Thanks for sharing everyone!! I am going to go for it :) Thanks for reminding me about how they break down :) duh Northener-I have thought about this all summer & will continue to think until it is time to sow. This was an idea of mine & they came up on sale so why not? I would use them for other gardening projects if I decide not to winter sow in the future so that is not a concern of mine. and marking/labeling wouldn't be an issue either. The lugging is manageable, and we can stack them with the lids to transport which would probably work out better than jugs & bottles in our situation. lol, your concerns are things I really have thought about. Thank you for mentioning them. Trudi- I would love not to have to put a lid on at all!! but I don't think I can get 8 inches of soil in these. could I with 6 inches or so? magnoliaroad- do you use lids that came with them or something else? LOVE this site, can't thank everyone enough

I use the plastic Folgers tub (about 2 lb. size) with the easy-grab handle for scrap food - banana, potato peels, eggshells and the like. My Max Hse coffee comes in aluminum-coated cardboard sides, with metal bottom and plastic lid with edge that snaps down over the side. I just wash both kinds with dish soap in warm water and rinse with hot water, and haven't noticed any residual smell ... but my nose is somewhat disadvantaged. It's the M H one that I use for flour, rice, sugar, etc. in the pantry ... but many people have the squarish cans that are labelled for flour, sugar, coffee, tea, etc. which use limited space in the kitchen, on the counter, in the cupboard, etc. more efficiently. I store nails, screws and odds and ends of hardware in about 3" x 6" or so heavy plastic bags that milk comes in, but putting a half dozen bags or so into a round can is somewhat inconvenient. When I open a can of coffee, I fill about three or four jam jars immediately, packing the grounds down and filling right full, to reduce the amount of trapped air, thus reducing the deterioration prior to use. I've read that the man who invented the coffee pods is filled with regret, as they don't rot and aren't recyclable, so just sit there long-term in landfills, taking up valuable space. Says he ... who lives within a couple of miles of the dump acquired a few years ago by Canada's largest city ... for a reported 220 million (Canadian) dollars. ole joyful

As a confirmed pickler, I've had to deal with the issue of odors in food-grade plastic containers. For any recyclers here, these are the instructions I use for removing odors from re-purposed plastic containers. They come from USA Emergency Supply. Â Wash the bucket inside and out with warm, soapy water, then rinse. Â Place the bucket outside in a sunny location. Â Pour 1 cup of baking soda into the bucket and fill with warm water all the way to the top. Stir to dissolve, then put on the lid, or cover with aluminum foil. Â Let the bucket sit in the sun for several days, then empty and rinse out. Â Pour 1 cup of bleach into the bucket and fill with warm water all the way to the top. Stir to mix, then put on the lid, or cover with aluminum foil. Â Let the bucket sit in the sun for several days, then empty. Â Wash again inside and out with warm water and dishwashing liquid, then let dry with the lid off. P.S. If you find the soda does the job, you can skip the bleach, but I've found that's a great sanitation strategy when I've marinated turkey, etc. in a plastic bucket. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: USA Emergency Supply Food Storage FAQ's

The "magazine size" says 15 quart- 15.25 x 12 x 6.25 the specific ones I have; I think I got from Lowes. There is also a taller version & another that's a little wider. Go to Walmart & Target & Lowes; see what they have & make note of prices & sizes. Then figure out how many you need. I already had my fabric in the huge ones- of course I don't see tags on those; it's smaller then what I store bedding in which is 176 quart. I put all off season bedding in them. Then I have 58 quart for clothes; they're usually $5 at Walmart- Walmart also has one that's a few inches taller that I use for daughters hoodies. Another useful cardboard box cost me about $10; it's heavier then the normal moving boxes & it's huge- probably 3ft high by 18 inches square. Those hold a lot if you don't want to buy plastic bins. I bought those from a local moving company. I always store stuff in bins- Christmas; clothes; bedding; so it was worth it to me to buy them anyway because it's something I'll use. Same with the magazine sized one; I store all my old catalogs & magazines I want to save. I also keep painting supplies in the magazine sized one; great for brushes & rollers (not full sized roller handles). There are a million uses for them after you're done moving.