alternative plant pots

[crowsashes]

i am having a clear out and have come across approx 5 plastic boxes (possibly more when im done!) , now cleared of junk they are no longer needed.

is it possible to use them as planters?
im thinking of putting a few holes in them some big-ish ones on the bottom and smaller ones a half inch up the side then line the bottoms with all the terracotta pots that have broken this year and some shredded paper before adding compost. they would be perfect on the concrete parts of my garden and also out the front for a pair of tomato plants each

to me they are deep enough ( about a foot) to grow some root veg and beans in maybe even some lettuces.

would they drain ok a improvised planters and what else can i do to ensure they dont get water logged? as im saving all kinds of large plastic containers to grow stuff in this year... seems as i cant buy plant pots

[JessieMac]

I grow my tomatoes,courgettes.cucumbers,aubergenes....can't spell that one but they still grow....chillies and lots more in the black pots the shops sell bunchs of flowers from just ask and they will usually give you them,I also grow rocket,basil and radish in the shallow trays the shops get soft fruit in when lined with bits of black bin bags or compost bags with some holes punched in them and filled with compost they give you lots of clean crops and can be kept outside the kitchen door.................Jessica

[AngeB]

I use all the left over mushroom pots from supermarket and sweet tubs (roses etc.) left over from christmas gifts to grow those little round carrots in...we can't afford to spend masses on pots either and can't dig in the ground, they seem to drain fine with holes put in the bottom. Do you mean the ones in the supermarket JessieMac or the florists?

[JessieMac]

AngeB.....I have used them from both they are about the size of a small bucket,I also got about 50 of them last year from the tip when I was dumping rubble all brand new and last year I bought 5 buckets from the pound shop for tree saplings much stronger and cheaper than plastic pots that the garden shop wanted £4.99 for.

[AngeB]

That's fantastic and would never have occurred to me, I'll definitely be trying to find some of those this year