as a tray for holding several smaller potted plants outdoors. For example, you might have several succulents in smaller pots or an herb garden with each variety in a different planter. Paint the skillet to create a cute backdrop. You can fill the bottom with rocks, too, to create a more natural backdrop. Arrange small pots in the skillet and place it in your garden or on your patio.

Every garden needs some fun decorations, and an old skillet is the perfect top for a larger-than-life mushroom. You can use many different tops and bottoms for these garden decorations. An upside-down terracotta pot or wide vase works well as the stem. Remove the handle from the pan. then paint both parts, and glue them together with the skillet upside down to create the mushroom cap look. You can also attach fairy lights underneath the cap for a glowing effect.

YouTube creator Kaying Vang makes use of vertical garden space by creating fountain-style succulent planters (but you can use them for other types of plants). The process starts by creating a sturdy cement and pipe base. Three skillets of different sizes go onto the pipe, with the largest at the bottom and the smallest at the top. You can adjust the number of tiers. Additional lengths of pipe help space out the skillets.

Birds visiting your garden helps with weed and pest control, so adding bird-friendly features, like bird baths, is a benefit to your garden. You only want the water source to be about 1 to 2 inches tall, which makes a frying pan ideal as the basin. You can secure the skillet to a railing or adhere it on a block of wood or a sturdy rock. If the bottom is slippery, consider adding small pebbles in the bottom of the pan.

Another way to attract more birds is by using an old skillet as a platform-style bird feeder near your garden. Clean up the pan well to avoid any peeling finishes or leftover food remnants. You can attach it to a tree stump, create a wooden stand, or hang it from chains in a nearby tree. Leaving the handle on the pan lets it act as a perch for the birds that stop to eat.