The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Do it Yourself Discussion! => Topic started by: shelivesthedream on December 31, 2017, 02:11:50 AM
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I want to add a few more plant pots to our garden this coming year, ideally ones large enough to hold a small fruit bush. The best value I've been able to find locally is £5 for a plastic 46cm x 46cm x 33cm pot, but anything bigger than that is absolutely extortionate.
Does anyone have any good ideas for very cheap things that can be reused as plant pots? Aesthetics are a consideration (white 5 gallon food buckets or car tyres are not going to be my thing) but eclectic is good! I'd enjoy old tin baths and the like. I just don't know what to start looking for.
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Thrift shops?
Some ideas...
Old toolboxes.
Galvanized tubs
Animal feed/water tubs
Lorry wheels
Bookshelves (laying down or on an angle)
Bird water baths
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Another great idea is to use just a cheap plastic plant pot, then cover it with a non-waterproof basket for looks. You can buy some Moss to spread across the top so that you can't see the cheap pot.
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You could build square or rectangle ones out of old deck lumber or pallets.
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My mind played a dyslexic trick on me:
Ingenious sources for large pot plants?
Carry on.
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I'm not sure what you can get over there, but here, it's pretty easy to come by 55 gallon food grade plastic barrels which can be cut in half to make two large pots. Not the prettiest, but not terrible looking, and they seem to stand up to UV pretty well.
Also, wooden wine or whiskey barrels cut in half.
Livestock water troughs that have sprung a leak might be available inexpensively.
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We have used packing crates made of pine. We also tried a plywood one lined with black plastic and it kind of worked. These materials are not treated, which is good for the veggies but they will rot. Businesses here always chucking out these sorts of crates, sometimes they are listed on free sites but ours we just saw on the side of the road.
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My mind played a dyslexic trick on me:
Ingenious sources for large pot plants?
Carry on.
In England we generally call houseplants pot plants. I have come to realise that this is not so all over the world...
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My mind played a dyslexic trick on me:
Ingenious sources for large pot plants?
Carry on.
In England we generally call houseplants pot plants. I have come to realise that this is not so all over the world...
Don't worry, we call them pot plants down here in The Colonies too.
Ask friends/family? Lots of people, generally horders, tend to end up with superfluous pot plants that they've let die. I just got some off my Nanna, she was happy to give them away. Mum has a bajillion. You'd be surprised how many are lying about the neighbourhood...
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Not overly useful for the masses, but what worked for me was making friends with @marty998.
He is guaranteed to give me something botanical for every gift-giving occasion, most recently two massive pots for Christmas.
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Ya but those were proper pots @mustachepungoeshere ... not the creative type 🙂
I do love the bathtub idea mentioned by @Rightflyer
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Ya but those were proper pots @mustachepungoeshere ... not the creative type 🙂
I do love the bathtub idea mentioned by @Rightflyer
... does that mean I’m getting a bath tub for my birthday?
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@marty998, @mustachepungoeshere - I don't think I've said it before, but your friendship is wonderful to read:)
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@marty998, @mustachepungoeshere - I don't think I've said it before, but your friendship is wonderful to read:)
She even woke me up at midnight when I fell asleep at her place for NYE.
What else are friends for? ☺️
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@marty998, @mustachepungoeshere - I don't think I've said it before, but your friendship is wonderful to read:)
Awww shucks. :)
She even woke me up at midnight when I fell asleep at her place for NYE.
What else are friends for? ☺️
:) :) :)
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Is making your own an option?
Concrete casting can be done DIY.
Perhaps a hybrid hypertufa made with polymer cement (it's something I want to try)?
If you make it/them big, I'd include chicken wire reinforcement.
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I'm not sure what you can get over there, but here, it's pretty easy to come by 55 gallon food grade plastic barrels which can be cut in half to make two large pots. Not the prettiest, but not terrible looking, and they seem to stand up to UV pretty well.
Also, wooden wine or whiskey barrels cut in half.
