Who has time for tilling soil, digging holes, pulling weeds? I know I don’t. I wanted a better way to plant a small vegetable garden with my family this summer. Then I saw it. That unused hard plastic kiddie wading pool. That dollar store dud that isn’t large enough for my triplets to enjoy as a pool anyway.

Want to repurpose your own wading pool? Here’s how we did it.

• Poke lots of holes in the bottom of the pool for drainage. We just used a knife but a drill with a pretty large bit would work, too.
• Place your pool wherever you’re going to want your garden. Once it’s filled, it’s HEAVY!
• Fill with equal parts top soil and organic material (yes, that’s manure…as in…you know). Mix it well.
• Plant your veggies. We planted some that were potted and already maturing and some that were just seed packets. Just be sure to clearly mark what you planted where.
• Water regularly as you would any other garden spot.

Not much need to weed. No major bending to harvest the goods! Fun and nutritious for the whole family!