You can literally stick succulents into any old piece of rusty junk, like this chicken feeder, and make a cute planter!
So I was out on a pick and found some chicken feeders—the long, skinny galvanized ones—to which someone had added 2×4’s to each end to raise the chicken feeder up off of the ground. I really liked the way it looked, and I was inspired to copy this idea and then make it look even better by repurposing it as a succulent garden centerpiece.
Click on the button below to watch me create this succulent centerpiece.
Tools and Materials for Your Chicken Feeder Succulent Garden
To create this succulent centerpiece you’ll need:
- Chicken Feeder
- Succulents
- Potting soil
- Sand and/or rocks
- Drill *optional
How to Create this Repurposed Succulent Centerpiece
Adding the Risers
I decided to start by adding feet to the feeders. Since I sell vintage, antiques and repurposed items I am always looking to do things in batches. I took the chicken feeders I had purchased on my pick and added wooden feet or risers to them. I gathered some scrap 2 x 4’s and ran across the road to my dad’s house. Ok, so I probably didn’t run because I would have had to carry a bunch of 2 x 4 scraps, but I hopped in the truck and drove over.
Whenever you are working on projects, you have to have the tools to do the project. I have not invested in a lot of the tools, especially saws, because I have a couple options. One, I can have my dad do most things for me. Or, I just go to his house and use the tools there, or “borrow” them until he calls me asking if I have something after he’s spent an hour searching for it in the garage. Yes, I’m lucky my dad loves me. However, when I don’t use my dad’s tools or have him do something for me, then I go to another neighbor who actually is a carpenter and has even more tools. He has been an absolute blessing. If I help him with the project then the cost is minimal.
His help with projects has been wonderful for so many reasons! My dad normally wants to debate or argue about doing whatever I am envisioning, so that’s not much fun. My neighbor, just says ok and executes the task. Also working with my neighbor I have gained so much knowledge, skills, and experience. Like I said, if I help him with the job, it’s cheaper for me. Well, that’s a no brainer for me! I always stick around and help. But sticking around and helping means that I get to see the right way to do something versus the farmer way of doing something! I am so thankful for all of the experiences I get when working with an experienced carpenter!
So, back to this project. I drove over to my dad’s with 2 x 4’s scraps and the feeders. I think I had even taken a picture of the inspiration chicken feeder! And then, I left my dad to it while I worked on something else! FYI, if I’m not there, there’s less arguing going on! So, I had my dad cut the boards, 1 for each end. He then screwed the boards the feeder, getting a screw near each corner.
Selecting Our Succulents
Then, I picked up some succulents at our local Walmart. (Did you know they can ship you succulents? Check it out) Now everyone says how easy succulents are! They don’t take much water, they like sun and are hard to kill. And every time I pick succulents to plant I hope that this is the time I can keep them alive! Because Brooke and succulents DO NOT go together. This is one of the reasons I picked a variety of succulent styles. They all require a little bit different maintenance, so I figured I could keep at least a few of them alive if I got a variety! Plus a variety just looks better in our succulent garden.
Instead of buying dirt, sand, and rocks, I used some dirt I already had to plant them. I know succulents need good drainage. You could take a drill and make some holes on the bottom of the feeder. I did not want to do this. The next thing you can do is put sand and dirt under the soil, so the water can drain down away from the roots. I noticed that my little individually potted succulents had a ton of sand in the pot, so I did not add any to my chicken feeder.
I simply alternated the succulents in the feeder and added some potting soil as needed. When arranging the succulents I kind of made a pattern and went high, low with them and made sure not to put the same kind next to each other. I’m excited to see how these beauties fill in as they grow!
Where to Put Our Succulent Garden
The final step was placing the repurposed chicken feeder turned succulent garden onto my dining room table. This chicken feeder would look great anywhere inside, or outside, I can even see it sitting in a window sill, but as you can see it fits my dining room table nicely. Our table is pretty narrow, so having an attractive centerpiece that fits the center, even when you put your dinner plates on it can be difficult. But, this fits the bill!
Next Steps
The biggest issue now is going to be keeping the succulents alive. Even though everyone says succulents are very hard to kill, in the past I’ve always managed to kill them—as I’m writing this, in fact, I’m looking at the succulents and half of them are starting to brown and look dead! I would love to hear your tips for keeping succulents alive! Give me some pointers in the comments.
What I Know
- Forget about them, do not over water
- Do not water the plant directly, instead water around the plant
- Inside or outside, don’t bring them in and out
- Some feedback was that succulents do not do well in metal planters because they get too hot
- Although succulents like sun, they do not want full sun all day, every day
What else? What am I missing?
Did this inspire you to create your own chicken feeder succulent garden? I’d love to see how yours turned out! Show me your centerpiece by tagging me on Instagram @TheJunkParlor and I’ll share it with my friends!
Looking for some other fun DIY’s? I can help with that!
And, in case you are like me and not so good at keeping the succulents alive…this is my next game plan!
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