Gardening is a great way to express yourself and connect with the Earth. There’s nothing quite like getting dirt under your nails and laboring with love to grow your own plants and food. If you like making things with your hands, you’ll enjoy these four PVC pipe garden projects. Not only will they help your garden burst with life, but they will also give you another opportunity to create something to be proud of.
Drip Irrigation
A simple, but useful, DIY garden project to make is a drip irrigation system. All you need to do is create a grid of PVC piping that fits inside your garden plot. Connect the lengths of PVC piping with PVC elbows, tee fittings, and crosses. Make sure to attach a garden hose fitting somewhere as well, so you can attach a hose to the grid. Drill small holes into the sides of the PVC piping, then lay the grid inside your garden plot. Attach the hose to the garden hose fitting for easy drip watering.
And there you have it: your very own garden drip irrigation system! Watch as your plants grow vibrantly and beautifully.
Vertical Garden
Whether your garden plot is small or large, you could benefit from making a PVC vertical garden. These towers make the most of any space, making them perfect for growing lots of food or flowers in small plots. Customize the height of the vertical garden to meet your needs. Want multiple vertical gardens? Vary the heights of the PVC piping for an aesthetically pleasing garden. If you’re ready to start your vertical garden, find out here what supplies and steps you need to begin this new DIY garden project.
Tomato Cage
PVC tomato cages will transform the way you garden. You know how your wire tomato cages never seem to last longer than one season so you’re constantly buying new ones? Toss out the frustration with your wire cages. Make a PVC tomato cage that can stay in the garden all year long and will last for many tomato seasons. Let’s start building!
Supplies for 50” Tall PVC Tomato Cage
- ½” PVC Pipe, cut into (20) 10 in. pieces and (40) 7 in. pieces
- (20) ½” PVC Elbows
- (4) ½” PVC Tees
- (16) ½” PVC Crosses
- PVC Primer and Cement
- Yardstick
- PVC Cutter
- Marker
- Metal stake and sledgehammer
Steps for PVC Tomato Cage
*Note: Dry fit all your pieces before cementing them in place.
Step 1: Start the base of your tomato cage. Take a PVC cross and add (2) 10 in. PVC pieces to the top and bottom. Then, add (2) 7 in. pieces to the sides of the cross. Repeat Step 1 three more times for a total of four large X’s.
Step 2: Finish the base of your tomato cage. Join the four pieces from Step 1 with (4) elbows.
Step 3: Build the second layer of your tomato cage. Add (4) crosses to the top of the base from Step 2. To the side openings of the crosses, add 7 in. lengths of PVC for the horizontal bars. For this step, you’ll need (8) 7 in. pieces. Next, join these horizontal bars with (4) elbows (like you did in Step 2).
Step 4: Construct the third layer. Repeat Steps 1-2 for this third layer of the cage.
Step 5: Finish the tomato cage with the fourth (and final) layer. To the top of the 10 in. pieces from Step 4, add (4) PVC tees instead of crosses because you will not be adding another layer. Insert (8) 7 in. pieces of PVC into the side openings of the tees. Connect these 7 in. pieces with (4) elbows.
Step 6: Cement the PVC pieces together. If you’re satisfied with the height of your cage, you can cement the pieces together now with the PVC primer and cement. If you want to be able to customize the cage later one, you can just cement the base layer for stability and leave the rest of the cage unglued.
Step 7: Stake the cage into the ground. Place your cage in your garden plot where you would like it to stay. Mark where the feet of the cage hit the ground, then move it out of the way. Take the stake and beat it into the ground with the sledgehammer in the four places where the feet of the PVC cage will be. This step makes it easier to slide the PVC cage into the ground. After putting the cage back into its place, pack the dirt around the feet of the cage.
Your tomato cage is officially done and ready for planting! Not a fan of tomatoes? No problem! This cage is handy for growing all kinds of food, such as cucumbers, peppers, and squash. A DIY PVC tomato cage is the perfect addition to any garden plot.
Garden Trellis
In keeping with the theme of getting the most use out of your small garden plot, we want to share a tripod garden trellis you can make with PVC piping. Climbing plants can be greedy about the space they take up. A towering trellis could be just the solution you need to grow all the plants you love most, even when you just have one garden plot. Learn how to make this PVC pipe garden project on DIY Network.
PVC Pipes Transform Gardening
Gardeners are passionate, ambitious, and creative. We love getting our hands dirty and seeing what we can make with just a few simple supplies. Feed your passion and creativity with DIY garden projects. Using ordinary plumbing supplies, you can build something valuable for your garden. Durable and affordable, PVC piping expands your gardening capabilities—no matter how much space you have available. Grab your PVC and start gardening.
Author
Mark Ligon is the Marketing Manager at PVC Fittings Online, a leading supplier of consumer-based PVC products, including piping, fittings, valves, plumbing supplies, and accessories. Mark is a DIYer and provides advice to individuals on DIY projects utilizing a range of PVC type products.