Best way to obtain large, sturdy, cheap pots
 

Hello,

I have an order of 15 or so blueberry plants coming in the mail, and I would also like to start an asparagus farm. I'm going to need a large number of 20"+ size pots. I can tolerate the black plastic kind, as long as they are sturdy. I'm looking for tips on the best place/way to obtain the pots. I can always purchase them at a large box store, but I'd be paying close to $20+ for each, which seems high given I need around 30. I'm hoping to get that number down closer to $5 a pot. I'm open to alternative options, so long as they are semi permanent solutions, i.e. not going to require I re-pot and start over in a couple years. I'm planning these plants to be our blueberry and asparagus supply for the indefinite future (that's a vague phrase isn't it). I want them in pots so I can move them around as I determine the "final" reality of the landscape of my newly purchased home.

Thanks in advance for the advice and tips.
-naysen

We have nursery/garden centers around here that have huge recyling bins in the parking lot to encourage folks to recycle and they often have pots from trees, etc. that are sturdy and huge...for free. I've seen 20" pots in colors for ~ $14 in one of the stores (Home Depot, Lowe's, Ollie's, Big Lots would be the possibilities), but can't remember which one.:?

I buy mine at Home Harvest,they have a large variety in plastics,grow bags etc.Prices are decent.

I bought the rigid type.they have a cheaper thats targeted for big box one time type use.The rigids I bought are into 10 years now and not cracking or splitting.

I buy 55 gal barrels here for about $12. Many are from the soda industry. Most commonly used to make rain barrels. Cut in half these might work.

Kurt, thanks for sharing. I checked and the 20-gal pots are $13.50 a pop. Add $110- for shipping, and I need to bone up $500+ for 30 pots. I can't afford that. I'll keep searching for cheaper options.

--naysen

Thanks Kath. I've heard that suggestion before, but the few times I've sought out the nursery dumpsters, it didn't pan out. I'm in a neighborhood where I'm constantly seeing landscape work in progress. The other evening I noticed around 10 recently emptied large nursery pots. I thought about asking on them, but thought better of it. I didn't want to seem like the neighborhood beggar. Yes, my pride is getting the better of my blueberries.

-naysen

Granite-

Where do you buy the barrels. What class of distributor/store should I be searching out? I could probably swing $6- a pot, especially if there were no shipping associated with the purchase.

Thanks,
Naysen

Check wherever there are new landscaping jobs going in....especially in commercial or condo complexes. If they're planting trees and larger shrubs, you 'll be able to find 20 to 30" rigid pots without any problem at all. And most of the time they toss them - possibly put them in recycle bins, but if they're tossing them they're going to have to pay a disposal fee at the dump. So are usually more the amenable to the idea of donating the empty pots.

I'm in a complex that is about 18 months old. When they finally put in the landscaping this past summer I was able to score all the pots I wanted. They're the heavy rigid types.

I also retrofitted some of those large buckets with rope handles that they sell at ToyRUs for about $7 to $15 a piece. They're more like about 30" across and almost the same deep. I drilled drainage holes in them. I managed to pick up 10 for $7 a piece from a local hardware store. Beats the heck out of the cost of buying proper pots from a commercial supplier for the same size. Those 10 pots have been outside - in the sun and snow for 6 years so far and are still as good as new.

The other option I've used are paint buckets - new ones sold for $5 a piece at Home Depot or similar, usually white, 5 gallon in size. Leaving the handle on makes it easy to move them about when filled with soil mix before the plants get too big....or after the season is over. I drill holes in them about 2 inches up from the bottom around the perimeter. Some of my piant bucket planters are 5 to 10 years old....some have been outside for most of that time, some I have brought inside stacking over the winter.

Hope that helps.

Zana

Another place to try would be Greenhouse Megastore. They have plastic pots at good prices and also large sized fabric pots rated for 3-4 or 4-5 years of use. I know you said that you don't plan to repot in which case I think you will need to be especially careful about the substrate you, use that it doesn't break down too quickly. Perhaps research al's gritty mix.

ginny

I would ask for the nursery pots and in the summer bring your neighbor some produce. If those pots are gone, maybe there are more in your area if there are new homes. You would be surprised that what is valuable to you and just what you need is someone's trash. Your neighbor might become a friend from this first encounter if you explain what you are doing. If you are obsessed with gardening and they are gardeners, they will forgive you for begging. It is in style and called recycling.

Naysen,
Check out craigslist in your area.
[URL]http://sacramento.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=12&subAreaID=&query=barrels&catAbb=sss[/URL]
Dutch

I would suggest a nursery that does landscaping on the side. Go in and speak to the owner. They may sell you the used pots at a big discount (free) or they may sell you some of their bulk pots at a much cheaper price than you can buy.

You might also check on Amazon as they have a huge selection of greenhouse pots and if you can get in on the free shipping for orders over X dollars, you'd be coming out pretty good.

Naysen, here's a site you might check out. They're local for me, but do ship. I ran across a 20" x 17" round pot 10 @ 48.21 + shipping. Have no idea if these would fill the bill, but maybe.

[url]http://www.jrjohnson.com/downloads/Containers2010.pdf[/url]

All, thanks for the many suggestions. It looks like one way or another, I'm going to do a bit of hustling and research to get these pots at a reasonable price. Gary, assuming the pots in your link can be shipped for a reasonable price, those might work. I'm concerned that the pots are tapered and worried they might be too flimsy in the long run. I'll call the supplier for more details.
-naysen