This year I decided to try my hand at vegetable/fruit/herb gardening. Last year I made this wall planter and I managed to keep (most of) it alive until the end of fall. That gave me enough confidence to try to start a few things from seed. So, enter this small kitchen counter pipe shelving unit project!

I love the industrial look of these black iron pipe shelves. If you liked tinker toys as a kid, you will love making this. You can adjust the length of the pipes to fit your needs. To give you an idea of what you might need, I used:

8 qty. 10″ x 1/2″ nipples

4 qty. 4-1/2″ x 1/2″ nipples

4 qty. 2″ x 1/2″ nipples

4 qty. close connector

8 qty. 1/2″ caps

10 qty. 1/2″ couplings

4 qty. 1/2″ tees

These pipes are so greasy! Make sure you wash them (and dry immediately because they oxidize and rust quickly)

I purchased clear plastic trays at Party City for $2.99. That determined what size the shelved were going to be. I cut my scrap wood to 3 pieces of the same size, clamped them together, and used a 7/8″ drill bit to drill holes.

Then it was just a matter of screwing everything together!

To finish it, I sprayed it with a clear satin enamel to help protect from water. Wish me luck gardening this summer! I’ll need it.