DIY Lamp Post Planter for String Lights | Renter Friendly Garden Design

DIY Lamp Post Planter for String Lights

A renter friendly project!

As a mom, ‘free time’ occurs after bedtime and even with the extended summer sun this means the yard is dark. A perfect opportunity for #nightscaping. As we rent, installing anything electrical throughout the yard is not worth the investment at this time. My solar lights didn’t peform that well the past summer as our apple tree has been over-performing and is blocking the sunlight to the areas we previously could capture it. So this father-daughter DIY was born!

Materials (all prices CAD):
– heavy planter (we used an oak whisky barrel) ($50)
– decking post base (4×4) ($15)
– 4×4 post ($7)
– bolts for base ($5)
– eye bolt (+ zipties for string lights) ($1)
– plant hanging brackets + screws ($28 ($7each))
– potting soil
– plants
– lights (solar or powered, depends on your infrastructure) the ones we purchased are currently on sale $15 off (2021-01): https://amzn.to/3iWoPea

Materials were roughly $120 total + plants and lights

Tools:
– drill with drill bit, screw bit and socket attachments
– wrench
– tape measure (or eyeball everything like we did)
– a ladder (if you weren’t born in the land of the giants like us)

The weight of the soil and barrel holds the post secure and due to the materials chosen it can withstand Canadian winters (I take the lights down). For the winter season I strung Christmas lights around the post and hung a bird feeder on a plant bracket. Our bigger dog does pee on this fixture regularly but if he didn’t this would make a perfect herb garden especially being right beside our dining table! The butterflies and bees loved sunning themselves on the post especially once my climbing annual (moon vine) had covered the wood.

Here on Buying Thyme we explore the highlights of all four seasons and how you can include your little ones interests and needs in both your own gardening activities and the exploration of local natural areas:

→ 4 season garden tours: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgUL9f3vvrsIlbH8wiVLUW-1mZ3HsKqki

→ Garden DIY’s: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgUL9f3vvrsKDV6u1ph7YOcjkDBBebUGh

→ Under 1 minute videos of seed saving: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgUL9f3vvrsIUg127YFhjEIbuLpUPVmtp

→ Explore Southern Ontario: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgUL9f3vvrsKvmUfIN3i2M-Vq7liNA3TI

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