Livestock water troughs that have sprung a leak might be available inexpensively.
This is what I would do. Cut it in half, drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Should cost ~$10 at most on Craigslist if not free.
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Ice cream or pizza places tend to get big plastic tubs you can get for free. That's my go-to for storing 10lb bags of flour.
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Galvanized tubs from a farm supply or bargain outlet are the best bet around here (southeast).
Also trash picking around the end of the month, when renters move and leave plant containers behind.
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You should investigate hypertufa! At any research facility/university that does scientific research, people will have a bzillion of those square styrofoam coolers. Not sure about other countries, but in most parts of the US, they are headed for the dump. I'm sure anyone would give you those (I wish someone would take mine!) and you could make super cool hypertufa pots like these: http://www.finegardening.com/peg-shares-her-hypertufa-secrets
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I just keep my eyes open for them at yard sales, thrift stores, and at the curb - but fall is the best time to find them. A surprising number of people throw out plants, pot and all, at the end of the season.
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Do you have any used office furniture warehouses around? The ones near me buy whole buildings worth of furniture and fixtures, and sometimes have large fake plants that came from the lobby, etc.
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Use a food safe Rubbermaid bin and create a self watering planter out of it. My entire garden (live in a townhouse) is made up of them and they work GREAT. And even better since there is a water reservoir you can go out of town for a few days and not have to worry about the plants croaking from lack of water in the heat of the summer.
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Maybe this is too obvious, but I've had good luck seeing large plants, and the pots in which to put them, on Craigslist and Freecycle. Never hurts to remember the classics. Where I live there seems to be a cycle where people grow a plant, then either give it away when it gets to be too big for their liking, or let it die in a too-small pot. If it dies, they are left with a huge pot and little desire to wait for something to grow into it. That's how it goes in my area, anyway, which has a high seasonal turnover of residents. Fall or early winter seems to be the best time to score finds. Good luck!
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I found it pretty easy to get one of those big plastic drums, tub trugs, or water barrels, build a simple melamine box bigger than the vessel, wipe the vessel in old motor oil, and cast concrete around it, filling the tub with rocks as you go. You can make these super big for super cheap if you like, just cast them in place as they are heavy (and sturdy). I found the look right for us for a clean line modern look, and pretty dam theft resistant for a front yard or driveway or walk, and able to plant dwarf citrus in pretty easily. Put a piece of pvc in the bottom for water to drain out. Not everyone's taste but they look a lot more intentional than a plastic barrel alone imo.
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Some people take old cowboy boots and work boots and fill them with dirt and flowers. Any Rubbermaid container could be used. Just drill holes in the bottom and drill holes in the bottom of the boots too for drainage. 5 gallon pails from Home Depot can be spray painted any color, drill holes in bottom. Small galvanized garbage cans with holes drilled in the bottom. Go to thrift stores, Goodwill, tag sales, Craigslist.
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Would a bucket be acceptable if you painted it? If so, go to a local bakery and ask for any of their used frosting buckets (they're usually 3 gallon in the US, but might be bigger). You can spray some nice spray paint and doctor it up however you like.
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I'll also second (third) the 55 gallons in the US. I got some 55 gallon food grade plastic barrels for free (junkyard), and cut them in half. Then built stands for them. Try putting some packing peanuts in the bottom third of the barrel to reduce the weight, then soil on top of that. We lived in a couple rentals with this setup so being able to move them was important, thus the styrofoam. I grow lettuce, beets, and carrots in mine.
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That's cool!
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Is making your own an option?
Concrete casting can be done DIY.
Perhaps a hybrid hypertufa made with polymer cement (it's something I want to try)?
If you make it/them big, I'd include chicken wire reinforcement.
+1
Google "Pour your own concrete planter" and you'll get a zillion instructions! This works economically if you need a lot of planters or have some concrete lying around anyway.
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CONCRETE-Cardboard-Duct-Tape-Planter-Box/