Cheap Garden Containers You Likely Already Have Around The House

As the cost of food rises, it makes sense to try to grow some of your own produce, but when you start looking at supplies and tools, you discover those can be pricey, too. Thankfully, there's no rule that says you must use containers specifically made for plants. Your peppers will not care if they are grown in a hand-crafted raised bed or a kiddie pool — what they really need is enough sun, water, and nutrients to thrive.

Of course, there are a few standards your cheap containers must meet for your garden to be safe and successful. The first and most important rule to follow is you should never grow edible plants in an item that contains any kind of potentially toxic chemicals, like cleaning supplies, paint, or any kind of solvents. Secondly, you will need to select a planter to which you can add drainage. Soggy soil leads to root rot, and that leads to dead plants. This probably goes without saying, but we'll say it anyway: Your container must be sturdy enough to last at least one growing season, so no paper or anything fragile. With those standards in mind, here are some items you might already have around the house suitable for growing a cheap container garden.

Have your children outgrown their plastic kiddie pool? Keep it out of the landfill while growing some food by using it as a planter! The great thing about this option is that you can even use damaged pools that are cracked on the bottom since you need drainage, anyway. So, if your kiddos got a little wild with the plastic pool last year, you might still be able to put it to good use. You don't even need kids to turn one of these items into a planter. They're only about $12 from Lowe's, which isn't bad, considering the standard size is 45 inches in diameter.

The challenge with this option is that these pools are not very deep, so they are only suitable for shallow-rooted plants that do not require staking. At less than 8 inches deep, carrots and rutabagas are not going to be an option for planting, but there are plenty of yummy options you can grow in a kiddie pool. Radishes, bush beans, and most types of leafy greens, including lettuce, have shallow root systems. If you want a small herb garden outside your kitchen door, parsley, dill, chives, and cilantro would do very well with this depth of soil. You could even grow garlic or onions in a kiddie pool. Like all the plastic options on this list, you'll need to drill drainage holes before planting.

For small, single plants, take a good look at your recycling bin. Coffee tubs, protein shake containers, or even milk jugs with the tops cut off can be used to grow food. The benefit of using these smaller containers is that they are easy to move and fit well in tight spaces like patio gardens. Like the kiddie pool planter, you cannot grow anything with an extensive root system, but growing some lettuce and herbs is certainly better than growing nothing.

These small food containers are also a fun way to do some experimenting to see what you can grow in a tight space. You can probably grow at least one prolific bush bean in a milk jug, and if you have a couple of plants in a couple of jugs, you could have enough green beans for a side dish every week or so. Using just a few food containers, you can have lettuce for those glorious summer BLTs, fresh dill for your potato salad, and even some cucumbers for fresh snacking.