What are the best containers for container gardening?

1. 94

   Athlyn Greenposted 12 years ago

   What are the best containers for container gardening?
   
   With the worry about plastics, what are the best materials for container gardening?

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2. 72

   backporchstoriesposted 12 years ago

   I have gone to the bakery section of a market and ask for their icing buckets.  Usually they throw these 5 gallons buckets away and they are just perfect for the big plants like tomatoes!  Be sure to punch holes into the bottom for drainage.

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3. 96

   mary615posted 12 years ago

   
   
   I am guilty of using plastic containers for gardening.  I wrote  a Hub about using a cat litter bucket  for growing plants.  If you want to get away from plastics there are many articles written about vintage gardening where you can use just about anything (metal, etc.) to grow plants.  As long as there are drainage holes, you're fine.

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4. 87

   nochanceposted 12 years ago

   I've found some really awesome tuitorials for using the bottom halves of wine glasses and mason jars, of course this only works well if you're trying to do something small like herbs, but it's worth a shot. Besides, then you get to see the roots which is kind of cool.
   
   There are also plenty of glass and porcelain planters that you can find at garden centers, not to mention large terracotta pots (though those get really heavy and you might as well just buy the giant plastic ones).
   
   Though personally I don't really have an issue with plastic containers because all I grow is flowers.

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   1. 87

      nochanceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I meant wine bottles. oops.

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5. 88

   Jools99posted 12 years ago

   Pretty much anything is good for a container depending on what you're growing in them  - I have used carrier bags for strawberries, you just fill with compost and cut hols in randomly and then plant the strawberries in the hole.  Guttering is also good for strawberries.  Buckets for plants like cucumbers which have long roots and peppers (same reason), hanging baskets for strawberries and tomatoes and flowering plants.  Old bathtubs, old sinks, old watering cans you don't use any more.  I plant herbs in empty ice cream containers.  Empty plastic bottles can also be used to grow strawberries and tomatoes.  Potatoes also do well in larger carrier bags.  So my approach is, do you have anything you can recycle?  Instead of throwing it out, plant something in it )

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6. 73

   handymanbillposted 12 years ago

   The king of container Gardening. That's  all i do I love 5 gallon buckets. iI get a ton of them and use other methods too. Check out my hubs on the subject if you fell like it

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