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Don’t Trash Your Old Firepit

Today’s post, Don’t Trash Your Old Firepit, is all about how we saved our firepit from the trash and created an outdoor container garden in the process!

Is your firepit on its last leg? You know what I mean rusted from the weather so much it has big holes in the bottom and it totally crusty on top? No judging – ours was too. It was literally one step from heading to the trash pile!

But given I’m forever trying to save things…cute little dogs on the side of the road…half dead plants on the clearance racks at Lowes…old windows…scraps of fabric I do not need…dinner…I knew I had to find a way to repurpose our outdoor firepit.

One of our most popular posts from last summer was titled, “Don’t Trash Your Old Watering Can,” which still surprises me to this day! That post was all about how to plant succulents in an old watering can and a little over one year later, here is that same project…crazy right?

Well, it just so happened we surprised one of my aunts with a backyard makeover for her 70th birthday over the summer and in the process, we decided to change out the plants on her front porch too. She had big urns filled with succulents flanking each side of her front door that, while pretty, did not go with the vibrant colors she had chosen for the makeovers.

And you know what happened next? You guessed it, I came home with a few trays of succulents.

We’ve been putting off doing any major projects in our own backyard until late fall because it’s too close to hurricane season and we never really know what to expect. But that doesn’t mean, we don’t want the backyard to still look nice. There is definitely something to be said for a, “quick decorating fix,” especially when you’re trying to save something as big as a firepit from the landfill.

Given the succulents in the old watering can were outgrowing their container and I had the succulents from my aunt’s house too, we decided not to trash our old fire pit but to instead create a container garden. Here’s a look at what you’ll need to make one as well…

FIREPIT CONTAINER GARDEN SUPPLIES: 

  • Firepit
  • Gloves (especially if your firepit is rusty)
  • Succulents
  • Coir Liner
  • Potting Soil formulated for succulents
  • Rocks or Pebbles
  • Paints for Fire pit Makeover (if needed)

FIREPIT CONTAINER GARDEN STEPS:

Step #1 – Make sure your firepit has adequate drainage to support outdoor succulents.

Then line your firepit with coir. This will help to make sure your succulents have enough time to soak up water before the heat dries it out.

Step #2 – Fill the firepit with soil that is well draining and specifically created for succulents or cactus plants.

You’ll also want to make sure you build up any areas that may not be level. We had to build up the middle of the firepit, so the succulents would sit up top and not sink down in the middle.

Step #3 – Start adding your succulent plants. We used all sedums since that’s what we had on hand, but it would be really pretty to include other varieties as well. Just make sure to check your growing zone before you start planting so you’ll know which succulents will be a good fit for your firepit container garden.

Step #4 – Add rocks or pebbles around your succulent plants. We used these shells we’ve been collecting for years because it’s what we had at home but I think we’re going to need to add some rocks to make sure the water retention vs drainage ratio stays ok.

Step #5 – Remember to water your plants! I had no idea how to care for indoor or outdoor succulents until I read this post, “How to Water Succulent Plants,” which was very helpful.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to paint the firepit or not but once I got the succulents planted, I decided to go ahead and paint it with whatever white and black exterior paint we had in the garage.

After the paint was dry, I lightly sanded the top of the firepit to bring out the texture.

Then I gave the top another layer of texture by adding dark wax. I normally WOULD NOT recommend using wax on any outdoor furniture or projects like this but the firepit just didn’t fit in with the rest of our patio area without a bit of aging.

To be honest, I have no idea how this firepit succulent container garden is going to hold up but I’m excited to find out. I’ll keep you posted.

For now, it adds a fun bit of color to our outdoor patio area and serves as a functional coffee table. We’ve enjoyed many lazy Saturday mornings sitting out here and it’s nice to finally have a ledge to place to put our coffee mugs on!

Don’t throw away your old firepit, especially if it is salvageable. There are plenty of ways to think outside the box and create a solution you’ll be able to enjoy all year.

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo

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One Comment

  1. Aack! Another great gardening idea! So many of us have this same rusted-out situation. This is a perfect idea to keep the old firepit out of the landfill and to repurpose it into something useful and beautiful! Way to go CoCo!

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