RECYCLE CONTAINERS FOR YOUR GARDEN

Grandma Kilgore never threw a tin can away. It was washed with her

dishes, holes were punched in the bottom, and it was used to start

flower seeds or new cuttings. She was pleased when she got a coffee

can or a large pork and bean container from a church supper. Those

would hold the bigger plants. A big dishpan with rusted out holes in

the bottom was filled with soil and planted with portulaca seed to

make a summer long festive display. She proudly showed her tin can

garden to everyone who came by. The simplicity of the containers

seemed to enhance the lushness of her plants and flowers.

Containers are everywhere if you use your imagination. Painters buy

paint by the 5 gallon bucket and throw the bucket away when done.

Farmers and ranchers buy animal feed in large buckets. Nurseries

and tree farms sometimes have used 10 to 15 to 20 gallon containers

they are happy to sell at less than cost. Restaurants buy food items in

large containers and then throw them away.

You may even find something around your home or garage. An old

rusty bucket with holes in the bottom is perfect. A wheelbarrow ready

for the junk yard can be painted and planted with flowers. Yard sales

can yield some novel containers as well as old flower pots that can be

prettied up. They’re everywhere if you keep your eyes open.

When you get lucky and find a good container, wash it well with a

disinfectant like Pine Sol to prevent disease. Holes can be punched

or drilled in the bottom for drainage. Then you can use a good quality

spray paint to brighten it up with your favorite color. If you’re artistic,

you can paint a pretty design.

For best results, fill it with a good quality potting soil – it’s worth the

money. For a very large container, gravel in the bottom will improve

drainage. In this case, you can use compost for the bottom half after

the gravel, then sprinkle sand midway for further drainage, then add a

good potting soil for the top half.

Before you plant, water deeply until water is running out of the

bottom. This way the soil is ready for seeds or transplants. Plants in

containers need to be watered more frequently than those in the

ground. For a large container, to get the water deep down, a pvc pipe

cut in sections can be inserted toward the back, then filled with water

while also watering the top.

Choose the plants based on the size of the container. A standard

tomato plant will quickly outgrow a 3 gallon container and not produce

well, whereas a smaller patio tomato will fit just right.

There is no end to the list of flowers you can grow in containers.

Surprisingly, you can also grow many garden items such as spinach,

lettuce, radishes, a cabbage, and herbs in containers. A large

container with good deep soil is my favorite way to grow carrots.

Along with your flowering plant containers, you can add a potted

cabbage or herb plant. The color and texture of the leaves will make

your flower colors even brighter.

A variety of plants look wonderful in a container. But keep water

requirements of the plants in mind. For instance, you wouldn’t want

succulents in the same pot with thirsty marigolds.

When planting a variety of plants in the same container keep the

viewing direction in mind. When viewing from one or two directions, I

love the method of choosing plants based on height at maturity. It

comes from the Japanese Ikebana method of flower arranging.

Choose a taller plant for the focal point (the heavens) and shorter

plants next (the earth) followed by trailing plants around the viewing

edge (man). The effects are stunning. In a round container to be

viewed from all sides, the focal point could be in the middle with

shorter plants around it (earth and man).

I find the effect of grouping containers together for a display much

more interesting than a single row of containers, or just a few here

and there.

If you have a variety of sizes and shapes for your containers, you can

tie them all together with a central color theme such as bright colors,

naturals, or shades of pinks or blues. If you choose earthtone colors,

you can add natural objects such as rocks, pine cones, or interesting

pieces of driftwood next to the pots. For instance, I chose a “critter”

theme for my deck and I have whimsical snails, frogs, and turtles

sitting around the terra cotta and painted green containers.

Some recycling ideas I’ve run across:

A wheelbarrow painted blue “spilling” (the wheelbarrow was

slightly tilted) planted purple wave petunias onto a flower bed also

planted with purple petunias. It was the hit of the neighborhood.

A country theme with old buckets painted yellow planted with

red flowers with an antique farm bell, chicken plaques, and ceramic

chickens included in the display.

An old wooden baby’s play pen (the bottom was gone) painted

white and holding planted hollyhocks.

A western theme with antique wagon wheels in the background

with containers painted orange holding succulents and cacti.

A friend collects wooden bird houses and paints them royal

blue and yellow (her colors) with designs painted on them (she’s very

artistic). Her patio display includes containers painted royal blue and

filled with yellow marigolds.

A wheelchair bound man rescued two chest type freezers

(minus the lids) from the back lot of a used appliance store for his

planting beds. He had the bottom four inches filled with rocks and

gravel, then had soil added. It’s just the right height for him to work

and he grows wonderful tomatoes and veggies.

If you have something you’re going to throw away, take a second look

and see if it can be useful for a plant container. If you can’t punch or

drill holes in the bottom for drainage, it still may be useful. But you will

need to watch the water so your plants aren’t swimming after a heavy

rain.

After you get your containers prettied up with paint and designs and

planted, the next time you get visitors, you can proudly show them

your new container garden. They’ll think you paid a fortune for the

display.