Turn an old cable reel into a charming potting table for your garden! This DIY project will add rustic charm to your yard or flowerbeds and provide a convenient spot for all your needed gardening tasks!
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It appears every summer I change out this area of the backyard because I’m still trying to figure out what it wants to be!
One of my favorite revamps was when I used a nesting box as a potting bench seen HERE. While it didn’t have a dreamy sink, it sure had everything else an outdoor potting bench would need, plus some major ambiance.
Most recently, I shared THIS VERSION of the old bike flowerbed. I grabbed an old bike to create a focal point of sorts in a cleaned up flower bed and honestly felt it was done.
Until I fired up my bird feeding hobby you can see HERE, and bird seed starting sprouting everywhere!
Suddenly, I’m this sunflower farmer that didn’t see it coming. Whenever a sunflower was found sprouting somewhere, I moved it over to the bike aea, in hopes that the bike could function as a garden trellis of sorts.
And guess what… the sunflowers grew! To the point of hiding the bike! So I call this a win!
Landing a free cable reel
It was right about then that I landed a free cable reel a neighbour was gifting.
I attempted to use the cable spool as a patio table in the yard, but I couldn’t figure out how to keep an umbrella attached to it.
And since it’s too hot to sit in the back yard without that protection, I rolled the cable reel to this area of the yard until I could figure out another use for it.
Then I thought… why don’t I try the cable spool as a potting table / potting bench instead?
So I rolled it into the flower bed, leveled it with a few scraps of 2x4s underneath, when this resulted…
Welcome to my sunflower farm! Complete with a cable reel potting table!
And it couldn’t have been easier to do. Let’s take a closer look at all the details…
Cable reel potting table
The cable spool potting bench is actually perfect for this location! It just fits in the sunflower bed without taking up too much lawn space, plus it makes a nice decor statement piece for the yard.
Plus, should I change my mind, a quick tip and roll is all that’s required to change things up. I like non-permanent ideas! Can you tell?
And it isn’t fussy at all. I rolled a coat of water based wood protection on it so the water beads up nicely when it rains. It’s a great piece in very good condition that’s very pretty to look at! I think I really lucked out.
Isn’t that table top a beauty though? There’s plenty of workspace to plunk a coffee, or perhaps do a little reading with coffee when the shade hits this area. Or just enough space to stash my phone device, drink and tools when I’m out gardening for the day.
The water sealant will also add additional weather durability. I’ll probably coat it a couple of times a year to keep it up.
How I weather protected the top of the reel:
- Sand the top, bottom and sides with an orbital sander.
- Coat all the wood with a water based outdoor wood protectant.
- Allow to dry. Apply a 2nd coat if desired.
- Test it out once dry. If water repels, it has enough protection on it!
- Protect the wood once or twice a year to keep up the durability.
I used Olympic Waterguard to protect the top of the cable spool. It dries quickly and protects really well!
The bottom of the cable reel / cable spool acts like a lower shelf that provides ample storage to showcase my ever growing collection of terracotta pots, plant labels, watering can, planters or any other garden essentials like gardening gloves or a bucket of tools I’d like to store or display.
Learn how to make the DIY garden labels HERE
Check out how I lettered the watering can HERE
Shop for terra cotta pots of all sizes HERE
View Sunflower sign shelf tutorial HERE
Wooden Sunflower Farm sign with shelf
And since the sunflowers became a major focal point to this flower bed, I pulled out my Sunflower Farm shelf sign and mounted it to the reclaimed wood garden fence to theme up this area right!
Find the Sunflower Farm stencil HERE
The little shelf is perfect to display a couple of terra cotta pots with an antique garden shovel tucked inside one. I really like how the sunflower sign plays along with the rest of the accessories. It themes the garden and gives it a nice look.
Shop for rusty garden orbs HERE
The additional terra cotta pots could of course have plants inside them as well! However being near the end of the growing season, I think I’ll let them coast empty, unless I find something that’s a super easy keeper.
Succulents, even faux could be a good choice… hmmm…
Junk sunflowers hanging on the garden fence
As for decorating the fence, I attempted to replicate sunflowers through different garden junk accessories that are attached to the fence, such as a raised metal platter, cultivator blades, propeller, and vintage faucet knobs.
Shop for sunflower garden art ideas HERE
The junk sunflowers offer a little something to look at. This fence certainly displays antiques well!
HERE is when I hung up all gardening tools with a Farm Supply sign. Loved that look too!
Rake garden tool hanger with potted gear sunflowers
Further down the fence, there’s another nod to sunflowers. Two rusty gears appearing to grow from branch stems were placed into a flower pot hanging from twine, attached to an old rusty garden rake.
It’s cute! And something rather unexpected, working well with a couple of rusty shovels.
Shop for wood handle garden tools from HERE
Other ways to make the potting table even more productive
The cable reel potting table is great just the way it is! However here’s a few more ideas that could also make it even more productive and interesting!
- build an upper shelf or several upper shelves for more space
- hang a row of handy hooks
- build cupboard storage to protect garden tools from the weather
- protect the top with a galvanized tabletop (or be on the lookout for a loose glass patio table from the curb like I did!)
- hang garden tools against the spool side so they are weather-protected
- add a small drawer installed with pull hardware underneath the top
- stain the cable reel another tone
I think it’s safe to say, I didn’t plan the sunflower garden, nor to land a cable reel. Nor even create a potting table!
However as with most of my projects, what I find or what happens tends to lead the way towards those irresistible free improvements!
Isn’t it a fun, new focal point? I think it’s my fav potting bench to date!
Until I land something else of course…
Other unique garden projects to make:
How to build a reclaimed wood fence like mine
The build of a rustic shed using reclaimed wood – 2nd improved edition!
Potting bench using a nesting box
Visit all my unique outdoor projects HERE
The spool makes a great potting table & is perfect for that spot. I love the sunflower farm sign too.
Whoooo, hoooo Spring has finally sprung on our side of the world so this post couldn’t come at a better time. I desperately need a woody filler of some sort in one corner of our garden and I never thought of using a spool. Thanks for the inspo, Donna, now I just have to find one or make one.