This being tax season in the midst of a recession, I know that finding extra money for containers can be a bit like trying to squeeze blood out of a rock. I feel ya, believe me. But there are some pretty fun containers just waiting for your plants, and the good news is that they aren’t prohibitively expensive.
- Red Wagons – Look for used wagons at the second hand shop or at yard sales. Or maybe your kids have one they haven’t used in years. Use a hammer and nail or awl to punch a hole every six inches for drainage and pot that bad boy up. I also recently saw a rusty old wheelbarrow planted with edibles. Same idea, and it looked great!
- Soda Cans – I saw this at Maureen Gilmore’s talk on frugal gardening at the San Francisco Garden Show. In Mexico, she found a street vendor who was selling a succulent called String of Pearls growing in soda and beer cans. Trust me, it looked really cool and retro-ish. The trick is to find interesting cans. Coffee tins could also look pretty neat, and would provide a bigger “pot.” Or you could always paint them a bright color.
- Short Lengths of Sewer Pipe – Don’t knock this idea until you check out this post at Sunset’s Fresh Dirt blog. See? Now all you need to do is stalk road construction sites.
- Trash Cans – When I was in the hardware store the other day, I saw really cool looking metal trash cans that were half the size of the kind you put out on the curb.
- Bird Baths – These people are selling a bird bath for $10 on Craigslist. They look really awesome planted with succulents. All the cool kids are doing it.
Bonus Idea: What about a colander? There are some really cool looking retro ones in interesting colors. Or you could always spray paint one to suit your color scheme.
What’s your best frugal container gardening idea?
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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
love the wagon and tin cans ideas! my kinda re-purposing
I am actually tempted to try the cans on the fence….too bad I couldn’t grow food in them but perhaps just the bee fluffers….hmmm
Great idea with the coffee cans. I have a ton (well about 25) Cafe du Monde coffee cans. The cans themselves are pretty cool (google the name). We get this coffee cheap at one of the Chinatown markets by our house…and I thought they too cool to recycle. Matti
How about brightly-coloured children’s sandpails?
… ooh, like these ones I found with a Google Images search!
http://www.etsy.com/storque/media/article_images/sand_pail.jpg
Bad Alley–I could see those being used in a really cool way!
Matti–These coffee cans? http://cambreenotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/coffeelg.jpg Very cool!
Mary–There’s no reason why you can’t use a larger can (like coffee can size) and grow some herbs in them!
I love to recycle old containers as planters. Willi snapped a shot of my wine-box turned zinnia planter last summer & shared it here: http://www.digginfood.com/2009/09/cute-idea-recycled-crate-planter-boxes/
I love posts like this (thriftiness posts in general & alternative planters specifically). I could probably read one every day& not get bored. Keep ‘em coming!
gardenmentor: I am coveting your wine crate container so bad!
I just stumbled upon this photo of a straw hat used as a container. Very cute! http://www.torontobalconiesbloom.ca/images/6–Funky—Zora-hats.jpg
(Photo from here: http://www.torontobalconiesbloom.ca/insp-proj.html#edible. Sad I missed this festival!)
I have discovered a way to combine my workouts with my gardening. I use protein powders to fuel my energy in the gym. When the protein powder container is empty, I remove the label and use it for planting!!!!! The containers come in different colours (white, blue, black …), and are deep! So if you were looking for a reason to get back to the gym … need I say more. Happy planting and pumping up my friends!
I just bought a new dresser, so I repurposed my old one (it’s a wire frame) into shelving to start my first container garden. It’s not the most attractive thing around, but I’m a college kid and it works on my small balcony (or patio, since I’m on the ground floor?). I would love to see a wooden dresser with drawers pulled out in stairstep-fashion spilling plants.
nice.
You’re right on the money with the colander idea – Gayla Trail has been there, done that on her You Grow Girl blog!
http://www.yougrowgirl.com/thedirt/2010/06/16/hanging-colander-lettuce-pot/
Gardenmentor: a friend of mine uses those wine crates – they are JUST the right size for a small veggie crop, too.
I have the same colander and was just wondering what to do with it! So glad I saw this post. Thank you!
Hi Fern,
Have a nice finish to the rest of the holiday!
I followed your tweet the other day to this post and, I mentioned you on my blog too regarding my Labor Day project!
We use olive oil like it is going out of business, so we buy the big cans, and we plant our basil in them! It is great and fun looking.
Great ideas! I was at the store the other day and they had brightly colored plastic bowls for $1.00. I got a few and will drill holes in them and plant succulents! They will be nice a bright.
Sounds like a neat idea Candy!
I’ve been picking up large buckets from the deli. Great big empty buckets that once held olives or pickles, and they just throw them away. Large tins of olive oil look really cool too.
plastic waste paper bins that have patterns cut in the side make nice small containers/large plant pots. Line them first to stop the soil coming out but the colours you can get make the kids interested.
What I like about using a wagon for plants is you can move it to catch the best sun exposure! I used a wheel barrow like that once, it worked great. I have used cans for my succulents, I use one of the can openers that cut from the side so you don’t leave any burrs or sharp spots. If the label is pretty I leave it, or take it off and the shiny silver looks great with burro’s tail or any succulent or cactus. Just punch a couple holes in the bottom. Sand pails make a really cute container, too.
we found a Fisher Price toy chest being set out for garbage. We drilled holes in the bottom, and filled with dirt in a sunny spot of our yard. The tomatoes we put in are growing wonderfully. The sides are plastic, and the bottom is wood drilled with holes. The wood with holes provide drainage, and the plastic sides hold in moisture which is also needed.
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