w.g.s.hamm wrote in message
...
I was sat here thinking after reading the post about pricey pots. I am a
skinflint when it comes to paying for things.
I also do most of my growing in containers because it is easier than
digging the heavy clay here, and it helps stop the rabbits and guinea pigs
and chickens which free range:from nibbling whatever I'm growing.
So, I wondered what others used instead of paying for pots.I have the
usual
car tyres turned inside out but with a twist as my local garage chap
scallops the edges so that they look like larke flowers. Very pretty and
only £2 each. I spray them pretty colours with cheap spray paint. I have
also grown lobellia in an old wellie boot hung on a wall. Cut a hole near
the toe and had some hanging out there too. Have used the cheap black
buckets from the £1 shop, also polystyrene boxes given by aquariums and
fish
shops. The latter are good at insulating roots and when they start to look
grubby you can break them up and use as drainage in the base of pots. This
year, I came across some aluminium walls ice cream containers about 14"
high
18" wide and 10" deep. I must look on the internet first to make sure they
are valuable or collectable before I put holes in them.Also an old water
cistern from a toilet, black bakelite type material, an old steel bath and
I
have used a toilet pan before too.(for sweet peas perhaps)
I think I might have *one* purpose bought pot somewhere which is large
enough to grow a tomato plant in, but otherwise it is all 'make do '. I
have
an interesting garden plus I am recycling.
I also stack up car tyres and fill the centres with compost to grow
potatoes.
So, what other unusual, cheap or free containers do people use themselve
or
what have you seen someone else using?
--
purebred poultry
www.geocities.com/fenlandfowl



Many of my pots are bought or are presents (I like good-looking ones for the
front porch). However, I save chicken poo containers to use as buckets, and
use my old fish tanks and spider vivaria as mini-cloches.

Spider