Containers for veg?

stilernin

huggermugger wrote: »

I've been trying to find some shallow containers for lettuce etc as I resent using deep ones I could use for something else.

Only the other day I was walking past a greengrocers and spotted the plastic containers with loose mushrooms in them. Not the blue mini crate looking ones but black moulded plastic with a couple of large holes in the sides.

Not being slow coming forwards, I nipped in and asked how they got rid of them. Were they just thrown out? Yes they were, did I want some? How many? A dozen? No problem........... Result!! Perfect for lettuce, about 6" deep.

If you keep your eyes open as you go around, there are many sources of free containers just waiting to be snapped up.

huggermugger

Will keep my eyes peeled (oh - no pun intended ) but there are no greengrocers left round here - Mr T and his friends have seen to that...

huggermugger

Well, posting on here obviously does my garden good. A friend turned up with an old stone sink - and I do mean stone, it's been hewn out of a piece of rock! Beautiful and absolutely ideal for salad leaves - it'll kepp them cool as well. Hoorah!

Then, taking advice from here, I screeched to a halt at a commercial landscapers unit on an industrial estate yesterday and accosted a bloke lurking outside. He confirmed that they throw most of their tree tubs into skips on site but he found one huge one for me and promised to save me some more. Hoorah again.

Morty_007

huggermugger wrote: »

I am really intrigued by this - tell me how you do it! They are lined with a plastic membrane, aren't they so that must make them quite durable...

The hessian ones are lined yes so all I do is cut a cross in the bottom (or more recent experiments, the side) and carefully poke the tomato plant (roots first) through from the outside. Then take a square of polystyrene and cut a slit in it from one side to the centre. This needs to be a bit wider than the stem of the tomato to allow for future growth. The poly should allow the stem to keep growing but I'm going to keep an eye on it. Once the rootball is inside the bag I slip the square of polystyrene over the stem between the soil and the hole in the bag. This will hopefully stop the rootball being pulled through the hole in the bag as the tomato plants get bigger and heavier. The fill the bag with soil and hang it up. Water well. Hey presto...upside down tomatoes.

Hope that makes sense.

The expensive ready made upside down tomato hanger

and my budget version.



these were 2weeks ago now...i'll add some updated ones soon. Wonder if there is an upside down tomato thread already....?

Rosamundi

I've used Ikea's blue bags for potatoes for a couple of years - just stuck a few holes in the bottom and I top up with growbag every time the plant grows.

Totts

sunset_gold wrote: »

OH SIGN UP

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you'll be hooked in no time! It's great for bits in the garden and for recycling your own stuff to make room in your house. it's lovely meeting other freecyclers too! It's a real community and yeah you do get the odd person who doesn't turn up or answer you, but hey there are people like that everywhere, don't let it put you off.

Ooohhh tell me more - I'm going to google it, but any more personal info/experience appreciated.

Morty - your toms are cracking - I'll let you know how I get on with my topsy turvy ones from ebay and my depressed looking tom plants from Lidl.

ginnyknit

Saw on 'River Cottage' the other night they were growing strawberry plants in upside down lemonade bottles and hanging them anywhere there was a space - am going to try that one next year. I bought Mushrooms the other day from a real greengrocer and they came in a black plastic box, so not only were the mushrooms cheap I got a free planter too. I must try the hessian shopping bags too I have a few of them already.

blue-kat

I have an entire container garden - getting on 100 pots.
various big container solutions:
big storage boxes with holes drilled in bottom.
big round storage tubs with holes drilled in bottom (I got green UNITUBS from Wilko's online last year - there are great, I got black unitubs from tesco online - they are rubbish - many of them have cracked)
I've had big raised beds built from timber and lined with old compost bags - made at nearby garden centres run by people with LDs. - excellent and reasonable cost.
look out for stable buckets - they come in range of sizes and colours - they convert to planting tubs well.

the blue crates discarded by greengrocers make good seed trays - jsut line them with perforated plastic bag.

stilernin

ginnyknit wrote: »

I bought Mushrooms the other day from a real greengrocer and they came in a black plastic box, so not only were the mushrooms cheap I got a free planter too. .

I spotted these outside a greengrocers the other week. Went in and asked what they did with the empty ones, and came out with a dozen............. it's always worth asking

sonas_baby

You have to sign up for freecycle group. I got several window frames last year, which are now coldframes full of veg.