Cool looking CHEAP containers for your garden!!

14 years ago

Hello folks,

I am a big fan of the Dollar Tree stores. They currently have 2.5 gallon rope handle buckets for $1. The colors available around here are red, black and greyish blue with white rope handles. They are plastic #5PP which I understand is food safe. Not big enough for tomatoes but really nice for lettuce and great for herbs. I have parsley, cilantro, sage, tarragon, thyme, lemon thyme and two types of basil growing in the black containers. Big enough to get a nice crop outside and not too big to bring inside in winter for continued harvest.

These buckets are only a 5 on a 1-10 scale of sturdy construction but with reasonable care they should last 3-4 years and they are recyclable in my area. I like uniformity and 'pretty' so needed something that would fit that bill. Terra cotta would have been nice but at $10-15 per pot -- NO!!

Photo tonight.

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Comments (13)

dirtdaddy
14 years ago
Hey thanks DL., 2.5 gallons seems real good for peppers or eggplant! I was just in Dollar Tree this weekend, but didn't look for planting containers.
dancinglemons
Original Author
14 years ago
OK as promised here is the photo of the cool & cheap container. They are about 10 inches tall and 12 inches across at the handle.

DL
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- I've been taught in the past that for outside pots - especially big ones - it is necessary to place broken dishes or gravel at the bottom of the pot. I've used styrofoam popcorn for packaging to do this too. Is this really necessary? No, it's not really necessary, as long as the pot drains well .... and you don't plan to move the pot around too much. They can get heavy when full of wet soil. People use stuff in the bottoms of pots for a number of reasons - portability, drainage, saving $$ on soil. If you're using the styrofoam peanuts, make sure they're the kind that don't dissolve with moisture. - Are saucers below the pots necessary too? Last year we had so much rain I had to constantly go around and empty those saucers. They're not necessary either, unless you're concerned about water damage to wooden decks and such. Generally, I don't use them, but I do have a few pots with saucers, only because water runs out of them just as fast as I put it in. Drainage holes are too big, I guess. - Can you reuse the soil in a container from the previous year? A lot of folk who garden in containers say no, don't reuse the soil, but I do. It's hard enough hauling that stuff up here to begin with, and potting mix is not exactly dirt-cheap. Unless the particular pot of soil previously held a diseased or really buggy plant, I'll toss the top inch or two of the soil and mix in a little fresh soil, or compost. Mix in some worm castings, or bat guano, or Osmocote, and we're good to go. Works for me. - What about barrels... I obviously can't change the soil in there - OK, I could, but I have other priorities - so how do I amend it? Can I put Compost in there? Don't have any experience with barrels, but they are just really big pots, right? Treat them the same. We'll be waiting for the pics .... PV
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Mary Leek
14 years ago
Thanks for the helpful tip.

Mary
nhardy
14 years ago
Dollar Tree had pots & the same pots were @ Old Time Pottery for 2.88! I'm still looking for a large pot that is cheap for my fig. Walmart changed suppliers this year. They had been only $5. I might have to go back to Big Lots, but the saucer is an extra charge. But Walmart did have those cool $2 tubtrug that I saw online.
dancinglemons
Original Author
13 years ago
nhardy,

Try Home*Depot for their 20gal rope handle tub. They cost $6 and are guaranteed to hold up outside. I have several and only one cracked and they replaced it no questions asked - thank goodness the one that cracked was not full!

BTW Dollar*Tree still has these 2.5gal containers (pictured above in red) in black. They are plastic #5PP

DL
vehorn
13 years ago
On this advice of your post I picked up some of these tonight. Some questions:

Are these 2.5 gallons big enough to plant eggplants? Habenero peppers? Cayenne peppers? Bell peppers?

I have all of these started and they need transplanting.

Thanks in advance!
dancinglemons
Original Author
13 years ago
vehorn,

I don't think they are big enough for eggplant or bell pepper. Seems like those plants need at least 5 gallons. I would ask over on the Hot Pepper forum if 2.5 is big enough for habs and cayenne. I found out over on the HPForum that these containers are not large enough for New Mex Big Jim pepper plants.

I've got mine filled with herbs. Works pretty good because each herb can have a pot alone.

BTW I did put a square of weed barrier paper in the bottom of each pot to prevent potting mix from flowing out when I water.

DL
brazenspider
13 years ago
thanks for this post! I'm always looking for affordable pots!
lakeluvr
13 years ago
I've been looking at the Earthtainer gardens and they look amazing! I'm not sure I'm ready for that, so I'm wondering if the Rubbermaid containers are viable by themselves as planting containers? I'm assuming they are, as long as you drill drainage holes....

I'm currently using all sorts of pots and even 2 Topsy Turvy bags for tomatoes. I have 2 bell peppers in a good-sized long windowsill type planter, Beefsteak tomato in a 5 gal paint bucket, cilantro and oregano in their own hanging pots, and squash and cucumbers in 20 gal pots (3 plants in each). I'm using straw as a top mulch.

I've tried tomato plants before, but never had much luck. Some of my research is sure to pay off this year .... plus the help I'll be getting from all of you!

One question - when growing tomatoes, should you trim lower branches or do any pruning whatsoever?

I'll have to take some pics and try to post them tomorrow!

Lisa
lakeluvr
13 years ago
I've been looking at the Earthtainer gardens and they look amazing! I'm not sure I'm ready for that, so I'm wondering if the Rubbermaid containers are viable by themselves as planting containers? I'm assuming they are, as long as you drill drainage holes....

I'm currently using all sorts of pots and even 2 Topsy Turvy bags for tomatoes. I have 2 bell peppers in a good-sized long windowsill type planter, Beefsteak tomato in a 5 gal paint bucket, cilantro and oregano in their own hanging pots, and squash and cucumbers in 20 gal pots (3 plants in each). I'm using straw as a top mulch.

I've tried tomato plants before, but never had much luck. Some of my research is sure to pay off this year .... plus the help I'll be getting from all of you!

One question - when growing tomatoes, should you trim lower branches or do any pruning whatsoever?

I'll have to take some pics and try to post them tomorrow!

Lisa
socalliegal
13 years ago
Lisa,
If you like cherry tomatoes those are the easiest to grow. One plant in a 5 gal. bucket will make a ton of cherry tomatoes.
sewcrazynurse
13 years ago
I went to the dollar store today and bought 12 plastic Ice Buckets Drilled holes in them and planted perennials in them.

Much cheaper than buying pots at Wal Mart
twolips
13 years ago
Kind of funny about the dollar store buckets. I got some of those too! Also picked up some dish tubs there also, planted lettuce and radishes in those. And Lowes 5 gallon buckets for $2.

Cool looking CHEAP containers for your garden!!

Comments (13)

dirtdaddy

dancinglemons
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Cool looking CHEAP containers for your garden!!

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