Containers

hewitt · July 12, 2011

I am considering container planting next year, in addition to my current garden, any thoughts on where to buy 5 gallon containers?? I cked HD and Lowes and they are $6.00 per container, any recomendations to reduce this cost???

**mdvpc** · July 12, 2011

Nurseries and restaurants often have 5 gallon plastic containers that they will either give away (nurseries have recycle piles sometimes) or charge a small amount for. If you go that way, be use and disinfect the container.

jeremyhilton · July 12, 2011

I agree with Mdvpc, I have gotten most of my 5-15 gallon pots from local nurseries either for free or a nominal fee. Also I got some nice 2 1/2 gallon buckets for my cucs from the local dollar store...
Jeremy

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

ContainerTed · July 12, 2011

Hewitt, actually, Lowes has a 5 gallon bucket with their logo on it for about $3 or less. Other sources would be to stop and pick up the ones you see by the roadside. But, food comes in them as stated above. Most fast food chains get their pickles in them. Also look for folks to dump some off in those "hidden" places. Garage sales may produce a few if you ask for them. Flea markets can sometimes be good and the buckets are usually 2 bucks or less - bulk deals can be haggled if you want.

At the nurseries, plan to buy some kind of a plant or two, and they usually are a bit more willing to let you raid their "recycle stock".

Most peppers and any dwarf or small tomato can be grown in a 3 gallon container. I have many larger tomato plants in 10 gallon units and when I get to my 18 gallon pots, I may have two or more plants.

If some of your local teenagers are working at the fast food burger joints, get them to ask their managers if they can bring you some. The down side is that a lot of places use their buckets to store old cooking oil until it gets picked up. This means doing some heavy cleaning with Dawn detergent.

As stated above, make sure you clean any and all, and disinfect with a clorox rinse to make sure you get rid of the maximum number of things that can hurt your tomato plants.

All the cleanup may sound like a lot of work, but you'll put 5 times the effort into preparing a garden.

The other things to think about are 1): Daily watering of all containers, and 2): more frequent fertilizing of the growing medium.

On the plus side are total control of the growing medium which, very fortunately, also means total control of WEEDS. Also, the containers can be moved and protected from environmental threats like frost. You can also collect up decorative containers that will allow you to put some plants "out front".

Mike Maurer · July 12, 2011

Hewitt,
My local WalMart had a sale on "Rope Totes" which I believe were 15 or 20 gallon plastic tubs. They were $5.00 ea. I now have about 30 containers and 18 raised beds and watering was becoming a chore. I rigged up tee-tape for the raised beds and spray irrigators for the containers. It has worked very well.
Mike

Aphid · July 12, 2011

the ones I saw were 18 gallon

platys · July 12, 2011

Menards, earlier in the summer, had some flexible 10 gallon plastic totes. I believe there were in the 4 to 5 dollar range. I bought three. My biggest problem was in getting enough holes in them to drain right. Of course, I couild have just found my power drill instead of trying to use a hammer and screw driver.

delltraveller · July 12, 2011

I use a mat knife, box cutter, etc to cut holes in the buckets and totes when they have a flexible, not rigid, quality. It works much better than trying to drill holes. Drilling turned out to be a lot more work because the surface "gave" so much. And the holes don't have to be round. Triangles, which are easy to cut with a razor-bladed device, work just fine.

Paint and drywall compound also come in 5 gallon buckets, so if you know someone doing construction or work on their house, you might check with them.

DiggingDogFarm · July 12, 2011

Check with Nurseries and Landscapers....I can get all I need free.

~Dig

Stepheninky · July 12, 2011

Buckets can be had by checking with fast food, deli, pizza / subs, and doughnuts places. U might have to clean them out. You can get them free or for 1 -2 dollars. Firehouse pizza and subs has them as a corporate policy for $2 and the $2 goes to a fireman's fund so it helps a good cause at least.

Also I know there are several of us on here growing in 5 gallon Grow bags this year with great results and depending on how many you need they are very cheap.

casserole · July 13, 2011

If you have neighbors ,you may want to buy containers that are all the same .less of an eye sore. HD buckets seem the best for $3.
The food grade containers(from restuarants ) disenigrated in 3 years due to the sun,crumbling to pieces.

