Large Diameter Pots

I have been looking on the internet for a plastic pot which has a diameter greater than 19". The few that I have found are in price ranges of $100 to even $1,000. Some companies I've found are wholesale only. Does anyone know of a supplier of large, reasonably priced, pots? I've tried locally at Wal-Mart, etc and I was lucky many years ago to have picked up the 8-19" pots I have at a K-Mart for $10/ea. I don't mind paying a little more for a larger pot but I do mind when they want blood for it.

We plant potatoes in large containers. Half whiskey barrels are good, and can be purchased for $20- $30 each. If you are close to an industrial that has used plastic 55 gal. drums, they make great planters when cut in half. You could paint them to get the affect you want.

Wal-Mart has those round 'tubs' with rope handles that go for about $6 each unless you're looking for fancy. I have several larger ones that I used for tomatoes (in NH) and they work great, just remember to keep them watered.

I'll take a look into those. That's at least the best suggestions I've seen. thanks for the input :-)

Home Depot had the large plastic tubs with rope handles for around $6....they were 2 feet tall, and 2 feet across....really BIG....I have them everywhere, and built wooden planter box frames around them, to hide them. I used 2 x 12s, double high. Some of them I planted, some of them I filled with water, fish, and aquatic plants.
MerryMary

MerryMary - is there any chance you could put up pictures of your planters? I would like to see them, I need some creative inspiration for my backyard! :)

Chris

Sam's has some 22 inch fiberglass pots for around $20 or less if I remember right. Their 18 inch pots are around $10. Very nice to begin with, doubly nice because of the price. I bought 12 of the 18 inch last year. They also get nesting pots (small, medium, large (22" or bigger)) that are quite decorative for about $60.

If you want a shallow wide pot, HD use to have some from Fiskars but they were around $50. They are about 23 inches wide and 9 inches deep.

Garden Ridge has very large pots as well.

Here is a picture of some of the nesting pots from Sam's with the banana in the large grapevine pot and an agave attenuata in the small grapevine pot. The two brown pots from Sam's (one has alocasia in it and the other an agave parryi) are 18 inch pots. They change the design every year it seems like.

Just at Sam's today. The 22 inch pots with scroll designs was less than $16.





This message was edited Jan 22, 2006 3:06 PM

I second the Wal-Mart entry. I was there today buying them out of jiffy7 peat pellets (25 for 1.96 can't beat the price--but they only stock them at the beginning of the garden season) and I saw huge plastic pots for $6-$9 range.

I don't know the actual dimensions of the pot I got, but it's almost big enough to sit down in. I got it at Wal-Mart last year. It was $20. I got it to use as a mini water garden. I got a smaller matching pot to put above it to use as a waterfall effect. If I remember correctly, that was the cheapest we found them.

heathrjoy, in order to sit in one of my pots, it better be the size of a whiskey barrel! LOL! I've found some really good deals on large pots at Costco or Sam's Club. My favorites are those pots that look like terracotta, but are some sort of light composite material. They are never cheap, but more reasonable at discount stores.

heathrjoy--what a great idea! post us some pics and generalized instructions.

Don't have pics yet, won't be able to get them for a while. Sorry.

Both pots are the kind Weezingreens is talking about...the light composite type pots. They feel like light plastic but seem more sturdy.

My plan is simple DMJ. Just put the bigger pot with it's bottom a little in the ground but the back of it mostly surrounded by soil. The smaller pot will go above, laying on it's side at an angle (enough to spill out the water, but hold some in for anchored down plants). A pump will run from the bottom of the big pot to the bottom of the smaller pot to circulate the water. I also have small pond lights for in the bottom of the pots and behind the waterfall. There will be flat slate rocks between the pots to enhance the waterfall effect. Then put in the plants, put in plants around the pots and......all done. Top off in hot weather with the hose.

I'll have to drill holes in the bottoms of the pots for the pump's water line and seal around them w/ silicone sealant that is for outdoor use.

