There's a great thread about how people use different things to stake/cage tomatos with a great picture of a cage made of pvc on the tomato forum. Just do a search for stake cage pvc and that should find it for ya. Also, you can cut holes in them and stick them in the ground to water the roots of plants, which seems to be suggested as -the- way to do it by a lot of tomato growers. I am looking for some cheap/free pvc to use to make self-watering containers for my maters, but so far, no luck. Have fun!

Here's the link:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg021342384717.html?66

The pictures are a little over a halfway down the page. Good luck!
Cindy

Rick,

I used some to make some of those pvc cages posted on that link by QA GUY. They are beautiful! I also used some for making trellises for various vegies. I sunk 7' rebar and set the 6 ' pvc over it I made the top by using elbow pieces and a 4' long pvc on top. I attached nylon netting ala the Sq Ft gardening web site and there you go! Attractive, functional and inexpensive. Next year I will start earlier and make more of the QA guys cages. Once you get the hang of it they are easy to build and they store nicely too.

Tikanas

*garden stakes- paint them green to blend in if you like
*wind chimes- some cutting and drilling involved ;)
*put them together with connector pieces (cheap and plentiful at hardware stores) to make supports for mini greenhouses
*same as above, except to build a trellis or arbor
*bird feeders- cap the end, more drilling and cutting and painting =oP
*make modern art garden scuptures- lots of drilling, cutting, painting...

THEPVCSTORE.COM

PVCPIPEPLANS.COM

These are a couple I had. Try a web search for pvc pipe free projects. Lots of ideas out there. Also a GW search as there are a lof of creative people here.

Wing

They are also great in the center of your compost piles.

Maybe you could stick them in the dirt & plant certain plants in them. On the link below, there is a picture of plants growing in hollowed out bamboo. PVC would probably work also. It is for hydroponics, but you could adapt it to soil based plants.

http://www.carbon.org/StWerburg1/BambooGrowers.htm

I have an idea I haven't tried yet. I had the red hot idea that I would buy some 1.5 or two inch heavy pvc pipe, cut one end at an angle, and use it for a tomato stake... but, (and here's where "red hot" comes in) I figured on drilling several small holes down near the bottom of the "stake" where it would be underground. Then, I'm thinking of putting water into the top of the pvc pipe if my 'maters get really thirsty... what do you folks think of that? Sound feasible?

look what vicky does with pvc pipe
www.vickysbirds.com.

I have some strawberry jars that I put a piece of pvc pipe in that I have drilled holes along its length, with a cap on the bottom. Works great to fill with water to reach plants' roots. I plan on doing this with other containers this year.

Just applied silicone to solar lights on 5' sections of PVC pipe (eliminated the stake section of the lights). After spraying the PVC with black paint, they look like metal. Can't remember if the paint was flat or satin - did the project for a friend. Several folks thought it was a new line of solar lights. Of course, you could make drapery rods out of them - that was the basic idea I worked off of. Other ideas - make an arbor; or put 4 together like a tepee (spray paint green?) and top with copper tubing in the shape of a ball and grow English Ivy, or wisteria; or you could make one of those expensive pieces -see: http://www.kinsmangarden.com/p/fullpage.php?page=65&session=1197173

I just read a post on gardenweb - someone asking how to make one themselves. You could make several in varying heights and make a real statement.

I put my drip hoses through pvc pipe, just the sections that run across a path, this way I can run it over with the wheel barrel, etc.

I build a mini green house, that just sticks in the dirt, then I throw a big sheet of plastic over it.

I do the strawberry pot thing, with the holes drilled in the pipe to "drip" the water throughout.

My clever husband made this arbor out of PVC pipe painted brown (i prefer brown as it blends in better than most very artificial shades of green)
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Pauline

Use one section to apply slow-release fertilizer near the root line of plants. Point one end where you want the fertilzer and spoon the fertilizer into the other end. It will travel down the inside of the pipe and go right where you want it.

Love the arbor. We made a similar one to put helium balloons for a wedding.

PaulineP, thanks for sharing the pictures! I am inspired!