The Wagon Planter

Spice up your front porch with a container garden. Dig out that old  rusty Radio Flyer and turn it into a mobile planter!

Drill 1/4-inch drainage holes spaced 4 to 6 inches apart in the bottom of the wagon, using a power drill and a 1/4-inch drill bit. These holes will provide essential drainage to prevent root rot and overwatering.

Cut a piece of wire mesh screen, like a window screen, to fit the bottom of the wagon. You can cut the screen with a pair of household scissors.

Line the bottom of the wagon with the screen to prevent soil from falling through the drainage holes. If the wagon requires multiple pieces of screen to cover the bottom, overlap each piece by 2 to 3 inches to ensure no soil escapes through the joints.

Cover the screen with a thin layer of pea gravel to provide additional drainage, if desired. Use only enough gravel to cover the bottom of the wagon to ensure enough room to add soil for your plants.

Fill the wagon with potting mix, using a bagged mix or your own mixture of ingredients such as peat, compost and sand. Leave about 1/2 inch to the container edge.

Plant small annual flowers, herbs or other small plants in the soil; plant each plant to the same depth as the original container. The wagon planter works well as a kitchen herb garden or an annual flower garden in which you can trade out plant species as the blooming periods end.

Park the wagon in a fixed location (like the front porch!). If you used a working wagon, you can move the wagon to different locations throughout the yard.

Installing a Pet Doorbell

Want to make sure that you always know when your dog is asking to go outside? All you need to do is install a pet doorbell!

There are a variety of different styles of pet doorbells, the pad where your dog steps on it when he wants to go out. The wireless collar that dings whenever the dog gets within three feet of the door.  But the best and easiest pet doorbell is the traditional doorbell that your dog can ring with his paw or nose.

I recommend the Smart Doggie Doorbell.

All you will need to install your pet doorbell is a hook or nail and a hammer, it is that simple.  Holding your pet doorbell up to the wall next to the door, measure how far down you will need the doorbell to be so your dog can nudge it with his nose or paw. Mark the spot where you will need to hammer in the nail or hook that the doorbell will hang on. Install the nail or hook. Once this is done, all you need to do is hang your pet doorbell.

Here are some tips for training your dog to use it the doggie doorbell, you may need to customize these for your device, but the basics are there.