If you do a web search for small water gardens or container water gardens you'll get lots of ideas. There are pics out there of something similar using two whiskey barrels...but this is more suited to my garden (or DH was too cheap to buy whiskey barrels?????).

I have all parts and even some plants for my mini water garden. It's not completed yet because we had to build our retaining wall last fall before it was put in.

VirginiaPesto,
I'm afraid my yard is undergoing "spring cleaning" so most likely won't be much of an inspiration for you!
The planter boxes around my large tubs, are 2x12 boards, so they are around 24x24x24. They will be painted the same color as the rest of the decking. Some I have water gardens in, some I have normal plants in. My water gardens are just now starting to show signs of life again, and green leaves are starting to appear. They have smaller lotus plants in them, so will end up quite tall. The soil filled planters I think this year will have mixed coleus ( some talls and some trailing) just to see how much color I can get going in certain sections of my small yard. I may do tall bright coleus, with white lance leaved caladiums as well....eventually I'll know what's going to look good (or not!)
:)
MerryMary

I also found this firepit at Olde Tyme Pottery for $39....so I figured hey why not make it a water planter too? The water plants are just now starting to come out of dormancy, and little fish made it through the winter, so I'm happy with this one as well. I think I'll go back to OTP and see if they have more, and do a few soil filled planters too. They came on a wrought iron stand, so they sit nice and high.
MerryMary

I love it when you guys post pictures. I'm not there yet...would love a digital camera, but a setback in finances has put me on a rather strict budget for a while! I agree about the composite pots...cheaper, lighter, etc. Try to find some with stone listed as part of the compositon if you like that "old money" look...they'll weather and grown that green mossy patina almost as though it were real stone. Speaking of lighter...I use those packing peanuts in the larger containers. Makes the pot lighter and easier to move and you also require less potting soil to fill it. My experience? The plants don't care as long as they get water, sunshine, and a kind word once in a while. But be careful and test first...I've read that some of the newer ones disolve in water?

And another thought, put the peanuts in plastic grocery bags, or similiar, so that they do not scatter all through your soil when you repot.

DonnaS

Great tips tootsie and Donna. I've filled even medium sized pots with rocks at the bottom and had to wait for DH to get home to move them. What a pain! I know that's what he looks forward to on the ride home from work...moving heavy pots!! LOL

I've got a handtruck that I use to move my big pots. I can slide the big pots onto the platform, then wheel them around where I want them. Sometimes I just can't wait for DH to do it.

Say, this may be where I need to post my question. I bought (from an elderly neighnor who was selling her house and moving to a nursing home) a genuine big olde Chinese pot that she said used to hold pickled eggs! It's huge - to me, I don't know its stats - and very heavy. My DH estimates it's 24" tall and 20" inside diameter (at the top). It's curved of course, bulges out maybe a third of the way down and then curves in to the bottom. I don't have a digital camera or I'd show you guys.

Anyway, I have the following thoughts: I've decided I should plant whatever it's going to be in a separate container to minimize the weight moving in and out for the winter/summer. Also, maybe the finish on the inside (lead?) would leach into the dirt or the dirt would wreck the finish. But instead of moving this 2 ton masterpiece in and out of the patio each year, maybe I could leave it outside year-round? This year has been mild and dry, but there are certainly years where there are 5' of snow on the ground from January until March, or where it's below zero for weeks at a time, or where it rains so much people's lawns get washed away and we all qualify for FEMA! I'm talking Boston metro area! Does anyone have any experience with antique Chinese pickled egg tubs, or anything similar? Or even any thoughts?


xxxxx, Carrie

Just got back from some web-surfing. This company http://www.growersupply.com/blowmolcon.html wholesales large plastic pots in various sizes. Those of you who have bought up Sams complete collection of big plastic pots may find you can use 50 pots @ $1.07 each!

