NATIONAL GARDEN BUREAU
Hanging basket – Cherry tomatoes. Vines will hang down over the sides.
Large sweater boxes – Great for a hodgepodge of lettuce or mesclun.
Old buckets – One tomato or pepper plant. Sow cilantro around it.
Whiskey barrels – One winter squash plant.
An old boot – One Swiss chard plant.
A colourful plastic tub – One cucumber plant.
Five-gallon recycled nursery pot – One tomato plant. Sow basil around it.
Read Also
So you want to farm strawberries
If you’re considering starting or expanding a Prairie strawberry farm, autumn is the time to start sourcing and securing the plants and inputs you’ll need, a producer from one Alberta-based U-pick says.
Wicker basket – Line with plastic that has drainage holes cut in bottom. One bush bean plant or Cherry Belle radishes. (A great use for those inexpensive baskets you find at garage sales and thrift stores.)
Coffee cans – Herbs like
thyme, oregano, chervil, or
parsley. Large cookie jar – Set a plastic pot with drainage holes inside. Sow some pretty annual flowers like alyssum, bachelor buttons, flax, bunny tail grass, impatiens, lobelia, pansies, violas or nasturtiums.
Ceramic mixing bowls – Use an assortment of sizes and set on a patio table. Set a plastic pot inside each with drainage holes. Grow an assortment of greens like lettuce,
kale, mache, micro greens, mizuna, spinach and watercress.
Gallon milk jugs – For an attractive display, cut off the top one-quarter, wrap in burlap and tie with raffia or string. Grow herbs like chives, dill or mint, veggies like arugula or amaranth edible red leaf, or ornamentals like coleus and marigolds.
Kitty litter tubs – Five-gallon tubs with handles. Broccoli, cucumbers, eggplant, kohlrabi, okra, peppers, tomatoes. One plant per tub. Lots of options!
Two-litre soda bottle – Cut off top one-quarter. Great for herbs or a single flower like a nasturtium or snapdragon. Kids will enjoy seeing the roots grow through the clear plastic.
More fun ideas include: a bicycle basket, old tires, plastic storage bins, wheelbarrows, an old bathtub, a wagon.
