While those that supposedly know may tell you that the plastic planting containers do not contain any BPA, only clear plastic containers are supposed to, I would still stay clear of them. Wood (Cedar, redwood, Black Locust) might be an alternative although certainly not any Pressure Treated wood, and the terra cota is a good choice as long as there is no lead used in the manufacure (primarily those with glazed interiors), but due care is necessary here too because some "terra cota" planters are really plastic.

If I use a plastic pot with holes, I put a mesh liner to hold regular dirt. I also put a fertilizer tablet in at the bottom. Mesh would be like a used blanket cut into pieces and fabric like that.

I'm using the plastic containers, e.g. ice cream, margarine, etc. for storage in the fridge or freezer, as I'm not worried about potatoes or most vegetables, etc., though I have some concern re tomato, or possibly applesauce, due to a question as to whether the acid in them may leach out some not-too-pleasant components of the plastic. I try to avoid heating in the microwave, as I wonder whether the heat may tend to leach out some of the components of the plastic that may cause me some trouble, health-wise. I let 'em sit on the counter for a while, or let sit for a spell in either cold or hot water if I'm in a hurry, then empty the contents into a glazed earthenware, ceramic or glass bowl prior to going into the microwave, or a pot for on the stove. That said - after about half-cooking a bunch of tomatoes in a bowl in the microwave last fall, after they cooled I partly filled half a dozen yogurt tubs with them and stored them in the fridge as makings for soup, some for up to a couple of months. There was no residual stain, by the way. Who said that humans were supposed to be consistent! ole joyful

Leava, We drill a ton of holes into the bottom of the molasses feed tubs. Tim does it for me and he usually drills them all about the size of a dime. It is very important for the water to be able to drain well. Excessively moist soil causes more problems in terms of disease than soil that drains well. To prevent the soil-less mix from draining out of the bottom of the containers, I cut a layer of landscape fabric in the shape of the tub and put it inside on the bottom of the tub before filling it with a growing medium. You can use any soil-less mix that is high-quality and drains well. Remember that purchased soil-less mixes are, by nature, sterile and contain no nutrition to speak of unless the manufacturer has added some sort of nutrient/fertilizer to the mix. For many years, I largely made my own using Al's 5-1-1 formula from the Container Forum, although I tended to substitute other organic material (generally home-made compost, mushroom compost or thoroughly composted cow manure) for the peat moss. Now there also is an Al's Gritty Mix that is similar....but different (of course). For pine bark fines I used a bagged product sold at Home Depot that often is labeled as Soil Conditioner. It is just a mix of humus and bark fines. While many people on the Container Forum search high and low for just the right ingredients, I just do the best I can with what I find readily available in stores near me. By "near me", I generally mean at stores in Ardmore or Gainesville, either of which is dozens of miles round trip because there are no stores actually near me that carry gardening supplies. Sometimes if there is an ingredient I really want and cannot find, I'll go as far as Denton or Lewisville to get it, but only if I'm only going down there for something else anyway. Turface can be hard to find, but there are other ways to get your grit if you're making the gritty mix, and expanded shale is sold in nurseries I go to in the D-FW metro area. I also have used chicken grit, which is available at farm supply stores. And, I want to add, that while Al's Mix is formulated to drain well (and that good drainage is why people love to use it), we often have the opposite problem here where temperatures in the 90s-100s daily for months on end make everything dry out too quickly, so I try to find a balance between a mix that drains well during occasional heavy rainfall but also retains moisture well in insanely hot summer weather. That means that in years when I expect extra-heavy rain, I try to make a mix that drains extra well or in years when I expect constant dought, I try to make a mix that retains water better than usual. Remember that I also layered old, half-rotted wood from our woodland at the bottom of each molasses tub to help nourish the microbe herd in the container so that organic fertilizers would be effective. The old half-rotted wood soaks up moisture and holds it really well, so that's a case of killing two birds with one stone. Sometimes I just buy and use Miracle Grow soil-less mix. When I do that, I prefer the Moisture Control one because our summers here tend to be very hot and far too dry, so the plants in containers need all the help they can get when it comes to moisture retention. While I prefer to garden mostly organically, I don't have a problem using a soil-less mix with a pelleted sythetic fertilizer in it. Because we have to water containers so frequently here in the summer months, it can be hard to keep the plants well-fed without a pelleted fertilizer. There are, by the way, pelleted or granual type fertilizers that are organic, and they are what I use for my tomatoes. I can't think of the exact name now, but one of the ones I buy comes in a round bottle that sort of looks like a large tomato. I also use the Espoma Tomato-Tone and Garden-Tone fertilizers, which are organic, both in containers and in my raised beds. You do have to add these to the container frequently as they get used up or leached out quickly during periods of heavy rainfall or heavy irrigation. I'm not sure what brands of soil-less mix stores near you carry in bags other than the uniquitous MG brand that is found everywhere, but if you are trying a brand that is new to you, I'd suggest buying one bag first and testing it before buying a lot of an unknown brand. Some of the stuff sold cheaply in bags at stores is just junk that isn't suitable for growing plants in. I will say that the worst stuff I ever bought was the Miracle Grow Organic mix. There was something wrong with it, and I wasn't the only person who thought so. I bought it and tried it in the first few years after it was introduced. It stunk to the high heavens and I believe they had used chicken manure or something similar in too high of a ratio and it killed plants right and left. I tried one bag the next year. Same issues. I waited a couple more years and tried it again. Same issue. Never bought it again and never will. ProMix makes absolutely the best stuff, but it is hard to find and pricey. And, by the way, always, always, always wear gloves when handling potting soil/soil-less mixes of any kind. Because they are sold in bags, air flow often is restricted while they are in the bags and dangerous microbes can grow in the mix inside the bags including the ones that cause Legionnaire's disease. Just by handling the mixes with your bare hands, you can contract some really nasty diseases, including some fungal diseases that are almost impossible to get rid of once you have them. I've heard some real horror stories over the years. Finally, I have had the best success with container gardening of veggies in the summer when I have put them on a drip irrigation kit and a timer. That ensures they get watered enough when I'm busy canning or away at wildfires a lot. While I prefer to stand and water them with a hose so I can check the moisture level in each container before watering it, the reality is that doing that often takes up more time than I have. A drip line system on a timer can be adjusted to water more or less often as needed, but it ensures the plants still get watered during times when I am very busy with other things.