xxxxx, Carrie

Carrie,
I had a friend who had a similar experience with a pickle crock.....they dried it completely, then painted on a waterproof sealer all over the inside...They assumed the lead wasn't in there, or at least not known about, because pickles and pickle brine had been in there for the past 50 years. It too was very heavy pottery. It was probably close to 3 feet high. They filled it with dirt after the sealant dried, and planted a combo of annuals and a jupiter that was shaped semi-Christmas tree-topiary-ish. It was a beautiful planter! I've often thought that if I could afford one that size now, I'd love to do it, with a tall tropical and some annuals. The ones I've seen have been close to $300, so nope.....
:)
MerryMary

Blah Carrie.....and if I only knew a wholesaler who could order those fantastic jumbo pots for me, it would be great!
:)
MerryMary

Carrie, I would be cautious about leaving the pot outdoors in the winter, particularly filled with soil. Many types of pottery don't fare well in the cold. You must also consider that the pot does not have drainage holes, so it would fill with water and crack once frozen. These are not likely issues where MerryMary lives, but most likely would be where you are. I would suggest setting a smaller pot inside your big one and just removing that pot when you want to move the pickle pot. You could set the smaller pot on another upturned pot to make sure the plant would get good drainage, and it would give the plant more height in the pickle pot.

Be careful not to have too much water draining into the bottom if you do the upturned pot thing, as the water will sit there and get that horrid stagnant smell.

I have planted in my big antique pickle crock and had no problems with the ficus plant that was in there except it got so big and heavy. I've been trying to decide what to do with that big pot ever since then and your idea above about filling it with annuals is wonderful. My fear would be having it freeze and crack. It was my grandmother's.

I have used the peanuts in big pots filled with annuals, as they don't usually develop big deep roots anyway. They do make the pots easier to deal with.

I guess no drainage is more of an issue for high rain areas like mine. However, if MA gets fall rains, then freeze, it could be an issue. I know that many types of ceramics do not like to sit out over the winter and will scale or crack, but I'm unsure about the pickle pot, not being familiar with it. I'm sure that lots of people leave their pots out all year in the places where they don't get the hardcore winters that we northern gardeners do.

Probably this big crock would be OK. Our winters are usually fairly mild. The crock weighs a ton and is very thick. It's a real antique and would be worth a fortune if I had the lid for it. When my grandmother died we could not find its lid, so she must have broken it or gotten rid of it for some reason. But all that is to say I sure would hate to have it crack, and it's too danged heavy to move around much. The more I've thought about it on this thread, the more I have thought about how pretty it would be loaded with bright annuals and cascading stuff.

merry mary,

I don't think you have to be a wholesaler to buy from them. You just have to be able to use the quantity they are selling! For instance they sell 25 terra cotta colored plastic pots 14" in diameter for ~ $50, that's around $2 a pot. I've never bought anything there, but I'll consider it if I needed lots of pots!

xxxxx, Carrie

Carrie, I just checked out your link, and those are great pots! I a buy them by the stack from a distributor in Anchorage. I like the fact that most are thin walled and flexible... less likely to break when I'm moving them around. They aren't fancy, but I use them for my container gardening, and for some of the larger plants I sell. The one gallons, two gallons, etc. are perfect for 2nd year plants. I believe the brand I buy are 'Classics'.

Another thing you can do to lighten the weight of a heavy pot (instead of a million peanuts) is to use empty pop or water bottles, like the 16 or 20 oz. ones.

Karen

Aha! All those wonderful ways to turn plastic into something usefull. I use the peanuts because they are easily available to me. I'm not a pop drinker, but I bet my neighbors wouldn't mind if I raid their recycling containers. Great idea!

That is a great idea!! Just about everyone has those things nowdays.

Hi there,
I would like to jump in with a suggestion about the "wintering" problem.
Being in Zone 3 we get really cold winters, -45C. For our terra cottas and the likes, I treat them like tender shrubs. Wrap the pot in burlap, tarp or insulation,(even an old blanket will do) tyed down, create a "LID" from just about anything, wood, plastic, old hubcap, to top it off , the bigger the better and protect it from collecting any snow, etc. inside. Works well. Just make sure the pot is dry before you start your wrapping!
Love the plastic bottle idea!

