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Post by barnacledick on Feb 18, 2010 15:45:08 GMT -5
Try the ice-cream parlour; the places that sell hard ice-cream. those containers aren't good for more than a year tho', they seem to break down pretty quickly in the sunlight. They are translucent however, and you may get some algae along the wall of the container (on the inside) that may be detrimental to your intended plants root system. I had some pretty good luck with them for some annuals
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Post by cortona on Mar 10, 2010 13:33:36 GMT -5
i know i'm the only or maybe one of the rare italian user of the forum but i think its the same everywere, i have all my plastic pot(black pot) from my garden center,from 10cm, to the biggest ones for free!
you cant immagine how much used pot are wasted in the trash... i simply ask and i recive wath i want..i buy soil mix from the garden center, wen i make some rose cuttings i remember to give some to the worker(so nice and gentle womans) is a matter of kindeness but social relation are a good start point..!
Emanuele
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remy
gopher
Posts: 44
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Post by remy on Nov 28, 2010 19:52:15 GMT -5
For small pots, hit up your cemeteries that have in ground planting late in the day on the big planting weekend. Around here that is Memorial Day weekend. Once we finish planting the family graves, my cousin drives the car and stops at every trash receptacle. I get out and grab all the good pots and throw them in trunk. We look crazy, but hey, I got a lot of pots  Remy |
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Post by gixxerific on Nov 13, 2011 9:22:37 GMT -5
If you ask nicely at your local nursery's you may be surprised. I did this at 2 nursery's by me. I now have a ton of all size pots. From 3 inch to 10 gallon. Thinking about going back and getting some more of the 5-7 gallon. By they way these were all free. Get a construction job and build custom homes. Than when the landscapers come with truckloads of plants ask them, again nicely, for the pots they are going to throw away.  Dono |
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Post by Drahkk on Feb 17, 2012 3:05:15 GMT -5
My in-laws have a couple of beds in old tractor tires. If you live near any farmers it can't hurt to ask; if they have an old tire or two they may let you have it if you can haul it.
My beds are framed in 2x12 lumber, which wasn't free, but it was cheap. When Home Depot has boards that are cracked, warped, or twisted and can't be sold at full price they cut it into pieces 3'-5' long and sell it cheap, usually 50 cents or a dollar per board. Just ask where the cull cart is.
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 17, 2012 11:44:15 GMT -5
Recycling day always works for me.  |
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Post by oxbowfarm on Feb 18, 2012 5:31:49 GMT -5
Another good place is grocery stores with in-store bakeries. Ask them if they have any frosting buckets. They are like 4-5 gallon white plastic food grade. Doubt they hold up long in the UV. But they are free and usefull.
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edwin
gardener
Posts: 141
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Post by edwin on Feb 24, 2012 23:04:37 GMT -5
Hi -
Ferdzy & I scored an old ice cream freezer with a glass top from a store that we are going to make into a mini greenhouse. Fresh spinach and lettuce right about now would be a real treat.
No one has mentioned it yet, but we picked up a lot of old skids from a lumber yard and built siding for compost piles out of them. They are just perfect for doing this. They stacked them right next to the curb. Had to be quick and persistent because they were a hot item.
While not free, we've been using rough cut lumber for some things - 16' x 4" x 1/2"? is a shade under $3.00. Been using them to reinforce our hoop houses to better handle the snow load.
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Post by circumspice on May 13, 2012 19:52:28 GMT -5
Another good place is grocery stores with in-store bakeries. Ask them if they have any frosting buckets. They are like 4-5 gallon white plastic food grade. Doubt they hold up long in the UV. But they are free and usefull. I have a cousin who works in the bakery of a large grocery store. She gives me the 5 gallon frosting buckets for free. What is hard to get is the lids for those buckets. They usually get damaged when the buckets are opened. I'd love to use them for storage of grains & flours. The last time I saw her, she said that she would try to get some 5 gallon pickle buckets for me. The lids on them are sturdier & don't get damaged as easily. I have used the frosting buckets for storage mostly. (umbrella bucket, tool bucket, toy bucket) I do plan on using some for planting though. |
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Post by Drahkk on May 13, 2012 21:04:00 GMT -5
I have an assortment of buckets from different places. The 2 gallon B&B pickle buckets from Newk's are perfect for collecting soft fruit like blackberries, figs, tomatoes, etc. That being said...
Unless things have changed since my high school summers delivering produce with my dad, the problem with the food grade lids is that they aren't designed to be reused. To get them off requires cutting the plastic between all the little tabs around the edge, then prying off with a lever that grips the rings below the lip and pushes up on the lid. This is usually done with a special tool that does both jobs. Resealing requires beating around the rim with a mallet, then reopening requires lever use again. And most of them do get damaged in the process.
Assuming the buckets are standard size (most are), there are reusable snap on lids available. I haven't found any free, but they aren't expensive if you only need a few. If you go to Home Depot, they aren't the orange ones that are staged all over the store with the stacks of buckets. Those are the same tight sealing single use lids. The snap on reusable ones are black, and they're hidden in the paint department. There are plenty of other places that sell them, too. Google UPC code 084305387684 to find them close to you.
MB
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Post by olddog on May 14, 2012 18:58:09 GMT -5
the landfill?
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Post by circumspice on May 16, 2012 2:07:06 GMT -5
I have an assortment of buckets from different places. The 2 gallon B&B pickle buckets from Newk's are perfect for collecting soft fruit like blackberries, figs, tomatoes, etc. That being said... Unless things have changed since my high school summers delivering produce with my dad, the problem with the food grade lids is that they aren't designed to be reused. To get them off requires cutting the plastic between all the little tabs around the edge, then prying off with a lever that grips the rings below the lip and pushes up on the lid. This is usually done with a special tool that does both jobs. Resealing requires beating around the rim with a mallet, then reopening requires lever use again. And most of them do get damaged in the process. Assuming the buckets are standard size (most are), there are reusable snap on lids available. I haven't found any free, but they aren't expensive if you only need a few. If you go to Home Depot, they aren't the orange ones that are staged all over the store with the stacks of buckets. Those are the same tight sealing single use lids. The snap on reusable ones are black, and they're hidden in the paint department. There are plenty of other places that sell them, too. Google UPC code 084305387684 to find them close to you. MB Awesome! Thanks for the tip Drahkk! |
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Post by littleminnie on May 26, 2012 11:44:36 GMT -5
I have a lot of frosting buckets and they come with lids. I was bringing them from the bakery at work to the Caribou at work (grocery store) and picking up full in a week. I don't bother with it anymore.
A new friend I have that I got horse manure and rhubarb from works at a high end nursery and she does custom pots and saves all the plastic pots for me. Now I have to find where to store them.
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Post by circumspice on May 26, 2012 14:47:49 GMT -5
I have a lot of frosting buckets and they come with lids. I was bringing them from the bakery at work to the Caribou at work (grocery store) and picking up full in a week. I don't bother with it anymore. A new friend I have that I got horse manure and rhubarb from works at a high end nursery and she does custom pots and saves all the plastic pots for me. Now I have to find where to store them. Awww... Bucket/pot envy...  |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on May 26, 2012 15:16:56 GMT -5
My brother leaves garlic in the ground... They grow as a perennial clump. I really like harvesting them for use in the fall, since the papery separation gets wet and disintegrates. Then it's like harvesting already pealed garlic. Very nice!
I have volunteer garlic growing in my garden this spring that are the bulbils from last years flower stalks. They are doing fine.
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