Drilling the holes is quicker and easiest. I use a Drill Bit Hole Saw. (Ebay< $5 INC sHIP)Less danger of cutting yourself than a box cutter.

<<<<<Just like in this pic

dice · July 17, 2011

I use a 1" spade bit: http://www.drillspot.com/products/29...pade_drill_bit

Messy but fast. I do it over a patch of concrete or something like
that, so that I can clean up with a broom and not have to pick little
pieces of plastic out of the lawn (I do not want them in the compost).

Elizabeth · July 17, 2011

You might want to join your local FreeCycle Network (FreeCycle.org). It's a great organization - the idea is to give away stuff that is still usable instead of tossing it. I belong to my local one and I give away stuff all the time, including 5 gallon nursery pots.

I have also used them to give away plants I am swapping out - I got rid of a bunch of fornight lilies and trailing rosemary recently to make room for some fruit trees (which is why I have so darn many 5 gallon pots LOL).

If you don't want to wait for something to show up you can post a "want".

I have given away used tree stakes, old trellises, old tomato cages when I switched to a new system, lawn tools, (no lawn anymore) and the like. I give away stuff that a thrift shop would toss, but to the right people the stuff is golden - like my pots - I always have way more people wanting them than I have pots. Once you join you can just keep an eye on the posts to snag whatever interests you - stuff goes FAST

FreeCycle isn't all about gardening, but that seems to be what I use it for the most

cornbreadlouie · July 17, 2011

Some restaurants & grocery stores will have buckets they use for sauces & whatnot that they'll give you or sell you for a dollar or two.

July 12, 2011	#1
hewitt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: raleigh Posts: 5	Containers I am considering container planting next year, in addition to my current garden, any thoughts on where to buy 5 gallon containers?? I cked HD and Lowes and they are $6.00 per container, any recomendations to reduce this cost???

July 12, 2011	#2
mdvpc Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 4,386	Nurseries and restaurants often have 5 gallon plastic containers that they will either give away (nurseries have recycle piles sometimes) or charge a small amount for. If you go that way, be use and disinfect the container. __________________ Michael

July 12, 2011	#4
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Hewitt, actually, Lowes has a 5 gallon bucket with their logo on it for about $3 or less. Other sources would be to stop and pick up the ones you see by the roadside. But, food comes in them as stated above. Most fast food chains get their pickles in them. Also look for folks to dump some off in those "hidden" places. Garage sales may produce a few if you ask for them. Flea markets can sometimes be good and the buckets are usually 2 bucks or less - bulk deals can be haggled if you want. At the nurseries, plan to buy some kind of a plant or two, and they usually are a bit more willing to let you raid their "recycle stock". Most peppers and any dwarf or small tomato can be grown in a 3 gallon container. I have many larger tomato plants in 10 gallon units and when I get to my 18 gallon pots, I may have two or more plants. If some of your local teenagers are working at the fast food burger joints, get them to ask their managers if they can bring you some. The down side is that a lot of places use their buckets to store old cooking oil until it gets picked up. This means doing some heavy cleaning with Dawn detergent. As stated above, make sure you clean any and all, and disinfect with a clorox rinse to make sure you get rid of the maximum number of things that can hurt your tomato plants. All the cleanup may sound like a lot of work, but you'll put 5 times the effort into preparing a garden. The other things to think about are 1): Daily watering of all containers, and 2): more frequent fertilizing of the growing medium. On the plus side are total control of the growing medium which, very fortunately, also means total control of WEEDS. Also, the containers can be moved and protected from environmental threats like frost. You can also collect up decorative containers that will allow you to put some plants "out front". __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

July 12, 2011	#9
DiggingDogFarm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New York State Posts: 286	Check with Nurseries and Landscapers....I can get all I need free. ~Dig __________________ "The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can shoot and trap out of it!"