Weezin,
I know you think that being in ALASKA zone 3 makes you feel really special about your "hardcore" winters, but we got 16" of snow here yesterday and today! I'm considering it as a nice warm blanket for the nest week or so, until it rains or thaws...
xxxx, Carrie

Oh, no, Carrie! We really don't have hardcore winters here... just unusual. I'll bet your winters are colder than ours, as a rule. The freeze and thaw, rain and snow situations here are what make it so challenging. We've had warm spells this time of year that started the plants growing again, then the temps drop into the teens and kill them off.

I mulch with straw or leaves and top with plastic in order to maintain freezing temps in the soil and prevent too much water collecting around the plants before spring warmth allows thawing and drainage. I think the wetness kills more plants than the cold. I wish we would get freezing temps in late fall and it would stay that way until spring. As it is, our basement is flooding one day and it's snowing the next.

Maybe I misread here, but using all caps on the word 'Alaska' and saying that I feel 'really special about my hardcore winters' suggests to me that I belabor the point. I sure don't mean to. I mention the state I live in often. I do so with pride, to be sure, but mostly I do so because the abbreviation AK often suggests Arkansas to people when they look at my postings. I am often asked what it is like up here and I probably play on that a bit.

What I really don't want to do is downplay the efforts it takes for anyone else to garden anywhere else. We have gardeners on DG that have much more extreme conditions than I do, an heat can be just as restrictive as cold. Living in Maine, I'll bet your summers get hot and your winters get cold, so that's pretty challenging. It sounds like this winter is visiting lots of diverse weather on your neck of the woods, as well. It's always a challenge, isn't it!

MerryMary you are quite creative! I can picture what your pots will look like planted. I love the idea of using the fire pit for a water garden!

Weezingreens - I love Alaska! I went all over Alaska (not just for a cruise). In Fairbanks, we were amazed at how big the plants were in July -- giant annuals in planters -- marigolds, petunias, etc. from the long days of sun. This was so interesting to me as I had never known this happened in Alaska. That is what is great about participating in these forums to see all the different perspectives for places we don't get to visit in person.

Yes, Fairbanks gets long days of hot summer weather. We're down on the coast, so our weather stays mild, but we still grow lovely flowers. All the moisture loving plants do well. We do lots of raised beds and container gardening. I'm glad you got to come up here and look around.

Yes of course in the same state there are many climates. I am inland in Massachusetts in the north and we always get so much more snow and earlier frosts than on the south shore where my in laws live. Even in a small state like Mass there are many different growing conditions! Of course Cape Cod on the coast many years gets little snow -- some years people golf into the winter and even in early spring which is hard for me to believe where I am. (This year the Cape is suffering with the snow!)

We travel a lot and Alaska was one of our favorite places so far. Friendly people and the most breath taking scenery.

This message was edited Feb 14, 2006 1:41 PM

Yes, we're a friendly bunch, and it is such a big state that you can visit several times without repeating yourself! The size also accounts for all the different growing conditions. Because we are a coastal town, and because we are gravel based with lots of rivers, we have little top soil and lots of rain. By using raised beds & containers, we keep our precious, purchased soil 'contained', as well as giving it extra drainage and warmth from the sun.

I bought concrete looking containers from Sams Club. They are about 18" at the top and smaller at the bottom. They were very inexpensive.

I use plant caddys under my heavy plants. You can get them with or without water trays, I use the trays. I roll my plants into the enclosed porch, in the winter and then roll them back out in the Spring. I can move them where ever I want them on the patio. I bought one from Walmart and the rollers were not sufficent.

I am thinking about getting the plastic tubs from Walmart and putting rocks in the bottom to add weight, then putting a smaller pot inside.

Did I miss something about puttings foam peanuts in the soil????