How We Converted an Old Steel Hog Feeder Into a Beautiful Raised Strawberry Bed!

I'm pleased to bring you this post as part of a partnership with Krylon!

I remember thinking my husband had lost his mind when he showed me one of three old hog feeders he had stored on our back lot for the past few years.  He spoke of grand plans to turn it into a raised bed, something I had actually seen people do successfully.  The problem was, this feeder was ugly.  I didn't not want one more ugly thing in my yard.  My husband assured me that he could make it beautiful, and he was right!

First, we had the kids clean up the feeder.  They rinsed it, cleaned up old corrosion with steel wool, and pounded out big dents with a rubber mallet.  Then they prepared the surface with clean shop towels and some rubbing alcohol to get rid of any residue. After this chore was done, it was time to paint!

I chose a beautiful classic blue from the Krylon Rust Protector line.  I had hubby spray it on in one very even, carefully applied, overlapping coat.  It covered so well, and he remarked at how well it bonded and didn't drip!

We allowed it to dry overnight, although it is dry to the touch after just 8 minutes.  The next day, we filled the container with filler, so that we wouldn't have to come up with so much dirt, to allow for drainage, and to keep the planter from being so heavy.  We used landscape fabric over a variety of filler materials, then topped it off with over a foot and a half of soil.  (The soil was a mixture of potting soil, peat, and home-grown manure.)  We also lined the inside edge of the planter rim with bubble wrap; it's a great insulator and will help keep the plants from freezing and defrosting over the winter.

Now it was time to add the plants!  Strawberry plants were added to the soil, and petunias and begonias in the little feeder shelf below.

It came out so nicely, and, since the feeder has a built in lid, we can cover the whole thing with straw of mulch come winter and put the lid on for extra protection during the dormant season.

I'm so happy with this project.  Not only does the paint look bold and classic, but my chickens can't reach the strawberries and steal them all before we can pick them!

You can find the Rust Protector Paint from Krylon at Amazon or your local hardware store.  It's affordably priced, and, since we only used 3 cans on the entire feeder, it was a cheap renovation that will last a long time.