I have quite a few small and medium sized planters and pots, but I want to make a special plant in a larger container, and could use some suggestions of where I can find low cost items. What I need is a nice looking sturdy container that won't become brittle and crack, that will hold a larger plant. I was thinking I might look at somewhere like Big Lots, but if anyone has other suggestions, I'm definitely open to them. Some of the plastic pots I've got are starting to crack, and I would like to avoid that with the new pot, but I'm on a pretty tight budget, so alternatives other than standard gardening pots would also be appreciated. Also, I can probably buy some potting soil, but would it be ok to mix in some dirt from the yard, or something else, to keep costs down, or would that affect the nutrients the plant would derive from the soil, and ultimately sicken the plant? This is a special plant that I don't want to die. TIA!
Big Lots might have them, but also look at home improvement stores. Lowes and Home Depot often have a great gardening section. Walmart generally does as well. If you can hold out a couple more months before transplanting, you may get a good end of season sale as they try to clear out their inventory for the fall. I don't see a big problem with mixing in some top soil (dirt from your yard) with potting soil for your plant, but make sure to break it up well and if you have a lot of rocks in your yard you will want to sift through the soil to remove as many as possible. If you want to save money on soil in the long run, start a compost pile to create your own potting soil. When you mow the yard, add the clipping to the compost pile. When you rake the leaves, add them to the top of the compost pile. Mix the pile every so often so it all gets mixed in, and the bugs and worms in your yard will eat the clipping and turn them into nutrient rich soil.
That's a good idea about composting, and there are always grass clippings and leaves I can add in there. Do you know if it would matter if other things were mixed in with the leaves? The trees out front drop these inedible berries, and sometimes there are also pecans mixed in with the leaves and grass clippings. I can use a back or side section for a small compost area, since I don't need an inordinate amount of soil usually. I have looked around, and the size pot I'm wanting is pretty expensive, and also apparently difficult to find. What I've found is one that resembles a whiskey barrel bottom, made of cedar, so now I just need to come up with the $$ for that and some potting soil. I will use some leftover from my other plants, and also mix in some of the top soil from the yard, as well, thanks!
About the compost heap . . . . . . you could use virtually anything that's organic — kitchen waste, leaves from the trees, the berries you mention, etc. We used only compost once to make a garden more fertile and the results were great. Coolcat is right, creating your own potting soil would be the right thing to do not only would it save you money this time but a lot more in future because no longer will you have to buy fertilizers once you've learned composting.
I would be fine with any yard waste going into the compost pile. The only problem I would see with nuts and berries in there is that you might attract squirrels or other small animals. They'd probably be in and around your yard any way since the food is there, but if they scavenge your compost pile they may spread it around and make a mess. I'm not sure since we only put leaves in ours growing up. The other option for composting is an indoor worm composting bin. I've never done it myself, but I've seen one in progress and you can find information online if you google it. You start with worms and some filler material (the one I saw used shredded newspaper). You add food scraps to it like vegetable peels and apple cores. I think you're supposed to avoid meat and eggs because the worms won't eat it and it will smell. After a while you will notice that there is no more newspaper, but the bin is full of lovely, rich soil.
I already have an issue with the squirrels making a mess, and armadillos digging deep holes in the yard, so I guess I'll stick to the leaves and clippings. Ewww, I don't like insects (especially in the house), so I'll skip the worms, but I appreciate the information .
I have found lots of gardening tools at the Dollar Tree and 99 Cents Only stores. They have gloves, pots, seeds and solar lighting. Very inexpensive and I compost at home. I also used leftover coffee grounds on my soil. I saw that CVS had huge terra cotta planters for $9 a pot. They were so inexpensive! They could easily run $45 at a gardening store. I just saw them this week! I also like Rite Aid for planters because they sell them 50% off at the end of the summer.
I don't have any Rite Aids here, but there's a CVS fairly close by, so I'll have to pop in there and see what they have. I didn't think to look at gardening supplies when I was at Dollar Tree last week, but there is a Family Dollar near me, so I can look there, thanks for the suggestions. I was just talking to a friend about using eggshells and coffee grounds in the garden!
