Anyone else use milk crates?

JonFrum · April 18, 2012

I just learned about grow bags this year, and being the cheapskate I am, I figured I could put plastic milk crates and yard waste bags together for the same effect. The sunniest part of the yard is along a fence where my neighbor has allowed trees to grow up along the property line

, so roots in the soil are an issue every year.

I found a thread here that showed urban gardeners using milk crates on a large scale. I'll end up with about 10-15 this year as an experiment.

Sherry_AK · April 18, 2012

That's really quite a good idea. I worry here that grow bags would blow right over with our winds, but the crate would give them stability plus make them easier to move if necessary. Please let us know how it works for you.

Sherry

JamesL · April 18, 2012

Jon this might have been the thread you referred to. If not, check it out.
I had read about this last fall when they started it.
http://www.core77.com/blog/architect..._nyc_20795.asp

http://www.riverparknyc.com/Riverpar...m_approach.htm

This guy uses them too on his balcony.
http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2008...rs-update.html

JonFrum · April 18, 2012

James - that's the thread I saw. I actually have enough of them that I'm going to use some to stack a back row, and then have a ground-level row in front. I'll use these for carrots, beets and onions, so the front row won't shade the back.

casserole · April 19, 2012

Instead of yard waste bagsyou could try the "green" reusable shopping bags inside the milk crate .this allows air pruning of the roots too.

JamesL · April 23, 2012

Jon,
Post some photos when you get it set up. Would love to see it.

Tracydr · April 23, 2012

I was just at a medical conference and they gave away a bunch of those reusable shopping bags. I ended up with about 15 ( well, I asked for extra). I'm going to plant my peppers and eggplant in there while waiting for my new lasagna garden to mature.
I like the idea of the milk crates, if I only had easy acess to a good quantity of them.
Grow bags are really cheap, until you get to larger sizes, if you go to some of the wholesale online stores. Some of the bags are 10-50 cents a bag.

JonFrum · April 23, 2012

I was out for a walk a couple years ago, and someone had left a bunch of them on the sidewalk with a 'free' sign on them. I also have some from when I bought them to carry books when I moved. They hold about 5 gallons, so it's a nice size for many plants. I'm doing carrots, beets, onions, cucumbers, pepper and eggplant right now.

Worth1 · April 23, 2012

Don't those milk crates say not for sale on them?

Worth

JonFrum · April 23, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

Don't those milk crates say not for sale on them?

Worth

Nope. I've got six 'real' milk crates, from five different dairies, and not one says 'not for sale.' In any case, there's nothing about borrowing either. The others are the lightweight ones sold for storage.

**Mischka** · April 23, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

Don't those milk crates say not for sale on them?

Worth

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonFrum

Nope. I've got six 'real' milk crates, from five different dairies, and not one says 'not for sale.' In any case, there's nothing about borrowing either. The others are the lightweight ones sold for storage.

If they're used for distributing milk products by a dairy, you can bet they have "PROPERTY OF XYZ DAIRY" deeply embossed into them. Stores pay a deposit on them and if you're in possession of one and not a store owner selling milk from that dairy, you're possessing stolen property.

As proprietor of this forum, I advise that you don't steal that which does not belong to you. There is a law in Massachusetts that specifically addresses the theft of milk crates and I'm confident that other states have similar statutes.

See: http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/Ge...266/Section144

desertlzbn · April 23, 2012

You can buy storage crates that are very similar to real milk crates.

habitat_gardener · April 23, 2012

Some towns around here used rectangular plastic crates with a cutout in front for collecting recyclables, when they collected items separately. Now that almost every town has gone to single-stream (everything goes into one barrel), I've been seeing those old crates in the dumpster at the recycling center! Sometimes I rescue them and bring them to the community garden. They're the right height for sitting while you work in a raised bed, or they can be used for storing/organizing stuff in the garden. But last week, I didn't feel like dumpster-diving for grungy crates, so I hope someone else retrieved them.
I've also found planting pots (the ones you buy plants in from the nursery) and plastic storage bins and lids at the recycling center.

