The number and variety of garden projects you can tackle are endless. Some of the best garden projects are those you can complete in a weekend on your own or with a little help. Try a project that provides function as well as beauty in your garden.
A Bean Trellis
When you grow beans, you quickly realize that they are climbers that need support to reach out their stalks toward the sun. A bean trellis is a functional and artistic element you can add to your garden yourself. Sean Conway of Cultivating Life online supplies detailed directions for creating a simple, rectangular box shape out of cedar planks and cattle fencing.
To get the basic idea of this project, you will need heavier duty tools including a miter and table saw, two kinds of blades, a drill with special bit, and some simpler tools. The two cedar boards are cut into 1 1/2-inch square posts. These posts are cut into smaller lengths to create the frame of the bean trellis. You will make grooves for the fencing to slide into the cedar posts, and glue the pieces in place. When the piece is finished, it can be sanded and stained or left to naturally weather over time.
Hypertufa Trough
If you are looking for a garden container or feature that is inexpensive, functional and easy to make yourself, look no further than a concrete cast pot called a hypertufa trough. Online directions come from the Victory Garden website. These pots look like aged stone and provide excellent drainage due to their natural composition. Another benefit is that you can form them in virtually any shape or size you desire, provided you have a container to function as the mold. Begin by assembling the ingredients: two parts sand, one part peat moss, and one part Portland cement or QuickCrete. Tools include two 1/2 inch wooden dowels, rubber gloves and a mask, a large plastic garbage sack and a wire brush. First mix sand and peat moss in a large container. Wearing your mask, carefully mix in concrete. Add water slowly, using your hands to stir the components together until a stiff consistency is reached. Now press the mixture into your container, about 1 inch deep on the sides and 2 inches deep on the bottom. Use the dowels to create drainage holes in the bottom, pushing them through the base. Leave the dowels in place and cover the trough with the plastic garbage sack. The next part will be difficult for impatient do-it-yourselfers, since the trough must dry for 24 hours. After unmolded, it must sit for another month. Be sure to remove the dowels after the trough is dry, and using the wire brush, smooth out rough edges. When you leave the trough in a shady spot for the month's curing time, cover again with plastic. The effort will yield flower friendly, sculptural structures to spruce up any garden display.
Easy Water Feature
The recipe for adding a simple pond to your garden space is easy, courtesy HGTV.com. Start by choosing a container, such as a tub made from galvanized metal or a wooden whiskey barrel cut in half. Fill the prospective container with water and let it set overnight. If it is leak-free in the morning, you have a winner. Now choose plants. Keep in mind that to maintain soil-root contact, you need to leave potted bog plants as is. Just place rocks on the top of the soil to hold it in place under the water. Begin filling the container from the edges working in, and start with smaller plants so they will not be hidden. If the pot is small and sits more than 1 inch below the surface, add bricks to the container bed and set the pot on top to raise it. Examples of bog plants include horsetail rush and iris. The water lily's roots rest on the bottom of the container while the pad and flower float to the surface. You should also add oxygenating plants, like hornwort, and floaters, such as parrot's feather and water hyacinth. Cover 60 percent of the surface with plants to reduce algae growth, and insert a mosquito repellent device to deter larvae from hatching.
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