Trash Can Gardening

When my daughter and her neighbors wanted to deck out their modern townhouse complex with a few big containers, they were stymied by the lack of choices and the high price of pots. They weren't able to find any containers they liked, let alone afford.  They wanted simple, sleek pots, but Design Within Reach prices weren't within reach. So they bought galvanized garbage cans in three sizes (about $20 each) drilled holes in the bottom, and potted them up. I can't imagine a cooler contemporary look.

  The garden world is changing, expanding its aesthetics and horizons - why else would a project like the Crack Garden in San Francisco win an American Society of Landscape Architects Award this year?  CMG Landscape Architecture created an 800 square foot garden for residents of a four-unit building by jackhammering cracks in the concrete, which now sprout vegetables, flowers and herbs. The entire project cost $500. (See the story at www.gardendesignonline. ) The ASLA jury called it "A profound project for the future we are about to embark upon." I don't know if I'd call my daughter and her neighbors' project profound, but they couldn't be more happy with what they've created...take a look at these freshly planted up trash cans:

Comments

[Karen]

I am cheap when it comes to containers too, just can't see shelling out a hundred bucks for something that could break in a bad freeze. I love the galvanized garbage cans, that's genius! I'm growing potatoes in leftover mulch bags this year, not so elegant but at least it's inexpensive! I tried to put them in amongst other plants that would camouflage their homeliness. Also have seen people use livestock water tanks for big planters, but I think they can be kind of spendy.

[Justyna]

Hi!

I have a question.
Did you fill up the whole garbage with dirt, or maybe you put some stones or old news paper in half of the garbage and then dirt with plants on top of it?

Thank you.

[valerie Easton]

Hi Justyna,
We drilled the bottom of the trashcans so they drain freely, then filled them all up with dirt. If you mix materials, the water stops draining between the different materials, backs up and drowns the plants over time. While it seems like so much dirt, it's always best to fill an entire container with good soil -
Val