JonFrum · April 23, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mischka

If they're used for distributing milk products by a dairy, you can bet they have "PROPERTY OF XYZ DAIRY" deeply embossed into them. Stores pay a deposit on them and if you're in possession of one and not a store owner selling milk from that dairy, you're possessing stolen property.

As proprietor of this forum, I advise that you don't steal that which does not belong to you. There is a law in Massachusetts that specifically addresses the theft of milk crates and I'm confident that other states have similar statutes.

See: http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/Ge...266/Section144

As the proprietor, I advise you to cease from accusing me of theft. In a post above, I explicitly said this:

I was out for a walk a couple years ago, and someone had left a bunch of them on the sidewalk with a 'free' sign on them. I also have some from when I bought them to carry books when I moved.

Please edit your post immediately to remove the highly offensive accusation you made about my character.

desertlzbn · April 23, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonFrum

As the proprietor, I advise you to cease from accusing me of theft. In a post above, I explicitly said this:

I was out for a walk a couple years ago, and someone had left a bunch of them on the sidewalk with a 'free' sign on them. I also have some from when I bought them to carry books when I moved.

Please edit your post immediately to remove the highly offensive accusation you made about my character.

Lighten up, I don't think anyone really thinks that you are a thief. It really amazes me how touchy people are.

April 18, 2012	#1
JonFrum Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 25	Anyone else use milk crates? I just learned about grow bags this year, and being the cheapskate I am, I figured I could put plastic milk crates and yard waste bags together for the same effect. The sunniest part of the yard is along a fence where my neighbor has allowed trees to grow up along the property line , so roots in the soil are an issue every year. I found a thread here that showed urban gardeners using milk crates on a large scale. I'll end up with about 10-15 this year as an experiment.

April 18, 2012	#2
Sherry_AK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Alaska Zone 3/4 Posts: 1,857	That's really quite a good idea. I worry here that grow bags would blow right over with our winds, but the crate would give them stability plus make them easier to move if necessary. Please let us know how it works for you. Sherry

April 18, 2012	#3
JamesL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,992	Jon this might have been the thread you referred to. If not, check it out. I had read about this last fall when they started it. http://www.core77.com/blog/architect..._nyc_20795.asp http://www.riverparknyc.com/Riverpar...m_approach.htm This guy uses them too on his balcony. http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2008...rs-update.html

April 19, 2012	#5
casserole Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Dousman, WI Z5 Posts: 95	Instead of yard waste bagsyou could try the "green" reusable shopping bags inside the milk crate .this allows air pruning of the roots too.

April 23, 2012	#6
JamesL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,992	Jon, Post some photos when you get it set up. Would love to see it.

April 23, 2012	#7
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I was just at a medical conference and they gave away a bunch of those reusable shopping bags. I ended up with about 15 ( well, I asked for extra). I'm going to plant my peppers and eggplant in there while waiting for my new lasagna garden to mature. I like the idea of the milk crates, if I only had easy acess to a good quantity of them. Grow bags are really cheap, until you get to larger sizes, if you go to some of the wholesale online stores. Some of the bags are 10-50 cents a bag.

April 23, 2012	#9
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Don't those milk crates say not for sale on them? Worth

April 23, 2012	#12
desertlzbn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tucson Posts: 659	You can buy storage crates that are very similar to real milk crates.

April 23, 2012	#13
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	Some towns around here used rectangular plastic crates with a cutout in front for collecting recyclables, when they collected items separately. Now that almost every town has gone to single-stream (everything goes into one barrel), I've been seeing those old crates in the dumpster at the recycling center! Sometimes I rescue them and bring them to the community garden. They're the right height for sitting while you work in a raised bed, or they can be used for storing/organizing stuff in the garden. But last week, I didn't feel like dumpster-diving for grungy crates, so I hope someone else retrieved them. I've also found planting pots (the ones you buy plants in from the nursery) and plastic storage bins and lids at the recycling center.