What is the most unusual thing you've used as a container?

this is an old metal colander that I found at a yard sale, it's great for lettuce

That is nifty. Colanders seem to be just about perfect for container gardening. Is that an old metal stool underneath?

This is an old enamel dishpan that had rusted through on the bottom so it already had a convenient drainage hole of sorts. It fit nicely into the old bentwood chair and made a "raised planter" once I removed the damaged seat.

Still looking for the rusty rooster, happ. :(

Too funny with the colander and the lettuce, that is a fun idea.
Oh love the chair, dang wish I would of that about that a little while back got rid of a chair.
Here is an old trike got it at a car swap meet with DH, should of seen his face when I came walking back with this old rusty trike. My DGD use to try to ride it...

You can grow, cut, wash, and drain your lettuce all in that same colander. :)

Luv the trike. This is not mine but in a friend's yard.

Saw this on the water garden tour, this garden was so fun, this lady had this statue of a chicken and she thought it looked drunk so.....she built the little building which is suppose to be a take on a mens club theme except covered the top in hens and chicks and made it the rooster club.

Second she did a whole theme about wizard of oz....she lives on the Kansas side of Kansas City....first the bike and look at the yellow bricks below, and see toto in the basket, then you followed a path and she had red heels like Dorothys, then of course the witch running into the tree, parts of a tin man, like an oil can, can't remember it all but was so much fun.

Lastly she had these last two items a watering can and a baby buggy

Last pic is the top of the rooster building...too cute

Those are fun indeed, happ. I have been looking for a old bike that's not a lot of $ and also old wheelbarrow, etc. I've seen them at many yard sales ... until I started looking for them and now can't find one anywhere. Sheesh.

Under the colander is just an inverted plastic pot. I put it up there to keep the lettuce away from the bunnies. But actually they never touch my lettuce in the ground, they just eat my flowers! But I keep it elevated just in case.

That is too funny about the lettuce vs the flowers. We use to have a zillion rabbits and then something happened and we didn't have any for years and years. Now I am seeing a few again.

I have an old old wheel barrel that I plant in. this is a 'new' old wheel barrel the other got so bad it collapsed...rofl. The tire was flat for years but when everything under it rotted I had to get another.

I have been looking for years for an old wooden ladder, I used one for a trellis up until it rotted so bad it couldnt stand up any more, but like you if I find one I can't afford it or I can't find one at all...

Hi Friends,
Here is a picture, taken in June, of a planter I have been using for a couple of years.
It is a combination of planter and wicking container.
I use a clothes hamper from Big Lots - turn it upside down - cut the bottom out, (save the bottom,) - put a plastic bag inside - place a 3/4" water pipe diagionally from top to bottom; with a water hole drilled approximately 12" from top; with a cap on bottom - fill with soil to approximately 4" from top - mix a large cup of gypsum, "Soil Sweet," - add a cup of 10/10/10 fertilizer to a knee high stocking and coil around in a pocket in the center of the top. - pull the plastic over the soil. - cut a couple of holes in the saved bottom for plants and replace the bottom. - cut holes in the plastic bag and insert plants.
I have a drip system that waters this 30 minutes a day with a 2 gallon/hour dripper in the top of the water pipe.
I should include a later picture, the planter has really filled out, you can hardly see the hamper.

This message was edited Aug 1, 2013 1:39 AM

This message was edited Aug 1, 2013 1:40 AM

Clever use of that clothes basket. Yes, please do show a later picture, if you can. I imagine it looks like one solid mass of flowers now. That would be beautiful.

Yes please post.

Closet I come to something like that is actually 3 pot planter my Mom bought me, but it is a planter, but pretty cool if you can afford to plant it...rofl. I wait until Sams or Cosco puts out their bags of bulbs because I can afford them.

I am sure you all can come up with a way to build one out of unique things.

One of my fence hangings.

Larkie

Are those caladiums in the 3 pot planter, happ?

Very sweet, Larkie. Do you have more?

Those are too funny Larkie, my Mom gave me a neon white pair, now I know what to do with them...,. ;)

I'll send you a pic of it tonight of the pots.

These are not unusual, but a few of containers.

Those are great. Luv roosters and chickens ... and succulents. :) The little turtle is so sweet ... perfect planted with the little semp.

Thanks..

Larkie

Well my intentions were good about sending a pic, but it didn't happen life got in my way.... but will send a pic this weekend. You know sometimes I forget the some of the things I have potted up are unusual cause they have been potted like that forever...rofl. They become normal or at least as normal as I get.. ;)

I have hen and chicks in an old fashioned chicken feeder which I forgot about.
Love the little turtle he is a cutie. I just bought a little probably 1950's bird planter might be big enough for a minature african violet or something like that t t reminds me of your turtle.

We'll wait. ;)

A week ago I went nuts with an ecneveria and sedum order.The other websites Succulent and Cacti posters are terrible enablers
I had this sculpture and always wanted to repourpose it.I went downhill from there scrounging for anything to plant the Youngs and Avant Gardens order in.
Semp Red Lion gleaned from the garden
Wire teacups,door prize at an event
Sculpture weighs 30 pounds
All tender succs in the house
Sedum Coppertone,echeveria Elegans Blue

Some of those are really stunning. Nice work.

Thanks.

I love succulents in pots, they are so full of character! Nice pots ge, but I don't want any 30 pound pots...rofl. Some of my ee pots weigh enough!

I was sitting at my sisters and it dawned on me I didn't show you all the 3 tier pots. My Mom had also bought one for my sister and she has different color caladiums in hers but I used her shovel to pull them back so you could see the pots and how they are stacked.

Also here are my hens and chicks in a chicken feeder I just started them a month or so ago so they are not very full yet. I want to get some different varieties but guess I will have to wait until next year to get more.

I love the succulents too.. I just wish I had more hardy ones, I have several but would like more.. Any suggestions?

Larkie

Wow! You have problems with overwintering in zone 8? I have problems in zone 5, we have some normal hens and chicks but most of mine I bring in during the winter. If you can bring in one or two at least you will have those to start the spring with if they don't survive. Wish I could help with zone 8, wish I was in zone 8.....LOL

The chicken feeder is great, happ! And complete with a rooster to boot. :)

Larkie, you should be able to grow quite a few succulents. What other kinds do you have? Some of the aloes are fairly cold hardy. And there are some smaller agaves that do very well in pots. One of my faves is Agave univittata 'Splendida'. It makes a nice compact rosette that's variegated. (I have a thing for variegated plants.) I leave mine out year around here in zone 7a. In fact, I think it originally came from Georgia.

What an impressive tiered caladium display.
Chicken feeder planter is neat.

...

Very nice collection.

Sure is,, Interesting,,

I learned from my grandmother when I was a child, that if it will hold dirt, plant something in it..

Larkie

Grandmothers are smart like that. :)

I saw a whole display one time of miniature african violets planted in english floral tea cups, I thought that was just a great display like yours Cville.

This "was" an ash tray made from a small cyprus slab.

Better picture.

Funny one.

Love it! I wanted to order one of these ladies for my Euphorbia medusa but so far, my thrifty-mindedness (er, cheapness) won't let me.

More funny ones.

Just popping in to say this is a great thread.
I am inspired to haunt more junkshops.

Thanks. Glad you are enjoying the thread.

These two have never been planters, but they have been in planters. Meet Bjorn and Sven, my garden gnomes from IKEA in their Christmas attire.
Martha