The Clever Way Martha Stewart Uses Old Tree Logs In The Home Or Garden

A fallen tree on your property can be an expensive project to deal with. Even with a chainsaw, homeowners can pay hundreds of dollars to properly dispose of the debris. But Martha Stewart has a project idea for reusing an old log that might save you money on the removal fee and help your garden: You can use pieces of a log as plant stands inside your greenhouse or garage.

Stewart puts a premium on utilizing the vertical as well as the horizontal space in her greenhouse at her Bedford, New York farm. In her blog, she states that she uses pieces of a fallen tree in her greenhouse, where she overwinters tender potted perennials or tropical plants. She says the repurposed log perches can help you improve the conditions of your greenhouse by making better use of the space. When she puts away her potted plants for the winter, the stands help her keep everything well organized and aesthetically pleasing.

Even without a greenhouse, these logs can be added to your flower bed to be decorative on their own or useful as plant stands for your potted plants in the summer. You can use these repurposed log pieces inside as well, but make sure they're thoroughly dry and free of any pests before you bring them into your home. To make your tree trunk into plant stands, you'll need to cut the log into usable bits (a process called bucking). To try this for your greenhouse or even indoors, grab a saw or chainsaw and let's get to work.

Chainsaws can be used to remove a stump from the ground or to cut your log into workable pieces. First, make sure you've got all the safety gear on, like gloves and eye protection. Then, you'll need to cut off any branches sticking out from the main trunk. Just be careful not to run the chainsaw so low that it hits the dirt. Also, when you're trying to figure out how long to make each piece, make it four inches longer than you think you'll want. This is just in case you lose length when you smooth or flatten the surface on one or both sides. 

Once you've got the number of pieces that you'd like, then you can go about flattening each end. A router is a handy tool for this if you want to get pretty precise. When the pieces are flat and level enough to hold plants without wobbling, you can arrange them in an aesthetic way, as Stewart does in her greenhouse. She puts different log heights together in clusters. Shorter stumps sit up front (depending on the angle you're looking at it) and taller ones in the back, so it has a tiered look. 

If you want this look inside the house, but you're worried about bringing a damp stump inside, you can always substitute a fake trunk, like the Sunbury tree stump side table. Don't feel guilty if this all feels like a bit too much work. Remember, there are benefits to leaving a dead tree right where it is, too.