RECYCLED PLANTERS FOR THE GARDEN
Author: Diana PedersonPublished on: Apr 17, 1998
Gardening can be an expensive hobby or an inexpensive hobby depending on your point of view. Planters, an essential for gardening today, quickly add up in costs. To celebrate Earth Day this year, let's explore alternatives to purchasing traditional planters.
Orange Crates
One of the neatest planters I've seen was made from an orange crate that was lined with heavy plastic with a few holes poked in the bottom for good drainage. The rough wood gave it a real country look and the plants spilling out over the top looked fantastic. There was a cement squirrel or rabbit peaking out through the foliage.
A girlfriend gave me an orange crate just before she moved. I've held on to it for several years because I didn't want to copy my neighbor and didn't have any ideas of my own. However, this summer I need a freely draining planter for some plants that simply won't tolerate wet roots. Instead of lining the crate with plastic, I'll line it with aluminum window screen if I can get some old window screen from our maintenance department, find some old screens dumped in the trashbin, or see them laid by the side of the street with the "free signs" attached.. If not, I'll resort to purchasing some.. The screen will be tacked into the inside of the orange crate. It will hold the potting soil in (a mixture of peat, crushed granite, and perlite) and let the rain drain swiftly out. The orange crate will be treated with Thompson's Water Seal to help protect it from the elements so I can get several seasons of use out of this planter.
Tires
Many of you have seen tires recycled as planters. If they are painted, tires can be attractive. However, I have some concern about the chemicals contained in the rubber if you intend to grow food plants in them. Perhaps one of this column's readers can enlighten us as to the safety of this particular recycled planter for food plants? Please E-mail me your comments (non-members of Suite101) or post your comments in the discussion below (members only).
Tires can be stacked to form a raised garden for the wheelchair bound or those with limited ability to bend. I'd suggest using old metal fence posts in 3 locations around the inside of the stack to help hold it from being blown over by the wind or even being knocked over by kids playing. Even left black, this would be a great way to recycle old tires.
Rusty Wagons or Wheelbarrows
Do you need a moveable garden? Why not find a rusty wagon in your own garage or a neighbor's garage. Poke a few holes through the rusty parts, fill it with your favorite potting soil and plant it up. You can easily move it to follow the sun or just to rearrange your garden. This is a good tip for those with physical impairments too--a wagon brings the garden up off the ground and can easily be wheeled into the desired location. The only limitation would be using plants with shallow root systems. Obviously, root crops wouldn't be a good choice although something like onions or garlic, radishes, or even the smaller sized carrots would do well.
Inexpensive plastic wastebaskets or laundry baskets
Look for one of the Dollar stores that are showing up in many communities. These stores are great places for finding laundry baskets, wastepaper baskets, and other type of containers that could be adapted as planters. Visit one near you and let your imagination run wild. Just recently I noted a metal screen wastebasket. For most plants, you would need to line each of these with plastic and be sure to poke adequate holes in the plastic to allow for drainage. For a $1, I can afford to throw it away if it collapses at summer's end.
Please share your recycling ideas with the readers of this column. I encourage you to join SUITE101 (free) so you can participate in discussions. If you prefer not to join, please E-mail me your suggestions and I will post them in the discussion for you.
Until next week, good gardening to you! Be sure to visit the other Earth Day articles.