Lettuce boxes work fine. 3 inches of soil is not overkill - you will need it. I'll let others talk about cans etc.

This is my first year but I am saving lots of 44oz plastic cups from drive through s and the gas station. I'm also using the icecream buckets, and disposable plastic cups put into five gallon buckets. That way I can cover the top of the bucket with plenty of room for height and bottom water them later on.
Any thoughts on these ideas?

(Packaging said in-grown soil for veggies)...sounds okay what brand is it.

Not sure if it would be an issue or not but depending on the can material I would thinks rust may come into play. Drilling the cans for ventilation and drainage would be quite a task, but if your up for it do it.

I use 16 ounce plastic cups poking holes with a soldering iron (in a well ventilated area) and not covering them at all. I place the cups in large storage bins poked with watering ventilation and drainage holes and place the cover on, the bottom is lined with a thin with a screen.

This method is very easy to do very inexpensive and convenient to move containers from place to place.

There are lots of places to get milk and soda containers. I raid the local recycling dumpsters, and on pick up day, I raid individual bins setting by the curb. A local daycare might save milk jugs if you promise to pick up same day. Same for a busy Starbucks. You'd be surprised how many gallons of milk they use. Fundraising concession stands will sometimes save soda bottles if you ask.

rich, i'm intrigued with your setup. What is the purpose of the screen at the bottom?

I also have a question for anyone. I have a lot of good-sized cat pans that have been scrubbed. I plan to use these, most likely setting smaller containers inside them Where can I find plastic big enough to cover them? The only thing I can think of is dry-cleaning bags, but I don't have any of those. Guess I could ask a few of the neighbors if they have any.

Don't forget ziploc baggies. I did bunches of the gallon size and had great luck.

liz, the screen at the bottom is to ensure proper drainage, without it the cups are resting on the bottom of the tray and water may get trapped. The screens act as a lift and keep the bottom of the cup off of the tray. This of course is if your holes are under the cups and not the sides.

Liz, I buy commerical can liners at Sam's. They are clear plastic garbage bags. The first year I winter sowed I agonized over buying 320 in a box. I couldn't imagine I would need so many. Turns out they have lots of other uses! And if you store your pre-prepped milk jugs and 2 liters in them before the season starts, it makes it really easy to see what's in the bag without opening them

They were also really good for hauling grounds from Starbuck's. Shortly after I got well entrenched with a regular UCG routine I became pregnant. Before too long, washing out my 5 gallon buckets was agony. So I lined the bucket with the commercial can liners and the employees were gracious enough to haul the bags to my car.

They are not so good for leaves. I like to let my leaves rot for two years in black plastic garbage bags. The commercial can liners don't hold up that long in the sun.

Thanks seedmama. :)

Editor, we don't drink milk in gallons or half gallons, soda in 2 liter bottles, nor do I buy bottled water (got an under-the counter water filter). I scrounged all those containers from other people's recycle bins, in the neighborhood and when driving around in towns that have curbside pick-up. Now this is kinda gross sometimes because many people do not rinse out their recycles very well. No more scrounging this year though (yippeee), because I've saved lots of containers to re-use!

I did save 1/2 gallon jugs from Cider, small yogurt cups for annuals, and some 1 liter soda bottles.

Floodthelast, are you putting plastic cups in the tall white 5-gallon buckets? Seems to me that these would be too tall and that sunlight would have a hard time reaching down to the sprouts in the cups at the bottom of the bucket.

Hmm, hadn't considered that. I have lots of lower tubs though that I can use if the buckets are a washout.

I also use clear garbage bags to cover larger containers though have been able to get them free from collecting other people's leaves or other places. Also use the large bag that toliet tissue comes in from Costco. The back is not printed on so put the bag over the container with the printed on (top) underneath. Like that the plastic is a bit thicker than garbage bags so holds up better and can be reused. Slipping the container into a bag works better for me than using a bit of plastic as a cover as it is easy to close with a twister and easy to slip container in and out during spring warm ups and frost warnings. Remember to make slits for ventilation and drainage.

I love how resourceful everyone seems: digging through other people's trash and recyclables, begging friends for their discarded containers, repurposing household items. So inspiring!

rich_manure: the soil is Miracle Grow Organic Choice (or something like that). Should I add anything to it?

I have 1,000 questions, but I'm going to browse through the archives before blowing up the board with posts. :)

Happy prepping!

editor: I never used that type of soil. Just be sure it is SOILESS POTTING MIX and NOT SOIL intended for inground use. Most soilless mix has a base of peat and no soil.

Some folks have used soil for containers but I never have. I think most spring weather here is too wet to use soil. That would vary with your climate, I guess.

Karen

Furniture stores usually have heavy duty plastic that the furniture comes wrapped in, just ask, they are usually glad to give it away, or sometimes I have used the plastic to cover windows with in the winter, ya can get it at Walmart.
lillyjane ")

Can anyone tell me what plants can be winter sown in Ms? I have looked at alot of places on the internet and most of them show and talk about in the snow. We rarely have snow here. I would like to give the winter sowing a try.
thanks Georgiegirl42

georgiegirl: We have lots of wintersowers in warm southern zones. You might start a new thread with this topic to link up with a few of them. See the database for your zone, linked below. Reading all of the FAQs will answer many of your questions.

Welcome to the forum.

Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: Zone 8 database

I'd bet you could cover with a plastic dropcloth. They're pretty cheap, and probably about the thickness of dry cleaning bags.

I'm using a heavy plastic drop cloth. It works very well and doesn't blow around as much as something thinner. I use it to cover my cold frame. I bought one roll at Wal-Mart about 3 or 4 years ago and still have more than enough left for this year!