July 12, 2011	#10
Stepheninky Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 682	Buckets can be had by checking with fast food, deli, pizza / subs, and doughnuts places. U might have to clean them out. You can get them free or for 1 -2 dollars. Firehouse pizza and subs has them as a corporate policy for $2 and the $2 goes to a fireman's fund so it helps a good cause at least. Also I know there are several of us on here growing in 5 gallon Grow bags this year with great results and depending on how many you need they are very cheap. __________________ tomatoprojects.blogspot.com

July 12, 2011	#3
jeremyhilton Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Ferndale, Washington Posts: 107	I agree with Mdvpc, I have gotten most of my 5-15 gallon pots from local nurseries either for free or a nominal fee. Also I got some nice 2 1/2 gallon buckets for my cucs from the local dollar store... Jeremy Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

July 12, 2011	#5
Mike Maurer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico Posts: 105	Hewitt, My local WalMart had a sale on "Rope Totes" which I believe were 15 or 20 gallon plastic tubs. They were $5.00 ea. I now have about 30 containers and 18 raised beds and watering was becoming a chore. I rigged up tee-tape for the raised beds and spray irrigators for the containers. It has worked very well. Mike

July 12, 2011	#6
Aphid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Nashville TN zone 6-B Posts: 133	the ones I saw were 18 gallon

July 12, 2011	#7
platys Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 176	Menards, earlier in the summer, had some flexible 10 gallon plastic totes. I believe there were in the 4 to 5 dollar range. I bought three. My biggest problem was in getting enough holes in them to drain right. Of course, I couild have just found my power drill instead of trying to use a hammer and screw driver.

July 12, 2011	#8
delltraveller Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Iowa Posts: 481	I use a mat knife, box cutter, etc to cut holes in the buckets and totes when they have a flexible, not rigid, quality. It works much better than trying to drill holes. Drilling turned out to be a lot more work because the surface "gave" so much. And the holes don't have to be round. Triangles, which are easy to cut with a razor-bladed device, work just fine. Paint and drywall compound also come in 5 gallon buckets, so if you know someone doing construction or work on their house, you might check with them.

July 13, 2011	#11
casserole Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Dousman, WI Z5 Posts: 95	If you have neighbors ,you may want to buy containers that are all the same .less of an eye sore. HD buckets seem the best for $3. The food grade containers(from restuarants ) disenigrated in 3 years due to the sun,crumbling to pieces. Drilling the holes is quicker and easiest. I use a Drill Bit Hole Saw. (Ebay< $5 INC sHIP)Less danger of cutting yourself than a box cutter. <<<<<Just like in this pic Last edited by casserole; July 13, 2011 at 05:21 AM. Reason: add

July 17, 2011	#12
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I use a 1" spade bit: http://www.drillspot.com/products/29...pade_drill_bit Messy but fast. I do it over a patch of concrete or something like that, so that I can clean up with a broom and not have to pick little pieces of plastic out of the lawn (I do not want them in the compost). __________________ -- alias

July 17, 2011	#13
Elizabeth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: San Diego Coastal - Zone 10b Posts: 204	You might want to join your local FreeCycle Network (FreeCycle.org). It's a great organization - the idea is to give away stuff that is still usable instead of tossing it. I belong to my local one and I give away stuff all the time, including 5 gallon nursery pots. I have also used them to give away plants I am swapping out - I got rid of a bunch of fornight lilies and trailing rosemary recently to make room for some fruit trees (which is why I have so darn many 5 gallon pots LOL). If you don't want to wait for something to show up you can post a "want". I have given away used tree stakes, old trellises, old tomato cages when I switched to a new system, lawn tools, (no lawn anymore) and the like. I give away stuff that a thrift shop would toss, but to the right people the stuff is golden - like my pots - I always have way more people wanting them than I have pots. Once you join you can just keep an eye on the posts to snag whatever interests you - stuff goes FAST FreeCycle isn't all about gardening, but that seems to be what I use it for the most __________________ Elizabeth If I'm going to water and care for a plant it had better give me food, flowers or shade.

July 17, 2011	#14
cornbreadlouie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: SF bay area... north bay Posts: 242	Some restaurants & grocery stores will have buckets they use for sauces & whatnot that they'll give you or sell you for a dollar or two. __________________ Do You Like Worms?