Straw-man!

Beware the Straw-Man!

Use PVC pipes, glue, your old jeans and some creative energy to build a discouraging decoy for your veggie garden. The straw-man ‘scarecrow’ of yonder years used to be a crude and lonely-looking individual, built in human form out of hay, sticks, cast-off clothes and a left-over pumpkin for a head.

As time passed, it would slowly turn into a wind-blown, sun-baked tatter, and after the late autumn harvest it was normally burnt as part of a thanksgiving feast. If nostalgia is part of your life, or you simply like the thought of a life-sized, more ‘hipster’- like scarecrow, we show you how to build your own garden mannequin with these easy steps.

What you Need
50mm PVC pipe cut into
the following lengths:
2 x 1000mm (legs)
4 x 120mm (waist and
shoulders)
1 x 500mm (torso)
1 x 200mm (neck)
4 x 200mm (arms)
3 x 90° PVC pipe connectors
3 x 45° PVC pipe connectors
1 x 3-way junction PVC
pipe connector
1 x 4-way junction PVC
pipe connector
PVC weld
Straw bale
Old pants and shirt
Plastic pot
Plants to plant in the pot(we used mint)
2 x 1000mm metal stakes

What you Do

1 Measure and cut all your PVC pieces according to the cutting list.

2 Using the PVC weld, glue all the parts together to make the scarecrow’s frame, as per the illustration. Allow the glue to dry.

3 Dress the scarecrow in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and then stuff straw into the clothing, around the frame.

4 Cut or drill a 50mm hole in the bottom of the pot so that it will slide snugly over the PVC pipe. Plant up the pot.

5 Choose the location for your scarecrow and hammer the support stakes into the ground. Slide the PVC pipe legs of the scarecrow over the stakes.

6 Put the pot over the neck pipe to form the head, then add any accessories you wish to give your scarecrow some character. You might want to paint a face on the pot.